Honey’s Nest

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children demonstrate they are happy and feel safe at this friendly pre-school. They separate from carers with ease and are excited to join their friends to play.

Children form close relationships with one another. They support their friends in tasks, such as tidying up. Children praise each other's achievements.

For example, during lunch, children congratulate one another for trying new foods.Children's confidence is well supported in the setting. Staff provide opportunities for children to demonstrate their talents and perform stories.

For example, children learn about 'The Gruffalo'. They explore the various... characters and are excited to act out their chosen characters in front of everyone. Children engage happily with visitors.

They talk about their families and encourage staff and visitors to join in their play.Children enjoy a wide choice of learning opportunities at the setting. Children get to vote on which activities they wish to investigate.

For example, children choose to explore shredded paper. Staff support their knowledge by adding toy animals. They extend children's learning further by encouraging them to identify features of the animals with magnifying glasses.

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

Staff adapt activities well to meet the needs of all children in the setting. For example, younger children complete peg board puzzles. Older children are supported to attempt more complex puzzles.

They are encouraged to develop their positional language and learn about the features of shapes.An effective key-person system ensures staff are aware of children's abilities and next steps. They use this knowledge to extend children's learning.

For example, in a chalk board activity, children make animals out of the shapes they have drawn. Staff then encourage them to count the legs and eyes.Children develop a good understanding of healthy lifestyles.

Staff provide a choice of healthy snacks. They sit with children and encourage them to talk about the lunches they bring to pre-school. Oral hygiene is well promoted in the setting.

Children learn how to brush their teeth properly. The manager shares this information with families to allow them to support children's hygiene routines at home.The setting supports children's transitions well.

Staff implement more structured learning sessions aimed at preparing children for the more rigid routines of school. The manager works hard to communicate with local schools. He invites teachers into the pre-school to meet children.

This supports children to settle well in new settings.Communication with families is strong. The manager uses an electronic system which he adapts to meet the needs of all families.

Children's learning and development is shared with parents termly, during face-to-face consultation meetings. Staff use this as an opportunity to offer ideas to support children's learning at home.The manager has high expectations for all children in the setting.

He engages well with other professionals to support those with additional needs. He shares various information about children's development. He also supports parents through the referral process.

This ensures families access additional help to meet the needs of their children.The manager carries out regular appraisals with staff. This ensures training needs are identified and gaps in staff knowledge swiftly addressed.

However, staff do not benefit from robust methods of coaching and mentoring to support them in raising the quality of their speech and language teaching to a consistently high level.Staff encourage children to be helpful in the setting. Children support one another to tidy up and pass one another their coats before going outside.

Children listen well to staff. They follow instructions to keep themselves and others safe. However, staff do not always explain the reasons behind their requests.

Opportunities for children to develop an understanding of why behaviours are unacceptable or dangerous are sometimes missed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff have a good understanding of their role in keeping children safe.

They know the signs and symptoms which could indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Managers and staff know the process to follow if they have concerns and the importance of doing so in a timely manner. All staff have appropriate first-aid and safeguarding training to support their knowledge of children's well-being.

The manager has a robust recruitment and induction process. This ensures all staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nestablish more robust methods of coaching and mentoring to support staff in raising their speech and language teaching to a consistently high level nuse clearer explanations to further support children's understanding of why certain behaviours are unacceptable.