Child First Bicester

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education is variable. Staff working with children do not provide enough challenge or stimulating activities that engage and interest them. Although staff are kind and caring and talk to children as they play, interactions tend to be mundane or reactionary to children's immediate needs, and do not inspire awe and wonder.

Staff working with babies and toddlers do not always ensure practice is tailored to support their individual needs. At times, when young children become distressed, they do not always receive the attention of their individual key person and reassurance they need. This affects their confidence to bui...ld a settled relationship to help them feel safe and secure.

Children make friends and develop some worthwhile skills. For example, they use their physical skills to throw beanbags in hoops, and enjoy exploring the water and sand trays outside, developing their pouring, and scooping skills. Inside, staff offer resources for children to use a range of malleable materials and tools.

However, staff are unclear about what children need to learn to make good progress, so they do not shape activities to support children's next steps in learning. Some intentions for learning are too broad and not focused to secure knowledge of each child's individual needs. That said, children behave suitably to their age and developmental expectations, and are learning the rules of nursery.

Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well.

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

The manager and her deputy have a clear intent for the curriculum and what children will learn. However, staff do not demonstrate that they know the curriculum intent and how to implement this consistently.

There are times when more able children whilst happy are not challenged. For example, older children spend much of their time in independent play with their peers. Staff rarely join in with this play to give children the support they need to extend this play into meaningful learning.

The key person system is not used to best effect. This means that some babies do not settle well, and much of staff's time is taken up with trying to soothe and reassure these children. This impacts on the time staff have to interact with those babies who are more settled.

As a result, these settled babies do not receive the close attention to help them master new skills and fully explore the resources on offer.The staff team have worked together to identify and make some improvements to the quality of the provision. For example, staff have completed behaviour management training, which has had a positive impact on children's behaviour at nursery.

However, the management team have not clearly identified the weaknesses in the quality of the curriculum and teaching. Staff are not provided with the knowledge, guidance and practice they need to make sure teaching is consistently good.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

They identify specific needs early on and provide targeted support. They work closely with other agencies, ensuring that children receive specialist support when needed.Children are learning to adopt healthy lifestyles, and benefit from well-balanced and nutritious meals and snacks.

Staff successfully support children's independence and self-care skills in readiness for their move to school. For instance, at mealtimes, older children find their individual place mats and use cutlery competently. The youngest children show determination as they make attempts at feeding themselves.

Children's dietary and health needs are well met.Staff express how they enjoy working at the nursery and say they receive good support from the management team, which promotes their well-being.Parents are happy with the nursery.

They report how they find the new online system for sharing information about learning useful, and that overall they feel well informed about their child's learning.Staff provide children with plenty of opportunities for outdoor play and exercise and make good use of the large outdoor area. For example, children play games and navigate obstacle courses in the outdoor play area.

This supports children's self-esteem and confidence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and how to protect the children they care for.

Staff attend regular safeguarding training to keep their knowledge and understanding up to date, including the 'Prevent' duty and female genital mutilation training. Staff understand the signs that children may be at risk of harm and know how to report their concerns. The nursery environment is safe and secure, and access to the site is controlled by comprehensive safety measures.

Staff carry out regular risk assessments and take appropriate action to ensure children's safety at all times.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum intent so they can clearly identify what children would most benefit from learning next and use this to design and deliver a well-planned and ambitious range of learning experiences 01/08/2023 ensure key-person arrangements, particularly with regard to staff working with babies, are effective, meet the individual needs of children and offer a settled relationship for each child.01/08/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove the arrangements for supervision, monitoring and training of all staff to improve teaching and raise the quality of education to consistently good levels.