Windmill Hill Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

All children, including those new to the setting, settle exceptionally well.

A robust, key-person system means children feel safe and secure. Key persons build strong relationships with children and families. Children arrive smiling and confidently join in activities in their rooms.

The staff give younger children comfort and cuddles until they feel ready to explore. Staff provide amazing experiences for children. They follow children's interests using favourite characters from books and television shows.

They add toy diggers, trucks and blocks to the play alongside the police vehicles and toy figures. ...Children build towers and laugh when they fall down. At other times, staff help young children manage risks superbly.

As they push buggies around the garden, staff keep watch to make sure they do not bump others. When they get stuck staff, step in rapidly to help them solve the problem. Children are becoming confident, independent learners.

The quality of education is brilliant. The staff know what children can do and what they need to learn next, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The staff adapt their level of support to appropriately meet children's needs, ensuring all children make excellent progress and feel success.

Parents praise the support children receive and feel fully informed of their child's day.

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

The curriculum is clear in all age rooms. Staff plan the environment exceptionally.

They ensure there are plenty of resources and tailor these to children's interest. This motivates children and stimulates their curiosity. For example, staff notice children's interest in playing with the leaves outside.

They use the inspiration to create a magical area for children to learn about the word 'crunch', by exploring leaves and creating opportunities for children to test out their ideas.Creative storytelling and singing of children's favourite songs happens in every room. Staff use props, picture cards, and actions to engage children.

Staff working with the younger children focus on communication and language. They ask parents for words in home languages, use 'baby signing', tone of voice, facial expressions and gestures to interact with children. With babies, staff talk to them as they play, offer toys and name them, so children hear new words.

Children respond with smiles and giggles. Staff working with the toddlers ask questions or provide choices for children and wait patiently for children's responses. Children know staff value their views and opinions.

All children, including those who are learning to speak English as an additional language, are becoming confident talkers.Staff working with the older children skilfully focus on developing children's independence skills. For example, children learning to blow their nose at the 'snuffle station'.

The staff act as excellent role models, praising and encouraging children to persevere in activities. The children are enthusiastic about their learning and are confident to have a go. For example, children learn how to hammer nails, carefully listening, watching, taking turns and showing kindness to each other when it is another child's go.

The behaviour of the children is excellent.Children learn about different snakes from around the world, they find the country on a world globe and use non-fiction books to find out information. Children naturally chat about what they are learning.

They talk about colours and link what they are learning about to their own bodies. For example, children talk about how fast they can run and match colours to the clothes they are wearing. The staff expertly ask questions to deepen their learning, while incorporating mathematical language for measuring and noticing similarities and differences.

Children understand the importance of healthy lifestyle as they chop, peel, and cut vegetables to make a soup. Children are proud of their achievements, when the vegetable is ready to go in the pot, shouting 'I did it'. Staff promote children to talk about the importance of carbohydrates and vitamins for their bodies.

The provider cares deeply for the staff and invests in their well-being and continued professional development. As a result, there is a culture of staff learning. This has built a very skilled team, who are knowledgeable and are highly effective at teaching children to learn.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team implements a rigorous recruitment process to ensure all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff have regular supervision and new staff have mentors to deepen their knowledge and skills from their induction training.

All staff have secure knowledge of safeguarding procedures and know how to keep children safe. They can identify signs and symptoms of abuse and they are very clear on who to report their concerns to. The setting supports parents at home by providing first-aid training to enable parents to know what to do in an emergency at home.