Whitton Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The nursery provides a warm, safe, friendly and homely atmosphere that children enjoy.

Children arrive happily and separate well from their parents. They benefit from the care provided by the kind, friendly and welcoming staff. Children's behaviour is exemplary.

They listen attentively to staff and respond well to their instructions. Children play harmoniously together and build good friendships. Staff play alongside children, for example as they enjoy sliding down the slide together.

Children display high levels of confidence. They explore their environment and independently choose from the wide range of reso...urces and activities on offer. Children are motivated to play and learn.

They enjoy taking part in activities with adults, such as cutting fruit and vegetables and playing with dolls. Children happily involve adults in their play and enjoy cuddles and snuggling on their laps to read a story. Staff working with babies are calm, reassuring and attentive to their needs.

Babies have plenty of space to explore and gain control in their physical development. Children are happy, relaxed and settle well into their daily routines throughout the nursery. The settling-in process, transitions between rooms and the transition on to school are planned effectively.

Parents comment that the setting is a 'home from home'.

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

The manager has high expectations for all children. She supports her staff effectively through regular supervision meetings.

The manager identifies the training needs of individual staff. Recent training for staff has helped them to build their knowledge and understanding of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The majority of staff working with children are qualified in childcare.

Overall, the curriculum is well planned, and children acquire knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. Staff use assessments well to understand what children know and can do. However, on occasions, they do not consistently identify precise next steps for all children that respond to their specific learning needs.

Staff offer a welcoming and inclusive environment where children feel safe and secure. Additional funding is used effectively to provide appropriate support for children with SEND, including training for staff and resources. Children learn to use simple sign language and staff provide visual pictures as a means of communication.

All children make good progress, including those who speak English as an additional language.Staff support children's language development well, overall. Children listen attentively to stories and enjoy sharing news from home.

However, some staff do not consistently model language to support the development of younger children's speech.Children behave exceptionally well. Staff are kind and warm and model excellent behaviour.

A highly consistent approach to care routines, behaviour management and expectations in all rooms supports children extremely well. Children thrive on the positive praise and encouragement from staff, and this helps to build their self-esteem and confidence.Staff plan a wide range of stimulating and purposeful activities for children outdoors.

Children use tools while exploring the texture of sand and are supported to fill and empty containers. They enjoy crushing coloured chalk using a pestle and mortar and adding water to make a mixture.Children learn about healthy lifestyles.

They are introduced to a range of fruit and vegetables in the home corner. Children enjoy freshly cooked meals and snacks which are prepared by the nursery cook. Staff support children's growing independence well.

They serve their own food and clear their plates away when they have finished eating. Older children manage their own self-care needs, such as using the toilet and washing their hands.Children learn about the community they live in through a good range of planned outings in the local area.

Children enjoy visiting parks and woodlands and local shops. Staff help children to learn about other cultures and find out about festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year.Parent partnerships are effective, and parents speak highly of the nursery.

They state that their children have come on 'leaps and bounds' since attending the nursery. The manager and staff share daily information with parents and invite them to contribute to their child's online learning journey.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They know the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child in their care. Staff have good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of abuse and wider safeguarding issues.

Good induction procedures ensure that new staff are familiar with the setting's safeguarding policy. Staff carry out robust risk assessments to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make better use of the information gained from assessments and identify precisely what children need to learn next, so that teaching builds on all children's prior knowledge and skills nuse every opportunity to model language to support the development of speech for younger children.