Whiz Kids Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have worked hard to make significant improvements to the care and education they provide for the children they care for. Consistent staff in each room help children feel settled, safe and nurtured. As a result, children have a strong exploratory nature and positive attitude towards learning.

Staff guide children through positive and warm interactions. This gives children the confidence to try new things, such as walking down steps, balancing along a beam or having a go at bell ringing when a local community group visits.Children are supported effectively to learn how to share and... develop their consideration of others.

They then demonstrate this learning spontaneously, for example by saying, 'Here you go,' as they pass the jug of milk to a friend.Older children display confidence and articulation as they speak to visitors. Babies constantly babble, some with much expression and gesturing.

They benefit from lots of back-and-forth conversations with staff, who sit at children's level. Staff join in play, sing, narrate what children are doing, use simple sign language and imitate children's early speech. These interactions help all children to make good progress in their communication and language development.

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

Since the last inspection, the manager has been able to reassess her role within the nursery to focus on improving outcomes for children. She now has a clearer oversight of the provision and quality of staff practice. There is now a clear intent about what it is that staff want children to learn while at the nursery and within each room.

This means that there is a secure curriculum in place that meets individual children's needs and prepares them well for the next stage in their learning.Children benefit from warm, caring relationships with staff. This effectively supports their emotional well-being and gives them a firm foundation from which to develop and learn new skills and knowledge.

Staff respect children's independent play. For example, they wait to change a child's nappy until they can see that the child has finished an activity. Nappy changing routines are used effectively by staff to promote good-quality, one-on-one meaningful interaction.

Children's independence is promoted well. Children recognise their own needs, make choices about snacks, peel their own fruit and get themselves ready for outdoor play. Staff recognise when children need to exert energy outdoors and facilitate this well.

This supports children's good health, well-being and physical skills.Children are beginning to use size language, for example as they describe their play dough Christmas puddings as 'big, big and bigger'. However, staff do not always use opportunities well enough to extend children's learning, especially their ability to solve problems for themselves.

Staff tend to provide children with answers, for example how to retrieve a toy car when it gets stuck or how to sweep sand into a 'pile', rather than giving children the opportunity to think of possible solutions themselves.The effectiveness of partnerships with parents has improved since the last inspection. Staff work closely with parents to meet the needs of children, including those who speak English as an additional language and where there may be developmental concerns.

Parents speak very positively of the changes made in the nursery over the last year and say they can really see a difference for their children.The provision of food at the nursery is good. There is now a designated cook who provides children with healthy, balanced and nutritious meals and snacks.

Dietary requirements are taken account of and provided for.Staff value the renewed focus on their well-being and the open communication they have with the manager. Robust recruitment, induction and performance management procedures ensure that those working with children are suitable to do so and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding. They are clear about when a child may be at risk of harm and what to do given different scenarios.

Those with designated safeguarding responsibilities receive appropriate training and their roles are clearly defined. Staff are clear about their responsibilities to report any concerns they may have about a colleague's behaviour towards a child. All staff receive regular training and benefit from continuous opportunities to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date and relevant.

Children understand revised routines in place to keep them safe, such as regular roll calls and headcounts. They demonstrate this, for example, as they hold the door open, ready for their friends to descend the stairs, and count each one with staff as they come through.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: promote further development of staff's teaching skills to provide children with more challenge to extend their learning and develop a secure ability to solve problems for themselves.