Little Puddleducks

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and eager to engage in their learning as soon as they arrive at this nurturing nursery. Staff take time to get to know the children.

They work closely with parents to ensure they meet children's individual needs, so children can reach their full potential in a safe environment. Children show excitement and motivation as they explore the well-presented environment and well-planned experiences. Younger children confidently investigate the varied storytelling resources in the low-level trays, where staff engage well to help children explore and recall favourite stories.

Children are involved in their le...arning and staff are respectful of their ideas. Staff give children many opportunities to make decisions, for example whether to share a story or to play or which colour plate and cup they would like for snack.Children form strong attachments to their key person and other familiar staff, which supports children's emotional well-being effectively.

Caring and calm staff cuddle younger children close and provide encouragement to self-soothe with their comforters. Staff provide consistent praise and celebrate children's achievements, encouraging high levels of self-esteem. Children behave well.

Even the youngest children learn about kind hands and feet, and staff support them well as they begin to understand and label their emotions. Children are kind and helpful to each other. For example, when babies notice that a friend is unhappy, they pass them their soothing blanket, showing great kindness.

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

Staff plan the curriculum well to enable children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress from their starting points. Staff have used their training well to adapt their planning to meet children's learning styles and have considered the views of parents in this process. They use assessment effectively to check children's understanding and to identify children's next steps in learning accurately.

Staff use all opportunities to encourage children's listening skills and to develop children's language. Staff working with the younger children provide a consistent commentary to help children match their actions to words to build their vocabulary. Children listen carefully and follow instructions as they build towers.

Staff ask questions and listen to children's responses, helping children to solve the problems the strong wind causes. Older children enthusiastically participate in familiar stories, adding the rhyming words to the end of the sentences.There are strong partnerships with parents and other professionals to ensure there is consistency in meeting the needs of children with SEND within a fully inclusive nursery.

Staff promptly identify any gaps in children's learning and create individual learning plans to support children to make progress. Robust risk assessments, alongside regularly reviewed care plans, ensure that the environment is safe for less mobile children. Children take responsibility for keeping the nursery tidy so that objects on the floor do not cause a hazard for their friends.

The key-person system works well, ensuring that children feel emotionally well supported. Staff meet children's care needs effectively and maintain good hygiene practices, such as wearing disposable aprons and gloves when serving food or changing nappies. Staff are respectful when changing nappies and talk to the young children throughout.

However, on occasion, staff withdraw children for a nappy change when they are happily engaged in their play.Older children gain good independence as they prepare for their eventual move to school. For example, they develop good self-care and understand familiar routines, such as scraping their plates after they have finished eating.

However, some of these routines mean children are queueing or waiting for some time and not engaged in meaningful experiences.Leaders and managers provide effective staff training, support and guidance to raise the quality of teaching. For example, they observe each other, evaluate their performance and set meaningful targets to improve practice.

Staff reflect well on their planning of engaging experiences and the success of their rooms to motivate children's learning. Leaders and managers encourage and value feedback from parents. For example, they have recently reintroduced the 'yellow book' for parents of younger children to share their children's day and invite their comments, at parents' request.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers have high regard for children's safety. They use risk assessments effectively to provide children with a safe and secure environment to explore.

Staff use walkie-talkies successfully to check in with each other regularly and to ask for assistance when needed, such as an extra pair of hands to walk younger children up the stairs. Leaders and managers take prompt action when issues arise, for instance providing further guidance to staff about handover procedures and adding more safety gates to protect children. Leaders and managers follow effective recruitment arrangements to ensure staff are suitable for their role.

All staff keep their safeguarding knowledge of possible signs and/or symptoms of abuse up to date. They have good knowledge of their responsibilities to report any concerns about a child's welfare to the appropriate agencies.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make better use of mealtimes to reduce the time older children are waiting and disengaged from their learning review the organisation of daily routines for younger children, so they can enjoy their play without disruption.