West Point House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff encourage children to be resilient and use problem-solving skills. Pre-school children concentrate as they use wool to bind sticks together to make a boat.

Children listen to instructions as staff explain to them how to safely use and hold scissors. They handle the scissors carefully as they cut holes in flags for their boats. Staff encourage children to be persistent and keep trying, when at first they struggle to thread the flag onto the stick that they are using as a flagpole.

Staff ask children questions to extend children's thinking, encouraging them to predict if they think the boats will sink or float. The...y suggest that the children sail their boats in the water tray to test their predictions.Staff encourage pre-school children and toddlers to put on their own coat and boots.

Children beam with pride as they independently do up their zips and put their wellington boots on the correct feet. Staff praise children for their achievements and efforts.Staff provide children with a wide range of opportunity to develop their physical skills.

Pre-school children learn to move their bodies in different ways to travel around the garden. They practise their coordination and balance as they weave in and out of cones and take part in running races. Staff support babies to balance on wheeled toys, encouraging them to use their feet to propel themselves forward on the toys.

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

The management team and staff have worked hard to address all actions raised at the last inspection. They have designed and implemented a curriculum which focuses on supporting children to gain the knowledge and skills that they will need for their eventual move to school. Staff know the children they work with very well.

They regularly observe them to make sure that they are making progress in all areas of their learning and development.Children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff take swift action where there are concerns about a child's development.

They work in partnership with parents and other professionals involved with the children to plan and implement targeted interventions.Staff recognise that some children struggle to regulate their emotions. They speak to children with respect and encourage them to express how they are feeling.

Staff help the children to talk about the things that make them happy, sad, frustrated and cross. Children know and understand the rules that are in place at the setting and are learning to show respect and be kind to their friends.Parents speak highly of the staff at the setting.

They comment that they are kept well informed about their child's time at the nursery and their developmental progress. Parents feel that since attending the nursery their children have made good progress in many aspects of their development.Staff have noticed that since the COVID-19 pandemic, many children struggle to make the expected progress with their communication and language development.

Staff recognise the value of singing rhymes and reading stories in order to help children acquire and use words and vocabulary. Singing can be heard throughout the nursery, babies join in with actions and toddlers and pre-school children sing with confidence. Children listen intently as staff read familiar stories to them.

However, staff do not encourage parents to share books with their child at home, to help children develop a love of reading and promote children's language further.Staff recognise the importance of encouraging children to develop a sense of responsibility and independence. They support toddlers and pre-school children to use jugs to pour their own drinks and use serving utensils to transfer food from serving dishes onto their own plates.

Staff have supported children to understand that when they see steam rising off food, it means that the food is hot. Children know that they need to be extra careful when serving hot food. Staff ensure that children wash their hands before food and after using the toilet.

However, they do not support children to learn about why good hygiene practices are necessary.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are aware of their responsibility to keep children safe and protect them from harm.

They are alert to the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. This includes being aware of the signs that could indicate that children have been exposed to radicalised or extreme views. Staff understand the action they should take if they were to be concerned about the conduct or suitability of another member of staff.

The management team ensures that all new staff are suitable for their role. The ongoing suitability of staff is regularly checked throughout their employment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nencourage and support parents to foster their child's love of books and stories develop a consistent approach to teaching children about the importance of good hygiene practices.