White House Farm Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children in the pre-school room are supported by staff to take and manage controlled risks in their play. For example, when children help staff to start a fire to heat water outdoors, staff ask them to remember what they need to do before they strike a fire starter.

Children say they need space, a personal bubble, so they do not get fire on their friends. This shows children's understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. In the baby room, children are supported by staff to form close attachments with them, helping them to feel emotionally secure.

For example, when children hold scarfs to their face, they sm...ile when staff play peekaboo with them. Children in the baby room develop their core strength. For example, staff place very young children on their tummies and put toys to the side of them, encouraging them to roll to reach them.

Children in the toddler room develop their small-muscle skills. They copy staff who show them how to take it in turns to use tweezers to pick up spaghetti. Children express pride in their achievements, showing visitors how they can use their hands to move the tweezers in and out.

Additional funding for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is used effectively. For example, the manager uses the money to enhance adult to child ratios and to provide one-to-one support for children. This enables staff to provide small-group times and focused support to meet children's individual needs.

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

Staff invite children to have a voice in the nursery and to talk about their views and wishes. For example, children in the pre-school room are invited to join a nursery council, where staff support children to share their thoughts about what activities or resources they would like. Children asked for more climbing equipment in the nursery orchard.

So, staff made available more planks of wood and cable reels for children, encouraging them to work together as a team to solve problems when they use the equipment.Staff know the children well and understand what they need to learn next to develop and grow. In the baby room, staff help children to revisit previous learning, such as to secure their knowledge of different animals.

For example, after they take children for walks in the community to look at different animals, staff share books with children about farm animals. They provide opportunities for children to play with toy animals and help them learn the sounds different animals make to support their developing vocabulary.Overall, the management team support staff's practice well.

For example, they provide training courses for staff to attend. This helps staff to develop their knowledge of how to support parents with their children's learning at home, such as how to use scissors.Parents and carers comment positively about the nursery.

They appreciate the support they receive from staff to put plans in place to help children with SEND in preparation for when they move on to school.Staff help children in the pre-school room to learn sign language. Children copy staff to make signs for their name and when singing nursery rhymes.

This helps children with limited speaking skills to communicate and for other children to learn about similarities and differences and the way other people may communicate.Children are keen to join group times with staff. However, occasionally, during some of these times in the toddler and pre-school rooms, staff do not support children to remain focused or engaged.

Children become distracted by toys around them and are not supported by staff to fully benefit from the learning being offered.Staff model how to use good manners. This is to encourage children to copy the language they use and to be polite.

However, occasionally during some group times in the toddler and pre-school rooms, staff do not support children to learn how to take turns in conversations. This results in some children answering staff's questions at the same time and not listening to the views of others.Children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors in the nursery's spacious outdoor area.

Staff help them to plant and grow vegetables in the nursery orchard. This contributes to children learning about how food grows. Children in the pre-school room join staff for forest sessions, where they have opportunities to explore and investigate nature.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's interactions with children in the toddler and pre-school rooms to help engage and maintain children's focus and attention during planned group times support staff in the toddler and pre-school rooms to help children learn how to take turns in conversations and to listen to the views of others during group times.