Munchkinz Pre School Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy to come to this welcoming nursery.

They cheerfully greet staff and quickly settle into their play. Children develop close bonds with their key persons. They show that they feel safe and secure as they ask staff for help or chat about their home lives.

Children learn to follow good hygiene routines. They become independent with personal care skills, such as using the toilet, wiping their noses and putting on their coats. Children behave well and are respectful to staff and each other.

They understand the boundaries in the nursery and help with tasks, such as tidying up.Staff have high expecta...tions for all children and want them to do well. Children develop strength and coordination in their arms and hands as they paint lines and circles on the garden fence.

Older children learn to hold pencils correctly and gain the control they need to create a wider range of marks. The learning environment is stimulating and children are eager to explore. Children show curiosity as they hunt for insects in the nursery garden and examine them closely using magnifying glasses.

Older children are highly engrossed as they discover how to use balancing scales. They confidently experiment and test out their ideas about size and weight.

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

The manager, who also owns the nursery, has a clear and ambitious vision for the nursery.

She has developed a broad curriculum for children. This supports children's development and teaches them useful information about their community and the wider world. For instance, children learn about different people and families, and a variety of cultural and religious events.

Staff plan a range of interesting and challenging activities for children. However, at times, they do not organise group activities effectively so that all children get the most from these opportunities. For instance, sometimes, younger children lose interest in activities more quickly than their older peers.

The older children, who may be highly engaged, are then told to move on from the activity with the rest of their group. Consequently, staff miss opportunities to build on children's skills and knowledge.Children develop a keen interest in books and literacy.

Staff read stories to children at intervals throughout the day. Older children are excited to listen to familiar stories and happily join in with the parts that they remember. Younger children enjoy looking at books with their key persons.

However, staff also read to children in larger groups. Due to the size of the groups, some children find it difficult to maintain their attention and often become bored or distracted.Staff support children's language skills well.

For instance, staff comment on what children are doing to teach them new words. They sing songs with children and have conversations with them throughout the day to help them become confident talkers. Children make good progress in their communication skills.

This includes children who speak English as an additional language and those who receive funding.Children enjoy leading their own learning. They explore their ideas and are curious and imaginative.

Children make up role-play games based on their experiences at home. They pretend to be other people, such as builders or police officers. Children have regular access to arts and crafts materials.

However, staff generally instruct them on what they need to make with these. Therefore, children are not often able to use materials creatively to express their own ideas.Staff work in partnership with parents to ensure that children's snacks and packed lunches are healthy and nutritious.

Children share their ideas about healthy eating during conversations with staff. For instance, younger children talk about the fruits they enjoy most at snack times. Staff ensure that children have opportunities to play outdoors each day.

They encourage vigorous activities, such as riding tricycles and playing ball games, to develop children's strength and support their physical health.Partnerships with parents are good. Parents speak highly of the manager and staff, who provide helpful advice on issues such as potty training and bedtime routines.

They say that their children enjoy coming to the nursery and learn lots of new things. Staff comment on how much they enjoy their roles and are positive about the opportunities for training and professional development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a thorough understanding of the nursery's safeguarding procedures. They know how to identify the signs of abuse, such as physical marks or changes in behaviour. Staff understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare.

They know what to do if there is an allegation made about a member of staff. The manager ensures that she and the staff receive regular training to update their knowledge of a range of safeguarding matters. This includes broader issues, such as the risks to children online or from radicalisation.

The manager carries out robust checks when recruiting staff to help ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Staff assess risks effectively to provide a safe and hygienic environment for children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: plan group times more carefully to ensure that younger children are consistently engaged and older children are able to complete activities to their satisfaction provide consistent opportunities for children to be creative and express their own ideas using a wide range of materials and resources.

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