Willow Park Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Babies and toddlers have frequent interactions with older children and staff at this small nursery. This supports their eventual transition into the next room.

Children who have just moved into the larger playroom listen intently as their older peers sing songs at circle time. They smile as they recognise some of the songs and watch the actions carefully. All children feel safe and secure at this happy nursery.

Children have access to mark making throughout the environment. They purposefully explore play dough. This helps them to develop their smaller hand muscles ready for writing.

Children busily write with ...purpose on notepads outside. They also enjoy frequent opportunities for stories. Staff are responsive to children's requests for books and are creating a love of reading.

This supports children's early literacy skills in preparation for starting school. Children learn to share and take turns. They wait patiently for their name to be called to scrape their plates at lunchtime.

Children understand the routine and what will happen next. Within their play, children carefully construct with bricks to build a line. They are accepting of other children walking along their construction.

Staff have clear expectations for children's behaviour and regularly support children to remember the rules. As a result, children learn to be respectful of one another.

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

An area of strength for this nursery is the support they provide for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and staff work closely with parents and professionals to support children. Staff are trained to meet a range of children's specific medical needs. Parents are grateful for this and express that they feel their children are safe here.

Staff ensure barriers to learning are identified and responded to swiftly. Children with SEND achieve to their fullest potential.Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery.

They are developing the environment to create more opportunities for child-led play. For example, leaders have enhanced a home corner and role-play area to support children's interests. Leaders express that play is calmer and children are more engaged.

However, when staff are following children's lead they do not always extend the learning that is taking place. For example, when a problem occurs within play, staff do not always encourage children to think critically and problem solve.The curriculum is well planned.

Leaders have considered what they intend for children to be achieving as they leave to start school. This then cascades down through each age group to ensure effective sequencing. Assessment is completed frequently to identify children's next steps in learning.

Staff know their key children well. Any developmental concerns are quickly addressed to ensure that early intervention is put in place. However, not all parents are clear about their children's developmental next steps to further support learning at home.

This does not ensure the continuity of learning between the nursery and home.Babies enjoy exploring their environment. They confidently cruise around furniture, developing their physical skills, and listen intently as they bang shakers on the floor.

When babies express that they are tired they are quickly comforted by their key person. They happily settle for a sleep with their comforter as staff sit with them and gently pat their back. Babies have developed secure attachments with their key person, who knows them well.

Communication development is an important area of focus for the nursery. Children receive lots of interactions with staff, who introduce new language frequently. However, less experienced staff do not consistently allow children the time to respond or encourage children to think and make their own suggestions.

Children are happy and engaged in a wide range of experiences. They laugh in delight as they run around the garden pretending to be tigers. Children respond to adults as they are reminded to be careful of other children playing around them.

Newer children are supported by adults as they develop their confidence to access the environment independently. Children are having fun and developing a positive attitude to learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff complete regular checks, including headcounts when coming in from outdoor play, to ensure that children are kept safe. Leaders and staff have extensive experience of working in partnership with families and multi-agencies to safeguard children. Staff access regular training to update their knowledge on how to keep children safe.

They know about the signs and symptoms of abuse and the actions to take if they have a concern about a child who may be at risk of harm. Staff also understand the importance of whistle-blowing and the action to take if they have any concerns about the conduct of a colleague.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to further develop their teaching to help extend children's learning during their child-led play and encourage critical thinking and problem-solving nenhance partnerships with parents further by sharing children's progress and next steps to promote continuity of learning at home promote further children's communication and language skills by allowing children time to respond to questions.