Hove Village Pre-School Nursery At Hove Library

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children leave their parents at the door with great confidence, eager to start their day at the nurturing and stimulating nursery. They greet their friends and staff with big smiles and demonstrate how happy, safe and secure they feel. Staff ensure that children's interests are at the heart of their learning.

Pre-school children explore varied activities based on their interest in dinosaurs. For example, they work as a team to build wooden towers for the dinosaur toys, taking turns to add the next log. Children show high levels of self-esteem and proudly celebrate their achievements, saying 'look how high it is now'.

B...abies settle quickly into nursery life and explore their cosy environment confidently. They learn to walk from a young age and staff support this very well. For example, babies pull themselves up using low-level furniture, stand with staff support and take steps with warm encouragement.

Children are very physically active and benefit from exciting opportunities to explore, learn and move outdoors. They play in the garden every day and enjoy regular trips into the local community to expand their experiences. For example, children learn about nature at the beach and take part in exciting sports sessions on the nearby lawns.

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

The ambitious manager, deputy and staff plan a broad and challenging curriculum, which helps all children achieve, regardless of their individual circumstances. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive well-tailored individual support. Staff work closely with outside professionals where necessary and share expertise to help children catch up in their learning.

Staff assess children's development precisely and focus heavily on their interests to support each child's next steps in learning. Children are quickly drawn into the stimulating activities on offer, which link closely to what they know and enjoy. For example, babies practise animal names and sounds as they explore animal toys in a sensory tray.

Language development is a strong focus at the nursery and staff support this particularly well. They commentate clearly on the play of young children and sign along with key words to help communication. Older children learn new words enthusiastically and expand their understanding.

During a story time, staff introduced new words such as 'extinction'. They encouraged children to practise saying them out loud a number of times to help them remember.Staff ignite a love of books and stories with children of all ages.

They read enthusiastically to children and make stories highly engaging and interactive. Children join in with repeated rhymes with delight and discuss how the characters in stories might feel. For example, pre-school children identify emotions such as fear, excitement and sadness.

The manager and staff ensure children access a wide range of experiences that they may not otherwise have. There are specially trained teachers who come into the nursery to run exciting sessions. For example, children take part in yoga, dance, music and rugby sessions.

This helps to broaden children's experiences, and parents are thrilled with the range on offer. They praise the nursery highly and feel fully included in their children's learning.Overall, staff are skilled teachers, and some senior staff are highly effective.

They make successful use of their spontaneous interactions to support and extend children's learning. For example, two-year-olds recognise shapes and colours as they explore imaginary play. However, at times, some staff do not plan and support group activities fully effectively to promote children's learning.

For example, the intended learning is not always clear, which sometimes causes a lack of concentration and focus.Staff are positive role models and guide children's behaviour sensitively. Children are kind, helpful and considerate to one another and include others in their play.

They develop strong social skills, independence and understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children learn what makes them the same as others and to respect differences, such as home languages and beliefs.The passionate manager and deputy lead their staff team very well and create a highly positive atmosphere for staff well-being.

They offer valuable support and training for staff's professional development. However, more support and time are needed to fully embed training for newer and less experienced staff and strengthen their good practice further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff update their safeguarding knowledge continually through training, discussion and staff meetings. They regularly discuss wider safeguarding issues and discuss potential scenarios to strengthen their knowledge further. Staff confidently know the signs that indicate a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect and the procedures to follow if they have a concern about a child's well-being.

They have a strong understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as protecting children from extreme views. Staff teach children about the safe use of technology and to talk to an adult if they are unsure of what they see.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: continue to strengthen and embed support for newer and less experienced staff to help raise their good level of practice higher focus more clearly on the intended learning during planned activities to help children benefit fully.