Mary Seacole Day Nursery & Family Support Unit

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The quality of education that children receive is variable. Overall, staff provide a well-thought-out curriculum for children.

However, there are some aspects of practice that are not fully effective. This potentially inhibits the progress that children can make. Despite this, children are comfortable in their surroundings and enjoy joining in with activities.

For example, the youngest children delight when taking part in a bucket-time activity. The staff enthusiastically engage all children and keep them interested and focused. The children wait in anticipation for the next object that the staff member produces from the ...bucket.

Staff support the children to practise the skill of waiting and encourage them to share. Children's behaviour is improving, especially for the youngest. Children are active in their learning and seek to find out more about their chosen activity.

They are beginning to form friendships and seek each other out to share their experiences. Most children respond well to instructions and routines throughout the day. However, staff do not always successfully structure the daily routine for older children.

As a result, children do not always understand what is expected of them and occasionally become distracted from their learning.

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

The curriculum is generally well planned, with an appropriate intention of learning for each age and stage of development. The manager has prioritised communication and language as a focus for learning throughout the different age groups.

She can effectively explain the different ways that children's speech is supported in this area. Staff plan activities for the children's interest and provide them with next step goals to move them on in their development.The manager has addressed the actions set around behaviour management.

Staff are developing their approach and using different strategies to positively promote children's behaviour. These are fully in place in the youngest children's room and are currently being embedded for the older children. The manager has also taken action to improve the arrangements for safeguarding and to address specific areas of practice.

The manager is committed to continually improving the quality of care for the children and their families.Key persons carry out some useful monitoring and assessment processes. This helps them to plan and support the children's next steps and support the children in their future learning.

However, staff do not complete the required progress check for two-year-old children to identify any delays or gaps in learning early in a child's development. This impacts the quality of education that the children receive and any early identification of additional support.There are some effective arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

For example, staff produce individual care plans and work effectively with parents to identify and meet children's needs within the setting. Staff are confident to seek advice and support from other professionals when needed. However, they are not always fully effective at communicating with these professionals to ensure that the children receive care that is a fully coordinated and cohesive.

Children enjoy the freedom of being outside and investigating the different ways they can move their bodies. They enjoy exploring the climbing frame. Children climb the stairs and show delight on their faces when coming down the slide.

In addition to this, children successfully negotiate their space as they travel through the tunnels. Children are progressing well in their physical development, and they are learning skills that prepare them for their future.Risk assessments are in place and staff carry these out daily.

Staff explain the importance of identifying and minimising potential risks to keep children safe while they play and explore. Staff encourage the children to take appropriate risks and explain possible dangers to their actions. This helps children to develop an understanding of how to protect themselves.

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with parents. Parents express that their children are happy, and they feel they can speak to the manager should they have concerns.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager has made strong improvements to the staff's child protection knowledge. This has significantly raised the safeguarding standards for the nursery. Staff demonstrate that they would act swiftly and appropriately to any concerns to protect the child.

They show awareness of the signs and indicators that could suggest a child is suffering from harm. The manager has reviewed and made changes to the safeguarding policy. She has revisited the processes with staff to ensure that their knowledge is robust.

Staff have relevant paediatric first-aid training to ensure that they respond swiftly in the event of an accident or emergency.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that the progress check for children aged between two and three years is completed and shared with parents, as required.20/06/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the organisation of daily routines to help the older children remain engaged in their learning develop further the arrangements to work in partnership with all professionals who are involved in children's care and education for a consistent approach.

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