Hope for Children and their Families

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are settled and have fun at this warm and welcoming nursery. They form close bonds with staff and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care.

Babies delight in making noise with musical instruments. They are content and enjoy lots of cuddles from the kind and caring staff. Babies sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings.

Staff regularly check on them to ensure they are safe and well. Young children display high levels of concentration. They use their fingers to explore the texture of paint and glue.

Children develop good hand-to-eye coordination. They carefully stick small pieces of ...coloured paper to card. Children identify colours, such as yellow and black, as they make a picture of a digger.

Children behave well and have a good understanding of what is expected from them. During a group activity to discuss growing and planting, older children know that they should take turns to talk and need to listen to their friends. Children make links to past learning experiences.

They remember when they planted and harvested vegetables. Children learn about the world around them and tell staff that plants need water and sun to make them grow.

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

The experienced leaders and managers are dedicated to their roles.

They share a vision and strive to provide high-quality care and education to all the children who attend. Staff morale is high. They state that they feel well supported both professionally and personally.

Regular meetings with the manager provide opportunities for staff to speak about their well-being and identify training opportunities. Although managers support staff's ongoing professional development, they do not consistently monitor the effectiveness of all aspects of their daily practice to ensure high standards of care and education at all times.Enthusiastic and friendly staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop.

They make regular observations of what children know and can do. Staff use this information to plan an interesting curriculum around children's individual interests and next steps in learning. Children make good progress.

Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff take every opportunity to engage them in meaningful conversations. Staff introduce new vocabulary.

For example, they explain the meaning of the word 'chitting' as they talk about planting potatoes in a raised flower bed.Managers and staff work closely with families and other professionals to ensure that children who may need extra support continue to make good progress. Additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, is used effectively.

For example, the funding is used for extra sessions and to purchase resources to aid children's learning.Children develop a good understanding of a healthy lifestyle. They have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise.

Children follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. They develop good physical skills. Children climb on apparatus, run around with their friends and learn to balance as they ride bicycles.

Older children build strength in their arms as they twirl ribbons in the air.A well-established key-person system supports children to form strong attachments and promotes their well-being and independence. Staff share information with parents in a range of ways.

They speak to them at the beginning and end of the day and update online learning records with observations and photographs of children's play activities. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They comment on the 'lovely staff' and the range of activities their children enjoy.

However, staff do not consistently seek enough information from parents about what children already know and can do when they first begin to attend in order to enable them to plan more precisely for children's learning from the start.Relationships with local schools are effective. Reception teachers are invited into the nursery to meet and get to know the children in their own surroundings.

This supports children to feel relaxed and confident when they move on to school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders, managers and staff are clear about their responsibility to keep children safe.

Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. Risk assessments are effective. Staff check all areas of the nursery each day to ensure children play in a safe environment.

Leaders and staff attend regular child protection training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. They have a good understanding of the indicators that a child is at risk of harm, and are clear on the procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nestablish effective ways to monitor staff practice, to embed their already good skills and knowledge and ensure the highest standards of care and education at all times seek further information from parents about what children already know and can do when they first start at the nursery and use this information to plan even more precisely for children's learning needs from the outset.