Amberley Hall Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at the nursery.

They develop good relationships with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care. Babies smile and confidently interact with visitors. With support from staff, they explore the well-resourced environment.

Babies display their early imagination skills as they hold a toy star and pretend it is an ice cream.Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and enjoy a range of activities in the outdoor area. Older children are eager to make marks during activities and make links between letters and sounds.

They learn to manage risks safely as... staff support them to use tools to make pictures. For example, children learn to focus carefully as they use a hammer to transfer the colour from a leaf onto paper.Following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, leaders and staff give high priority to children's emotional well-being.

When children returned after the first lockdown, staff recognised that they were anxious about the virus. Staff created a role-play hospital so that children could use pretend play to make their concerns known. Staff listened carefully to their play and planned further activities to help children understand how germs spread and to highlight the importance of keeping their hands clean.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves healthy. They understand the importance of washing their hands and confidently tell staff they are 'washing away the germs'. Staff support children to be independent at mealtimes.

They encourage children to serve themselves at lunchtime and support them to pour their own drinks from a jug.Staff know children well. They provide a varied curriculum, using regular assessments to build on what children know and can already do.

Staff work closely with families and other professionals to ensure children who need any extra support continue to make good progress.Staff plan sensory play experiences for the youngest children. They encourage babies to use their hands and different items, such as wheat grass and paint brushes, to explore textures and make marks.

However, staff do not always recognise the youngest children's emerging interests during planned activities. This means staff do not consistently adapt their interactions to fully support the youngest children's enjoyment and extend their learning further.Children are developing an understanding of difference within the world around them.

They learn to be respectful of each other and have opportunities to discuss what makes them unique. For example, children talk about their individual differences, such as eye colour. They speak about their families and create pictures of their home and the people who live with them.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children develop good social skills and are learning to make friends. When they arrive, they are pleased to see each other and are eager to begin their play.

Children behave well. They are kind to each other and share resources. For example, children break a piece of clay in half to share between them.

Children proudly announce that 'sharing is caring'.Partnerships with parents are good. Staff share information with them in a range of ways.

They speak with parents at drop-off and collection times, and encourage them to view and add to children's online learning records. Staff also use written daily diaries to share information about children's care needs and routines. Recently, the nursery hosted a virtual parents' evening.

Each child's key person held discussions with parents to update them on their child's progress and next steps in learning.Leaders display a strong commitment to providing good-quality experiences for the children who attend. They form strong relationships with the staff team and have high expectations for what children can achieve.

Leaders and managers identify areas for improvement and provide staff with online training opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills. However, leaders do not successfully monitor the programme for professional development in order to ensure that the training staff attend directly and positively impacts the quality of learning experiences for all children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff understand their role and responsibility to keep children safe. Effective recruitment procedures are in place to ensure the adults working with children are suitable. Staff are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse and understand the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child's welfare.

They complete daily safety checks of the learning environment and remove hazards when identified. Children are well supervised. Outings are carefully assessed for risks prior to taking place.

For example, leaders visit the beach in advance to complete a safety check. They also check weather conditions and tide times before arriving for their day out.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review planned activities to recognise the youngest children's emerging interests and adapt interactions to fully support their enjoyment and extend learning further strengthen ways to monitor staff's professional development to ensure training is fully understood and used to enhance the quality of learning experiences for all children.