Paint Pots Preschool & Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

The leadership and management team is inspirational.

It shows an exceptional commitment to achieving the highest possible standards for the families that attend the nursery. Children benefit greatly from the extremely warm and secure emotional attachments they develop with the tremendously caring staff. They thrive and are highly motivated to join in with activities, showing that they are emotionally secure and excited to learn.

Children remain actively engaged for long periods as they explore the interesting resources with high levels of independence and curiosity. Staff skilfully help children to develop self-...control and to share. For example, using sand timers to take turns with the resources.

Staff use specific praise extremely well to help children understand expected behaviour. Older children take turns to be the helper of the day and undertake manageable tasks, such as laying the tables for lunch. This helps them to take responsibility and enhances their self-esteem.

Staff carefully plan a highly stimulating curriculum that sparks children's interest and helps to build on what they know and can do. For example, young children relished the sensory experience of handling modelling dough. They squeezed and rolled it, which helped to develop their coordination.

Children squealed with excitement as they explored the dough's texture with their bare feet. Staff helped children count the impressions of their toes left in the dough, showing that they expertly use teaching opportunities as they arise to constantly increase children's learning.

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

Children's well-being is central to everything the nursery does.

Staff gather detailed information from parents about children so they can support all aspects of their development. Staff are highly alert and responsive to children's needs. They provide a programme of planned activities that support children's emotional well-being very successfully.

This helps children to become increasingly more confident and develop friendships as they learn to listen and respect others very well.The nursery works hard to achieve excellent relationships with families and provides a very broad range of support for them. Parents speak very highly of the manager and staff.

They say, 'The staff go that extra mile to help me and my child'. Parents are well informed about their child's progress and how they can continue to support their children's learning at home.The manager makes excellent use of additional funding to support those who need it most.

For example, by employing additional staff to work with individual or small groups of children. As a result, any gaps in children's development are narrowing quickly, including for children with special educational needs and/or disability, in readiness for school.Children have lots of fun and often spend a long time at their chosen activities.

Staff use their excellent knowledge and understanding of how children learn to plan innovative activities that engage and motivate children. For example, older children used real tools, such as screwdrivers, to take apart an old printer. Staff interact skillfully by asking questions, allowing children time to think, and challenging all areas of their learning.

Children develop excellent communication and language skills in relation to their starting points, including those learning English as an additional language.Staff use the skills they learn through training extremely well. For example, they have developed their knowledge and skills in making accurate assessments of children's development.

This helps them to precisely monitor children's progress and plan highly effectively for the next stages in their learning.Children benefit from many exciting experiences, such as visiting the fire station and the shops, that greatly enhance their learning and enjoyment. Staff capitalise on opportunities to promote children's understanding of healthy living, through eating well and risk taking in the challenging outside area.

Children enjoy nutritious and healthy meals and snacks. They develop excellent levels of independence and learn how to tend to their self-care needs from an early age.Leaders are excellent role models, and constantly encourage self-reflection and improvement.

They value staff at every level. For instance, the nursery has a staff well-being 'champion' that staff can go to. Staff are highly motivated and say they appreciate the high levels of support they receive.

Supervisions, appraisals and peer-on-peer observations take place regularly. These help the manager to maintain the high-quality teaching skills of the experienced staff and to further support those who are training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and managers have an extremely secure knowledge and understanding of all aspects of safeguarding and promote children's safety very well. They intervene quickly when they have a concern about a child in their care and work extremely well with agencies to promote children's welfare. The manager follows extremely robust recruitment and vetting procedures to ensure the suitability of all staff.

Regular checks confirm they remain suitable to work with children. Staff are well trained in child protection and know the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. They are very confident in the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child or about the behaviour of another adult.