YMCA Eastleigh Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are extremely happy, active learners. Staff use their exceptional knowledge and understanding of children's individual needs to help them make outstanding progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. Staff promote positives attitudes to learning.

They provide a highly varied and exciting curriculum, particularly in the wonderful garden area that successfully inspires children to learn outdoors. All children receive the support they need to access the same curriculum as their peers. As a result, children who are behin...d in their development when they start at the nursery quickly catch up, particularly in their speech and language and emotional development.

All children's learning is enhanced through the skilful interaction of staff. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They carefully consider children's interests, choices and development during all activities, which they use to extend and challenge their learning.

For instance, they use lotto rhyming games that enable children to distinguish between different sounds, learn to pay attention, take turns and work together extremely cooperatively. Children learn what happens when they mix paint with water and why objects sink and float. Staff support all children's learning exceptionally well.

For example, they talk to children about the patterns they create using paint, water and brushes. and initiate bubble-blowing games that make children laugh with excitement.

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

Managers are highly successful in continually improving outcomes for children.

There is a very strong focus on supporting staff and other YMCA nurseries to provide inclusive care and education for children. Together with staff and the local authority, managers have use their extensive expertise to adapt the curriculum and ensure all children's inclusion. Children are now provided with a language-rich environment with activities that are adapted to their individual needs, and have numerous opportunities to try things for themselves.

Staff consistently adapt their communication with children to meet their individual needs. They use knowledge from completing additional training to help children of all ages learn to sign and communicate. Consequently, children communicate very confidently with adults and other children.

Staff make excellent use of books to plan a wealth of activities that successfully support all areas of children's learning. They frequently link stories to activities to support children's excellent pre-reading skills. For instance, in relation to a story about the Gruffalo, staff and children talk about the 'snake' patterns they make using string and paint.

Children thoroughly enjoy making 'play crumble' using modelling dough, flour and oats.Staff provide children with a wealth of interesting resources and activities that inspire and motivate them to learn and give them the skills they need for the future. They skilfully lead small-group activities that help children learn to listen, focus their attention, talk and follow instructions.

Staff patiently show and explain to children about how to use the resources and successfully gain their participation, for instance during activities using a small parachute.Staff join in children's play and skilfully extend their learning. They eagerly respond to children's curiosity.

For instance, when children find a spider in a water tray, staff encourage them to identify the spider's features and explain about returning it to its natural habitat.Staff are exceptionally positive role models for children. They communicate with children and members of their team in a positive and respectful way.

Staff quickly intervene when children find it difficult to share the resources, and patiently explain about taking turns. Children's behaviour is exemplary.Staff support children to develop excellent independence.

They give children clear guidance and support when needed, as well as giving them time to do things for themselves.Staff work extremely well in partnership with parents, outside agencies and other early years settings that children attend. Teachers from local schools visit the setting to meet staff and children, to support children's move to school.

The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator attends partnership meetings with other early settings and shares precise, comprehensive knowledge of children's individual needs to support exceptional continuity of care and learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers give top priority to keeping children safe.

They create a very positive culture and ethos where safeguarding is an important part of everyday nursery life. Managers have an exemplary knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities to protect children's welfare. They have extremely robust systems in place to ensure that staff remain suitable to work with children.

They make sure that staff fully understand and follow these procedures, which enables them to take appropriate action to safeguard children's welfare. Staff have an excellent understanding of child protection and what to do if they have a concern about a child's welfare. Managers have improved the security of the premises and the procedures for children's arrival and departure times, to ensure children are kept safe.

Also at this postcode