King Edward Road Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children arrive happy and are keen to go into nursery to play. Leaders and staff provide an interesting and welcoming environment, with activities ready for children to take part in.

The curriculum is varied for the different ages of the children, and it is designed to build on what children know. However, due to weaknesses in interactions with children and consistency in staff working with children, the curriculum does not have the desired impact. Often, children do not receive the challenge conducive to their learning.

There are weaknesses in the key-person system, and staff working with the children do not know what ch...ildren need to learn next. This means that, often, activities and interactions do not give children appropriate challenge to build on what they know and can do. However, children behave well and demonstrate confidence, and they are keen to be involved in the activities provided, even if they are not planned well to meet their needs.

Staff are friendly; they set clear boundaries and follow routines to meet children's care needs, which supports them to feel secure. Younger children enjoy cuddles with staff. Older children form friendships within the nursery, and they are kind and respectful to each other.

For instance, they listen to instructions and take turns with their friends when they play games.

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

Leaders have a clear vision of what they want children to achieve. However, this is not demonstrated consistently in practice.

Leaders implement staff supervisions and provide staff with support and mandatory training. However, they do not ensure that this is targeted to help to raise the quality of interactions with children to a consistently good level throughout the nursery. For instance, some staff working with younger children sit and watch them play and do not consider how to engage them in learning.

Nevertheless, some staff working with older children interact well and engage them in stories and conversations to support their language development further. Leaders do not identify the inconsistencies or address any weaknesses in staff practice.The use of the key-person system is not effective.

Although children are allocated a key person, leaders do not make sure that staffing arrangements are organised well to ensure that children are with their key person or familiar staff who know what they need to learn. As a result, staff are unable to meet children's learning needs, and activities often lack appropriate challenge. Despite this, staff do follow children's routines and use information parents provide to make sure that the younger children's care needs are met.

Leaders and staff are aware of the children who need additional support with their learning. They work with parents and refer children to other professionals so that they can receive help with their progress. However, when some staff are absent, leaders do not ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the same consistent support to meet their needs.

Staff promote children's good health. Children learn to follow good hygiene practices. They have healthy snacks, and staff remind them to have drinks throughout the day.

Children have lots of opportunities to be active and to develop their physical skills. The youngest children enjoy playing ball games with staff; they excitedly throw the ball and run to retrieve it. Toddlers excitedly giggle as they jump in the ball pit, and older children enjoy chasing their friends in the garden.

Older children develop a love of books. They enjoy sharing stories in a group, and they often choose to look at books independently. Staff ensure that they take time to read with children and encourage them to join in with telling stories and to listen out for rhyming words.

Children eagerly join in and giggle at the silly rhymes in the books.Parents say that they are happy with the care that their children receive. They comment that staff are friendly and caring.

However, due to weaknesses in the key-person system, they do not consistently receive information about their children's learning and how they can support them at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff recognise their responsibilities to keep children safe.

Leaders follow a robust recruitment process and continuously monitor the suitability of all staff. They ensure that the safeguarding policies and procedures are kept up to date, and staff take part in regular safeguarding training. Staff are aware of their responsibilities to be vigilant, and they understand how to identify and report any concerns they have about children's welfare.

Staff carry out daily checks of the nursery to ensure that it is a safe place for children to play in.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date provide staff with targeted support to raise the quality of their interactions with children to a consistently good level 25/08/2023 ensure that the key-person system is used effectively to meet children's needs and to work in partnership with children's parents.18/08/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide more consistent support for children with SEND, ensuring further support for their learning and engagement.