Haddenham Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thoroughly enjoy being at nursery.

They find the resources and activities very interesting and appealing. Older children are very confident to make choices about what to do. They persevere at self-chosen tasks, carefully trying out their own ideas.

For example, children use building blocks to make complicated structures. They work out where to place blocks so that the building is symmetrical.Children behave very well.

They are polite and courteous to each other and to staff. They confidently ask for help when needed and listen carefully to what staff have to say. This shows that they trust staff and f...eel safe and secure in their care.

Older children learn to place an arm on a member of staff to show they need to talk and then wait.Children benefit from a well-planned and suitably ambitious curriculum. Staff clearly identify many of the skills and the knowledge they want children to gain at each stage of their time at nursery.

This helps to ensure that as children progress through the nursery staff are building further on what children already know and can do. By the time children leave, they are well prepared for, and looking forward to, the next stage in their learning, including school. Children make especially good progress with their personal, social and communication skills.

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

The manager offers a warm welcome to all families who join the nursery. She greets children as they arrive each day with lots of smiles and warm words. Parents report that they like the 'family feel' of the nursery and that their children love being there.

Parents have a clear understanding of what their children are learning and are very happy with the progress their children make.Staff focus well on building children's confidence, resilience and independence. Rather than doing things for children, staff teach them the skills to manage tasks for themselves.

Very young children know how to blow their noses and dispose of tissues hygienically. Staff help older children to see things from each other's view points and to use words to resolve minor disputes, such as when two children want to use the same toy vehicle. This good practice helps to ensure an orderly, calm and happy learning environment.

Staff are especially skilled at supporting children's language development. This has been a focus for the management team and the impact of this is evident. Staff working with younger children clearly model single words and babies bounce and babble as staff sing to them.

Older children learn what words mean, such as 'scientist' and 'prediction'.Staff clearly identify what they want children to learn from some adult-led activities. This helps them focus their teaching on what children will benefit most from learning next.

Younger children learn about the different features of dinosaurs. They can identify their different features, such as which have long necks and which have sharp teeth. Older children thoroughly enjoy learning about the properties that make items sink or float.

Children remember well what they have been taught. For example, older children remember all about different characters in favourite books. They can explain the role of an author and retell stories in their own words.

They are developing a real love of books and stories.Staff plan activities to teach children to count, sort and learn about shapes and size. However, some staff are less confident to deliver this aspect of the curriculum than other areas of learning.

The manager has identified this as a focus for further staff development and support.Children learn to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle. Older children serve themselves at mealtimes and all children show they enjoy the healthy lunches.

Staff have needed to change how and when children can play outside due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. However, staff have continued to ensure that children get plenty of fresh air and exercise.Staff enjoy working at the nursery and feel valued and appreciated.

They are good at what they do. There are a few inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and practice. However, overall, staff provide very good levels of care and education.

Children make good progress and develop a real love of learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager places a high priority on keeping children safe.

She ensures that the premises are safe and secure and children are supervised closely at all times. She ensures that staff understand how to recognise the signs of potential abuse or neglect. Staff know how to share any concerns, including escalating the concern outside of the nursery if needed.

They have a good understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the risk to children of being exposed to radical or extreme views. Leaders take effective steps to ensure those they employ to work with children are suitable to do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus monitoring of staff performance even more closely on identifying and improving on the few inconsistencies in teaching and practice build staff's skills and confidence to plan and deliver more learning experiences to support children's mathematical understanding.

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