Al Falah Sunflower Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are welcomed and settled well in this very warm and nurturing nursery.

They build strong bonds with the staff, who show the utmost care and kindness towards the children and their families. Children show positive attitudes towards their learning, where their interests are incorporated within the curriculum. For instance, due to the children's interest in space and planets, they learn new words, such as 'orbiting', 'astronauts' and 'gravity' in their home-made spaceship.

Children enjoy learning about the world around them while playing in their purpose-built 'post office' and 'clothes shop' in their garden, whe...re they enjoy role playing.Toddlers enjoy playing with transport toys, manoeuvring the toy cars to make marks in the flour while learning the parts of a car, such as 'tyres' and 'wheels'. Parents are extremely happy with the nursery staff and processes.

Parents are aware of what their children are learning and how to further support this at home through a parent app and daily discussions with staff. Children are encouraged to learn about healthy eating habits by organising healthy and non-healthy food. Children enjoy cutting and trying different types of fruit and vegetables, and they are exposed to a variety of healthy foods.

Staff well-being is important to the leadership and management team. Staff express how happy and supportive they feel working at this nursery.

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

Children display positive behaviours.

For instance, children ask each other if they are okay after bumping into each other. They ask their peers what colour cup they want at snack time.The manager passionately explains how she supports staff through in-house training and regular supervision sessions.

Staff express fondly how happy they are at the nursery.Staff use children's interests and their knowledge of child development to plan activities for children, However, at times, staff do not always support the less-confident children to engage during group time, to fully extend their learning.Parent partnership is good.

Parents are invited in for regular parent meetings to help them stay informed about their child's progress.Children enjoy planting herbs and vegetables. This helps children to begin to understand the world around them and have a deeper understanding of where food comes from.

Children are encouraged to take resources, such as 'Rex' the dinosaur, home. They take and share photos with 'Rex' joining them on trips and outings. This helps children to share everything they did with the dinosaur at home.

During COVID-19 lockdown periods, the nursery team kept in touch with families through regular video calls and story times. This helped children and families to continue to receive assistance, to support children's care and learning.Management have established a food bank that is available for the families they work with and more widely within and beyond the borough.

Staff play a proactive role in ensuring the most vulnerable families receive essential supplies.Children enjoy home-cooked meals cooked onsite by the chef. They are encouraged to help set up the tables at mealtimes.

However, the manager and staff have not fully considered how children develop independence skills in the nursery. For example, older children are not provided with knives to cut up their food.The children grow and tend to vegetables and herbs in the garden.

This helps them understand the natural world and where food comes from.Children are encouraged to make healthy eating choices by cutting and eating a range of fruit and vegetables. However, staff do not always promote good hygiene routines, such as effective handwashing, to help children develop a deeper understanding of how this can support their good health.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language have appropriate support in place. For instance, the nursery works closely with the local authority and families to make timely referrals when a concern arises. This helps children to make good progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. Through regular training and discussions, staff have effective understanding of identifying signs and symptoms of abuse, including those under the 'Prevent' duty.

Staff complete a regular safeguarding quiz. This ensures their understanding is consistent and supported by the leadership and management team. Staff are aware how, when and to who they need to report concerns.

All staff are first-aid trained, which allows them to respond swiftly to any accidents and incidents. Staff attend safeguarding training to refresh their knowledge on a regular basis.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the group activities to help all children become more engaged in their learning give greater consideration to how children develop independence skills as they progress through nursery review handwashing procedures and support children to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of this routine.