Always Growing Wessex

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive eagerly at nursery and are greeted warmly by enthusiastic staff.

They are confident in social situations. For example, children say to visitors, 'What's your name?' and ask 'What are you doing?' There is an effective key-person system in place. Children have formed close attachments with staff, who are caring in their approach.

This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children use good manners and understand the nursery rules. They play well together and generally take turns effectively.

Children are becoming independent learners who access activities and resources for themselves. Overall, ...the curriculum supports children to develop a love of learning. Staff provide a range of exciting learning experiences, indoors and outdoors.

These fuel children's imagination. For example, children show delight as they create snow people and decorate wreaths. Staff tune in to children's interests and, overall, build their knowledge and understanding from these.

Staff demonstrate that they prioritise children's well-being. For example, they check that children are dressed in suitably warm outdoor clothing. Children experiment using guttering to design their own water channelling system.

They move guttering up and down to change the height and slope. Children roll balls down and explore the channelling possibilities.

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

Managers recognise the importance of valuing staff's well-being.

Staff state they feel 'appreciated' and 'listened to' by managers. Staff benefit from a robust cycle of observations of practice and supervision meetings. Professional development opportunities are carefully considered to help staff to enhance children's learning and development.

Staff provide a range of stimulating activities to encourage children's physical development. Children excitedly play football together. They build strength and develop coordination and balance.

Children enjoy lots of time outdoors to support their physical skills and well-being.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is carefully considered. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to ensure that children receive continuous support and guidance.

All children make good progress from their starting points.Parents are very keen to share their views of the nursery, care and the progress their children make over time. They say that their children are 'thriving'.

Parents state staff keep them well informed of the daily activities provided and next steps in their children's learning.Staff ensure that children have access to their favourite stories and frequently read aloud to children with enthusiasm. Children retell familiar stories through play.

For example, as they go outside, they act out 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' together. These experiences help to promote children's early literacy skills.Staff understand the importance of promoting children's communication and language skills and early mathematics.

For example, children listen with increasing attention and listening skills while staff read them a story to help develop children's love of books and early reading. Children eagerly add and subtract numbers to help to promote early mathematical concepts.Staff complete accurate assessments of children's development.

They have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn next. Overall, children access a curriculum that fosters their interests and builds on what they already know and can do. However, staff do not always implement the curriculum with precision to consistently support the intent of some activities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There are clear processes in place to keep all children and their information safe. All staff complete regular safeguarding training which is applicable to their specific role.

Managers and staff have a secure knowledge of the indicators of abuse and the procedures to follow in the event of a child protection concern. They understand the procedure if an allegation is made against a member of staff. The manager carries out robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures.

Risk assessments are carried out in all areas that are accessible to children. This helps to ensure their safety while at the setting.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff's understanding of how to implement the learning intentions for activities, so they are clear on what skills and knowledge they want children to gain.

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