Blakenhall Neighbourhood Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled in this inclusive setting. They have eager staff on hand who know them well and celebrate their achievements. Children benefit from a wealth of engaging activities planned towards their individual interests and next steps.

A well-established key-person system recognises what children need to learn, and managers have developed a curriculum that caters for their needs. For example, babies engross themselves in a large-scale painting activity. Staff clap and cheer as children recall how they painted their feet during the previous week.

Staff support children by removing their shoes and socks... to repeat the activity. This shows that children feel secure in their environment and ready to learn. This is an enjoyable place to be.

When staff shout 'hide and seek', children immediately scatter around the garden looking for safe places to hide. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported by their key person so they can participate too. This enhances children's understanding of how to follow rules and develops their physical development and coordination.

Children are listened to, and their ideas are implemented. For example, staff excitedly fetch bubbles when children see them drift in from the baby area. The slide is put into the garden for children who are developing their physical skills.

Trips to the pet shop are planned for children who show an interest in animals. This demonstrates that children have a voice and are respected.

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

This setting sits in the heart of the community.

Leaders and practitioners recognise the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and celebrate each child's individuality. Multilingual staff communicate in English and their home language to reinforce the backgrounds of the children in their care. Children learn that they are unique and that everyone is different as they visit various places of worship and learn about different festivals.

This promotes inclusion and diversity and teaches acceptance.Kindness and compassion disseminate throughout the setting, ensuring that everyone is supported and included. Leaders and managers focus on the emotional well-being of staff.

They promote staff's personal growth to build on their professional development. Consequently, staff feel appreciated and well supported by management, which is reflected in the caring ethos they provide for children.Children are learning to be confident individuals who show respect for their environment and those in the setting.

Consistent rules and boundaries teach children to develop empathy as they learn to understand how others feel. Children say 'please' and 'thank you' without being prompted and share beautifully. They deliver food items to foodbanks in the local community.

This caring ethos threads throughout the setting and helps children to develop a greater understanding of behaviours and the wider community. However, there is scope for staff to further develop children's knowledge of risk and how to manage their own risks.Older children confidently engage in daily circle-time activities.

They patiently listen as their friends talk about their feelings and how they are happy at nursery. More complex discussions about health and hygiene offer interesting chats about well-being. Babies benefit from smiley staff who use animated facial expressions to converse.

Children receive an abundance of praise when they repeat single words. Strategies such as speech and language screening and sign language ensure that all children are supported. Children are becoming confident communicators.

The manager works with outside agencies to ensure that all children with SEND are offered the same opportunities as other children. The curriculum and environment are tailored towards their needs and to suit their learning styles. For example, cosy corners and boxes containing objects of reference support children with SEND by offering them the tools to communicate and self-soothe.

This helps develop their emotional security.Parents speak highly of the nursery, referring to it as 'just like family'. They are kept up to date with their children's progress through letters, meetings and online systems.

These offer suggestions of what parents can do at home to enhance their children's development. Managers and staff work hard to include parents and carers in the nursery. For example, during Black History Month, parents attended festivities, provided hair-braiding classes and cooked multicultural foods.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff have strong knowledge of how to keep children safe. They understand different types of abuse and can recognise signs which indicate that a child could be at risk.

They know who to report to if they have any concerns and understand the action to take if they need to escalate them. Managers implement good recruitment procedures and staff supervision is thorough. Daily risk assessments are completed and are ongoing throughout the day.

More extensive checks are carried out for trips or outings, together with provision for additional one-to-one care of the children to avoid any potential risks. An effective mobile phone policy is in place.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further children's understanding of how to recognise and manage their own risks.