Witty Kiddies Sydenham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are met at the door by practitioners. They enter the nursery, where they are greeted with a warm welcome by friendly staff. Children settle well.

They confidently explore the setting and interact with practitioners, demonstrating they feel safe and secure. The manager and her team engage with parents when they drop off and collect their children. They share key information about the children, including their experiences at home.

This helps practitioners support children throughout the week. Parents are happy with the nursery and comment on the good communication. Practitioners caring for the youngest children ...are attentive to their needs.

They know the children well and make sure that babies and young children receive high levels of care and attention. For instance, when babies become upset, they are given cuddles and reassurance.Practitioners have high expectations for children's behaviour.

Children behave well. Practitioners act as good role models. They say 'please' and 'thank you' and speak to each other with respect.

Practitioners give gentle reminders of manners to children when they forget. Children are kind, considerate and helpful to one another. For example, when children are getting ready to go outside, they give each other their coats and shoes.

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

Following the last inspection, the manager has reflected on weaknesses and has made significant changes to improve all aspects of the nursery provision. The provision for children has greatly improved.The manager is very passionate about her role.

She values her team and gives them support and guidance. The manager plans supervision meetings for practitioners. She utilises their strengths and identifies training to enhance their knowledge and skills.

The deputy manager also supports practitioners in their role and identifies areas where they may need more guidance. This helps to implement the curriculum effectively.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support and are included in all activities.

Practitioners use visual aids and signs to support children with their understanding and communication. For example, a visual daily routine is used so children know what to expect throughout the day and when.Practitioners are knowledgeable about individual children and there is an effective key-person system in place.

They use their ongoing assessments to identify children's next steps in learning. Practitioners plan activities based on children's interests. They use short educational videos and their own understanding and research to support children's learning and expand their knowledge.

Practitioners plan one-to-one time with each key child to develop strong bonds and focus on their next steps. This provides a tailored approach to meet each child's individual learning needs, overall. This helps children to make progress in the areas needed.

Practitioners meet children's care needs effectively and maintain good hygiene practices. They adopt a 'healthy nappy changing' routine. Practitioners are respectful at nappy time and will ask for consent before changing children.

They sing and talk to the children throughout.Children's language and communication are promoted across the setting. For example, the role play area is set up to create opportunities for language and communication, and to develop children's social skills.

Practitioners speak clearly with children and focus on their speech and language through songs and stories at group times.All children receive opportunities to be physically active. Babies enjoy resources and activities to encourage movement, such as crawling and stretching.

Older children access the outdoor space and activities to strengthen large- and small-muscle movements. Children access the garden regularly. Practitioners give babies the opportunity to experience the whole outdoor space, for example, by holding them on the baby slide and adapting activities for them.

Overall, children are encouraged to be independent. For instance, they serve their own food and pour their own drinks. However, children's independence is not always consistently supported.

Children are not always provided with the appropriate cutlery, which means some children struggle to cut their food and they do not get to develop their skills in using a knife and fork. Older children manage their own personal care, such as using the toilet and wiping their nose.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager follows safer recruitment procedures to make sure all practitioners are suitable to work with children. Practitioners are supported during their induction to become familiar with the safeguarding policies and procedures. Practitioners have a good understanding of their role to keep children safe from harm.

They are confident to follow procedures if they have any concerns regarding a child's welfare and they know which agencies to go to if they need to make a referral. Children's attendance is monitored and any absences are checked to safeguard children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove consistency in how practitioners support children to develop their independence and self-help skills.