Little Folks Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and enjoy the time they spend at this welcoming and friendly nursery. Staff warmly greet children on arrival and help them to settle into their room. Staff are kind, caring and offer children reassurance, cuddles and comfort.

This helps to promote children's emotional well-being and confidence. The curriculum provided interests and engages children. They remain motivated in their play and are keen to join in with the activities on offer.

For instance, babies delight as they join in with playing the various musical instruments. They excitedly move their body to the sounds they make and giggle with del...ight when staff join in. Older children enjoy experimenting with water and food colouring.

They show great excitement when they realise that they have made the colour purple by mixing red and blue together. Children behave well. They show that they understand the nursery's rules.

For example, they help to tidy away after activities and line up ready to go into the dining room for their lunch. Children develop their independence well. Staff encourage older children to pour their own drinks and tidy away their plates when they have finished their meal.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress in their learning. They are acquiring the skills to help prepare them for their future learning, including their eventual move to school.

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

Leaders and managers have worked hard to ensure that changes have been made since the last inspection.

The new manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She is passionate and committed to continual improvement. She provides staff with ongoing supervision, mentoring and coaching to help them to build on their current skills.

However, new members of the team would benefit further from continued supervision, support and training.Staff plan an ambitious and well-organised curriculum. They use their observations and assessments to plan for children's individual learning needs.

Children's current interests are incorporated into activities. However, on some occasions, staff do not focus enough on the planned learning intent during some adult-led activities.Staff help children to develop a love of books.

For example, staff have organised a lending library where children can select books and story sacks to take home and share with their families. Children enjoy listening to well-read stories and join in with familiar songs and rhymes. This supports their early literacy and communication and language skills well.

Staff promote children's physical skills well. Babies have plenty of opportunities to practise their walking skills as they cruise around the furniture. They enjoy practising their gross motor skills as they negotiate the various slopes in the garden.

Pre-school children and toddlers enjoy using spray bottles to dispense water onto the fence. This helps to develop the muscles in their hands needed to successfully hold and control a pencil.Staff promote children's good health.

They provide children with balanced and nutritious meals and snacks. Good hygiene routines are followed at mealtimes. Children are aware of the need to wash their hands before eating.

Staff follow rigorous hygiene procedures when changing children's nappies to ensure that the risks of cross-infection are minimised. Fresh drinking water is available and accessible to children. Staff remind children of the importance of wearing their sun hat when playing outside during warmer weather.

Staff manage children's behaviour well. They offer children clear and consistent reminders about the importance of sharing and being kind to each other. Staff act as good role models.

They reinforce the 'golden rules' of the nursery, such as to 'be kind', use 'indoor voices' and demonstrate 'good sharing'. This helps children to understand what is expected of them.Parents speak highly of the nursery and the caring staff team.

They say that there have been noticeable improvements made since the last inspection. Parents value the daily updates they receive about their children's routines and daily experiences. However, communication with parents could be further extended to ensure that they are fully informed about the plans for children's current and future learning needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers have made significant improvements since the last inspection. All staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare.

They know who to report concerns to in the nursery and externally. Staff are aware of the 'Prevent' duty and the signs that may be displayed by those who may have been exposed to extreme views. Effective risk assessments are in place to ensure that any hazards in the environment are identified and removed or minimised.

Staff maintain a clean and hygienic environment. They supervise children well and ensure that the nursery is safe and secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus more precisely on the planned learning intentions during some adult-led activities, to help children make even better progress in their learning share more information with parents about the plans for children's current and future learning needs to enable parents to fully support their learning at home provide further mentoring, coaching and supervision to the newest members of staff to help them to continue to raise the quality of teaching.