Wind In The Willows Day Nursery And Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have adapted admirably to the changes which have had an impact on their nursery, following COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. Drop-off, settling-in and collection times for children have been restricted. Therefore, staff have set up a book to communicate each child's day and routines, which is supported by daily discussions, at the gate each day.

Children are happy and safe. They are starting to increase their levels of confidence. Staff have worked extremely hard to resettle anxious children.

Children are offered lots of reassurance from the kind, nurturing staff and this helps build their self-esteem.Child...ren received contact from staff during the first national lockdown, when the nursery was closed. Staff sent or delivered in person activity packs to support children's ongoing development, tailored to their individual learning needs.

Parents comment on the positive impact this had on children's learning.Children benefit from a broad range of resources that cover all areas of learning. Staff use their knowledge of children's individual learning needs to plan exciting and purposeful learning experiences.

For example, young children enjoy mark making in paint with toy vehicles, and older children begin to match letters and the sounds they represent. They have many opportunities to strengthen their hands and make marks, in readiness for writing.

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

Managers are ambitious for children and ensure that they experience thoughtfully planned and varied learning experiences.

They provide an inclusive environment for all children. Staff support vulnerable children who have a difficult start in life particularly well and help them to develop the skills they need for their future success in life. For example, funded children who would normally attend nursery during term time only have been offered additional sessions during the half-term holiday.

Parents' feedback is very positive. They state that staff keep them informed about children's well-being and development. Staff successfully encourage all parents to share ongoing information about children's learning and experiences at home.

Managers are committed to improving the nursery. They are ambitious and use self-evaluation successfully to identify the strengths and areas of development. For example, managers have worked hard to improve and form good links with local schools.

Staff maximise opportunities for children to become familiar with the school environment. For example, teachers come to visit the nursery, which supports children's move to school.There are effective procedures in place to help children to settle in at the nursery.

Staff obtain important information about children and work with parents to establish their starting points. This helps them to plan initial learning opportunities. The manager and staff team closely monitor and track children's development, to identify promptly any potential gaps.

Staff identify where some children may need additional help to catch up with their peers.Staff support children's language development well. They talk with the children, develop their vocabulary and help them learn to pronounce words correctly.

This supports the development of children's communication and language skills. However, staff do not consistently give children time to think and respond to questions asked, to strengthen their development even further.The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator provides ongoing support to other staff members, parents and children.

This helps to identify and secure interventions for children who require additional support. For example, after identifying the benefits of a sensory room, staff now have one in place to further support children with additional needs.Staff have high expectations for all children, and children develop good skills to support their future learning.

Managers use additional funding effectively, such as the early years pupil premium, to support the children at nursery. For example, after reflecting on the impact of COVID-19, managers now provide all children with access to hot, nutritious and healthy lunches.Professional development is strong.

Staff are encouraged to further their own qualifications and careers. They speak very highly of the support that they receive from managers. The managers implement systems to ensure that staff's workload is managed effectively and their well-being is consistently supported.

This means that staff feel valued and enjoy their roles.Staff use a variety of ways to promote children's communication and language development, including children who speak English as an additional language. For example, staff use strategies including animated facial expressions, gesturing, visual prompts and sign language to support children well.

This helps children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to communicate.Children are confident and behave well. Staff act as positive role models and provide children with clear boundaries.

This ensures that children know what is expected of them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a good knowledge of a wide range of safeguarding issues and how to keep children safe.

They know the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and have a secure understanding of the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare. Managers work closely with partner agencies to support children's welfare effectively. They regularly update their training to support staff's safeguarding knowledge, which includes training around wider safeguarding concerns, such as female genital mutilation.

Staff discuss safeguarding routinely, such as in team meetings. This helps to promote children's safety and well-being.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nallow children more time to share their own knowledge, think through their ideas and respond to questions they are asked, to maximise their learning.