North Street Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are keen to attend. They arrive happily, separating quickly from parents after a warm greeting from kind and caring staff.

The learning environment is well organised and encourages children to make decisions about their play. Babies and young children form strong bonds with their familiar adults, seeking cuddles and reassurance when needed. The curriculum provides children with a range of experiences that centre around their interests.

However, staff do not always use their skills and knowledge fully to support younger children's communication and language skills, including younger children who speak English as a...n additional language. There are some positive interactions to extend learning. For example, when young children show an interest in how cars move, staff challenge children to make roadways together and encourage them to access additional resources to push along the road.

Children love listening to stories. Staff make good use of stories such as 'The Colour Monster' to help children learn about emotions and consider how they can make the monster feel better. Staff build well on this knowledge, helping children to identify facial expressions.

Children play nicely together. Older children wait patiently for their turn with the bubble wand. Staff demonstrate how to use the wand and children follow instructions well.

Some children confidently extend their own learning and find different objects to try. Babies and young children enjoy their time in the sand, using cups and spoons to scoop and pour to fill the holes in bricks. Young children lead their learning and work together to build a balance beam from tyres and planks.

They seek help from staff to walk along the planks and take turns.

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

Older children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, develop good communication and language skills. They listen well to stories, discuss their ideas, respond well to questions and ask their own.

However, staff working with the younger children do not always use the resources available to them, such as Makaton and visual cues, to further children's communication and language skills. Staff working with younger children do not always follow the good practice demonstrated in pre-school to value children's home language.Focused activities, although initially well planned to support children's next steps, do not always help all children to engage in their learning.

For example, when individual children decided to research rockets rather than the planets on the electronic tablet, staff did not ensure all children engaged in learning. Some quieter children were overlooked and became disinterested. Staff working with younger children do not model language well enough, such as referring to letter names not sounds, as they match initial letters to animals.

The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents, key persons and other professionals. She develops individual learning plans and makes referrals to other agencies promptly when needed. The SENCo uses funding well to provide additional opportunities for children, such as 'Teddy Talks' to support social interactions and language.

Children enjoy daily opportunities to be active. Older children excitedly play 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?'. They negotiate the rules well and include all in the game.

Children confidently try new games, such as hopscotch, listening well to instructions. They develop their physical skills, jumping and hopping in sequence. Children's play is sometimes disrupted in the outdoor space.

When a group of older children chase around fixed equipment in the confined space, staff do not support them to channel their energy in another way or to consider how they can keep themselves and others safe to avoid injury.Staff provide children with familiar routines during the day, helping children feel secure. Key persons ensure they change their key children's nappies for continuity in care.

However, there are occasions when staff do not communicate with each other well enough. Staff are unsure of their roles and responsibilities during song time, for example. They do not always give the youngest children clear messages so that they remain engaged in their learning and understand what is happening next.

Children learn to be independent. For example, older children serve their own lunch and begin to use knives to cut their food. Staff have good knowledge of children's individual dietary needs.

They use a coloured-plate system and separate tables to ensure children remain safe while eating. They are responsive to medical needs, ensuring medication is on site, and follow good procedures to enable poorly children to be collected immediately.There are good partnerships with parents.

Staff gather essential information from parents as children start at the setting so that they can plan initial activities and meet children's individual care needs successfully. Staff involve parents and provide information about children's activities and their learning. Staff offer additional support to parents, such as the 'swap shop', lending library and 'on the go' breakfast.

The ambitious new manager has a clear vision of how to improve the quality of children's experiences and is embedding these new practices. She is supporting staff to develop their ongoing professional skills. There is a strong focus on staff well-being, which staff appreciate.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff provide a safe and secure environment. They have carefully considered access to the building and have effective and well-understood arrangements for the collection of children.

There are effective recruitment and induction arrangements to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff complete regular training and quizzes to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. This ensures they know the potential indicators that a child is at risk of harm and who to report them to.

The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) understands her role and responsibilities to report concerns regarding children or staff to relevant agencies.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date raise staff's knowledge of how to support children's communication and language effectively, including younger children who speak English as an additional language.09/06/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: norganise group times to ensure all children focus and engage in their learning and have opportunities to contribute help older children to understand and manage potential risks to keep themselves and others safe nimprove the consistency of staff's communication between themselves, to enable effective deployment to where they are most needed, and with children to ensure they understand what is happening next and what is expected of them.