Hadden Hill Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff place a strong focus on building children's personal, social and emotional well-being.

Children benefit from the trusting and respectful relationships they develop with staff and their friends. Younger children and those who are new settle happily as staff offer them a warm welcome. This helps children to feel safe, happy and well cared for.

Staff support children to behave well. For example, staff read books to children about the language of emotions and, where children need extra support with regulating their feelings and emotions, staff sensitively help them. Staff ide...ntify specific needs early on and provide targeted support.

They seek help from outside professionals readily, where necessary, and this contributes well to supporting children's further development. In addition, good arrangements are in place to support children who speak English as an additional language. Children and babies are developing a love of reading and enjoy a wide range of books and nursery rhymes.

Staff enthusiastically read stories and children join in with familiar words and phrases. The nursery is resourced well and provokes children's curiosity and eagerness to learn both inside and outside. Babies show fascination and delight as they search through oats to discover small-world animals hidden in them.

Toddlers manipulate and knead scented dough and explore the texture the dough has on their hands. Older children are proud of their achievements. For instance, children confidently recall how to mix paint colours and proceed to make marks in the paint with leaves.

Children show delight as they competently tell staff, 'If you mix red and blue together, that makes purple.'

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

The manager is a strong leader. She has a developed a clear and ambitious curriculum, which is shared with her staff.

The staff, with the wider leadership team, work together to ensure that children benefit from high-quality care and learning. Children are well prepared for their future learning, including their eventual transition to school.Staff benefit from regular supervisions with the manager to support them in their roles.

Staff say that they feel valued and respected and their views are listened to. Their well-being is a focus for the manager. In turn, the manager's well-being is supported by the wider leadership team.

Recent changes to the staff team have been managed well. The manager recognises that there is further potential to focus staff's professional development to refine their teaching skills more precisely.Children behave well in the nursery.

They are polite and well-mannered. Staff praise children for their efforts, achievements and positive behaviour. Staff are effective role models and have high expectations of children.

Parents leave glowing testimonials. They say staff are kind and caring and take the time to get to know the children and their families. Staff work well with parents and share information with them about their children's learning and development.

Parents state that staff have a wonderful manner, and that they provide a nurturing, safe environment and personalised support for their child.Children enjoy whole-group times with their peers. Staff encourage older children to talk about what they have learned during the session.

Toddlers and babies enjoy singing a range of songs and rhymes with actions. However, the organisation of some times during the day could be further improved to ensure that children remain focused and engaged. For example, at times, there is lots of background noise as staff set up for lunch or make beds, ready for sleep time.

This sometimes distracts the children from learning, and occasionally they become disengaged.Staff support children to learn skills for the future, such as being independent with their self-care skills. Babies and toddlers are encouraged to wash their own hands and use cutlery to feed themselves.

Older children wipe their noses and eagerly help to tidy up. For example, after lunchtime, pre-school children scrape uneaten food from their plates.Children spend plenty of time outdoors in the fresh air.

Babies have access to their own outside space, where they have age-appropriate equipment, while older children access the larger outdoor area. This helps them to develop their muscles and coordination.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good knowledge of a wide range of safeguarding issues and how to keep children safe. They recognise what types of signs and symptoms may raise their concerns about children's welfare or other staff's behaviour. Staff know how to manage any concerns should they arise.

This includes referring concerns to the nursery's designated safeguarding lead. Staff understand to whom they should refer any concerns outside of the nursery, such as external safeguarding agencies. They have direct access to information with relevant contact details for these agencies should they need to make a referral.

Staff understand their roles in keeping children safe, including supervising children and checking that the premises are secure and safe. Robust recruitment and induction procedures are in place.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: target future professional development opportunities to help to refine and enhance staff teaching skills more precisely norganise whole-group times more effectively, minimising distractions to help children remain consistently engaged in learning.