Ymca Thames Gateway Thamesmead Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have a positive attitude to their learning and show good levels of focus and concentration. Staff provide daily yoga sessions to support children's concentration as they take part in planned activities. Children are happy and secure and supported well at the setting.

Children greet each other and staff with smiles and leave their parents contentedly. Staff have high expectations for all children to learn and develop. Children independently select their chosen activity from the thoughtfully planned and varied curriculum.

There is a strong emphasis on developing children's language and a love of books. This is s...upported through a clearly sequenced curriculum that is planned around familiar stories. Staff provide cosy reading areas, where children handle books with care.

Children regularly ask staff to read their favourite stories. This supports the development of children's early reading skills.Children are well behaved for their stage of development.

They quickly learn the nursery routines and the simple rules that are in place for their safety. For example, young children learn to manage their own risks as they navigate steps within the environment. The is because staff are good role models.

Children are independent and enjoy helping to carry out small, simple tasks. The atmosphere is calm and productive. Children play together with great concentration.

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

The manager provides an ambitious curriculum and vision for the nursery. She has a clear overview of the curriculum and monitors its effectiveness. She reviews children's progress, ensuring staff know what the children can do and need to learn next.

The manager monitors staff to support them to understand the new system used for planning the curriculum. However, this is not fully embedded, and staff do not always plan for children's individual learning. Despite this, children make progress from their start points.

Staff actively seek support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The manager and staff work closely with parents and outside agencies, to agree and regularly update individual plans. They use any additional funding that children receive successfully to support each child's individual needs.

Staff act as good role models for children. They listen when children talk and value what they say. Children confidently hold conversations with staff and describe past events.

Staff use effective questioning when communicating with children to extend conversations. At the music station, with staff encouragement, children are able to find the different sounds when playing the xylophone. Children become confident talkers.

Partnership with parents is strong. Parents say that the staff are friendly and they appreciate the information they receive about their children's care routines. However, staff do not share information about what their children are learning at nursery, therefore, parents are unable to understand how to support their learning at home.

Children are supported well in developing healthy lifestyles and they enjoy daily access to outdoor play in the well-equipped garden. Children enjoy using ride-on and wheeled vehicles to support their physical skills. Staff deliver consistent messages to help children understand how they can make healthy choices.

The staff team know the children very well and work tirelessly to make sure children have exciting opportunities to learn. Children are eager and curious to try new activities. Staff engage with and join children in their activities and ensure that children receive individual attention.

For example, children excitedly style staff's and each other's hair as they play hairdressers.Children are learning to be independent. They select their own resources in sessions for free play and understand the need to tidy away once they have finished.

Children understand the routines of the day. However, at times, children wait for too long for the next activity, as adults are not fully prepared for what is happening next.The staff team speak positively about the manager and the support they receive.

The manager conducts regular staff supervision meetings and makes observations on the teaching practice. She places a sharp focus on improving staff's knowledge and how they can enhance their skills further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff are knowledgeable about child protection issues and have a secure understanding of the correct procedures to follow, both within the company and externally, should they have concerns about a child. Staff have a good understanding of wider safeguarding issues. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures are in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

Staff induction and ongoing supervision ensure that staff remain so. Staff are vigilant about safety and put in place a range of procedures to help keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide support for staff, so that they fully understand how to include children's individual targets when planning the curriculum, to enhance their learning even further nimprove the organisation of routines in the day to ensure children are not waiting too long during transition times.