Earlswood Early Years

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily to nursery.

Friendly and caring staff welcome them. Children build strong relationships with staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children are keen to settle in to play with their friends.

They explore a range of exciting toys and resources. For example, children spend time using tools, such as pipettes, to mix coloured water at the 'potion station'. They delight as they discover what happens when they squeeze other colours into their bottles.

Other children enjoy mark making with water on the fence using paintbrushes or spraying with the pipettes. The youngest children have... great fun filling boxes and trucks with various items of interest and transporting them to ride up and down a ramp. This helps children to develop their smaller muscles and physical skills.

Children show positive attitudes to learning. They lead their own play in the direction of their choosing with support from staff as needed. This helps them to complete their chosen tasks successfully.

All children, including those in need of additional support, gain the skills and knowledge they need in preparation for their future learning and the eventual move on to school.

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

The leader and manager have designed a curriculum with their intent for what they want children to learn. Staff use information gained from parents at the start to plan so they can build on what children already know and can do.

They continually observe the progress that children make. However, information is not yet used precisely enough to identify more closely what children need to learn next, to help them to make the best possible progress in their development.Children develop their independence in a range of ways, such as managing their own self-help skills while using the bathroom and putting on their shoes.

However, there is scope to promote independence even further for older children to complete more tasks for themselves, particularly at mealtimes.Children enjoy their time in the space outdoors. For example, babies explore water mixed with silver glitter, and look closely at the mirrored objects.

Some babies move closer to sit in the water and grin as they enjoy splashing.Older children use the space to design ramps to run their cars along. They select from a range of tubes and pipes and use crates to build their ramps at different levels.

They work cooperatively together and discuss where to put the tubes. This helps children to develop their problem-solving skills. Children cheer as their cars finally reach the ground.

Staff promote speech and language well. They speak clearly and offer corrected speech as they repeat back what children say. Babies learn new words and begin to use these during play, such as 'crunch' and 'swish'.

They become fully involved as they use both hands to enjoy the rustle of cereals between their fingers. Babies clap when they find hidden objects of fish and shells.Throughout the nursery, children behave well.

They respond to staff reminders to use good manners, and to take turns with their friends. Older children begin to learn about their own feelings and how the feelings of others can be different to theirs. Children receive lots of praise for positive behaviours when they are kind to others.

This contributes towards their levels of self-esteem.Children have opportunities to learn about the similarities and differences in people in our communities. They learn about what makes them unique.

Children have fun as they take part in celebrating festivals, dressing up and exploring pictures and books to learn about others.The leader and manager ensure that staff receive the support they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Staff receive regular training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

Managers and staff are reflective. They involve staff and parents in their evaluation of the setting and use the information they gain to identify areas to enhance the provision further for children.Parents speak highly about the nursery.

They say that staff are kind, friendly and approachable. Parents are particularly happy with the communication they receive about their children's care and learning. They remark on how well their children are progressing while attending.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The leader, manager and staff understand their responsibilities to help to ensure that they protect children from harm. All staff know signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is vulnerable to abuse.

They understand the procedures they must follow in the event that concerns arise about the welfare of a child. Staff know the procedures to report concerns about the conduct of a colleague and in the event of an allegation against a member of staff. Recruitment procedures are robust.

This includes the background checks that must be carried out to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff routinely check all areas of the setting to make sure they are safe for children to use.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse assessment information more precisely to identify more closely what children need to learn next, to help them to make the best possible progress in their development nuse opportunities for children to complete tasks for themselves and promote their independence even further, particularly at mealtimes.