Waterways Nursery and After School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter the setting happily and settle quickly on arrival.

Well-organised daily routines help them to understand what is happening throughout the day. Staff have high expectations and, because of this, children make good progress, including those who receive additional funding.Young children enjoy singing songs and rhymes, and laugh with delight.

They have access to an outdoor space, where they can roll down a hill and water plants. Older children are encouraged to also develop their physical skills outside, which is where they spend a large portion of time. They ride bikes and scooters, and play happily on the ...swing and slide.

Children learn about the world around, and the process of planting and growing vegetables. Staff act as positive role models and interact with children in a caring, polite manner. Children form good relationships with staff and respond to them in a positive way.

Staff work hard to encourage children to play together and manage their own behaviour. For example, children line up behind a large tree stump and patiently wait for their turn to jump off it.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have a clear vision for the setting.

They lead with passion and determination, and know what they want children to achieve. Leaders evaluate and consider the views of parents and staff. Children join in a 'little voice' group to ensure that they have their say about the setting and their learning.

Overall, children's speech and language skills are developing well. From a very young age, staff encourage children's emotion vocabulary and there is a strong emphasis on children being able to express how they feel. For example, children sit at the dinner table and tell each other, 'You are my best friend, I love you'.

However, during everyday conversations with children, staff do not consistently take every opportunity to expand children's language and vocabulary.Staff identify children who are not making expected progress. This leads to timely support programmes being put in place.

Staff work in partnership with other professionals and parents to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities can access the learning they need to make progress. For example, staff use visual cards and sensory circuits to support children with change.Children are immersed in an environment which encourages them to explore and make their own choices.

All staff engage well with children. They ask questions, interact with children and act as good role models. Children behave well and enjoy being outside playing in the garden.

The outdoor space provides children with lots of opportunities to explore the world around them. For example, they smell herbs in the sensory garden and look for bugs. Children take pride in looking after their environment and water the plants.

Parents speak positively about the nursery and care which their children receive. They feel that their children's needs are being met and that they are making good progress. Parents also appreciate the opportunity to attend parenting classes, which helps them understand how they can support their children even further at home.

They are kept up to date about their child's learning and development through an online app and daily conversations with staff.Staff sit with children at mealtimes. They promote children's independence and physical skills, for example by encouraging them to serve their own food.

Children learn to use large spoons, and knives and forks.In preparation for their future learning, staff introduce children to letters and the sounds which they make at group time. However, staff do not consistently extend children's learning even further.

For example, they do not offer children more opportunities to learn about the shapes of letters, by exploring how to write and form them by themselves.Staff support children's social skills through helping them to regulate their own behaviour. Children resolve their own conflicts.

For example, when children want to use the same ride-on car, they are able to quickly resolve the problem by getting in it together.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have good knowledge of child protection issues.

They know who to contact if they have concerns about a child's welfare or safety. Staff can identify the signs and symptoms which may indicate that a child is at risk or harm. Leaders ensure that staff attend regular safeguarding training and keep their knowledge up to date.

Staff understand their role and know how to use the systems put in place by managers to keep children safe. They are aware of safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. Staff also help children to understand how to keep themselves safe.

For example, at forest school, children use a sign to indicate when they feel something is unsafe. .

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: promote children's communication skills even further by extending their language and encouraging them to use more words at every opportunity provide more opportunities for children to make marks and learn about letter shapes in preparation for school.