Partou Longlevens Day Nursery & Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children do not make the best possible progress in their learning and development because the quality of teaching is not consistently good.

Staff do not always ensure planned play activities are developmentally appropriate or organised well enough to fully support children's learning. At times, children wait for extended periods of time for staff to organise themselves or resources, which means children miss out on meaningful learning experiences and interactions. Although a key-person system is in place, it is not fully effective or embedded into practice to ensure key staff fully meet all children's individual needs.

Th...at said, children are generally happy and develop warm relationships with the caring staff team and their peers. They receive cuddles and reassurance from staff when needed, and quickly settle into their chosen play. Babies benefit from some meaningful interactions to support their communication and language skills.

For example, staff introduce animal names, such as 'giraffe', as they play with small figures. They encourage babies to develop their thinking skills as they ask them to look for the 'big mummy giraffe'. Staff support older children to learn about the world around them.

They engage in small-group activities that require sustained attention. For example, at circle time, staff ask children questions about the weather. Children are eager to discuss the types of clothing they may need for outdoor play.

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

The nursery has experienced a number of changes to staff and the leadership team and this has impacted on the quality of education that children receive. That said, newly appointed leaders are experienced and strive to deliver high-quality care and education to all. They have identified some areas for development and put in place action plans to drive ongoing improvements.

Staff demonstrate an understanding of the curriculum intentions for each room. For example, to support babies to develop their physical skills and to enhance communication and language skills in the toddler room. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent and some staff do not have a good enough understanding of how children learn and develop.

At times, there is a misalignment between activities and children's developmental stages. For example, staff introduce a painting activity to support babies to develop fine motor skills, such as holding a paintbrush. However, they do not consider that babies need to build strength in their shoulders and arms first to hold a paintbrush properly.

Leaders are aware that the key-person system is not fully effective and have identified this as an area for development. For example, they rotate staff between the baby and pre-school rooms to promote consistency for children.However, the newly introduced key-person system is not fully effective or embedded into practice.

Some staff are still getting to know their key children's interests and developmental stages, which affects their ability to fully meet children's needs. Additionally, leaders have not ensured that all parents are aware of their child's key person, and are kept informed about their child's development and progress.Staff have an overview of what they want children to learn and plan individual next steps in learning for each child.

However, planned next steps in learning are too broad. Staff do not always precisely identify what it is they want children to learn to ensure that children receive the support needed to help them make the best possible progress.Staff gather a good range of information from parents, when children first begin to attend the nursery.

They meet with parents during the induction period to discuss this and ensure it is shared with room staff. Staff follow children's routines and interests from home to help them settle into nursery routines with ease.Staff are sensitive when changing nappies and attending to children's personal care.

They engage in conversation about what they are doing, and ensure children are clean and comfortable throughout the day. Staff recognise when children are becoming tired and take them to the sleep room for a nap. They stay with children until they fall asleep and remain close by, checking on them regularly to ensure they are safe and well.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive some targeted interventions to support their learning. For example, staff plan activities to develop children's emotional awareness and vocabulary to express their feelings. Children use words, such as 'confused' and 'scared', to describe emotions.

Staff engage in discussions with children about activities they can try when feeling this way. This helps them to develop their self-regulation skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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 staff receive appropriate training and professional development opportunities to improve the quality of teaching, and enable them to successfully implement a curriculum that meets the development needs of all children 07/02/2025 ensure an effective and consistent key-person system is in place and professional relationships between all parents and their child's key person are established to keep them fully updated on their children's experiences, learning and development.24/01/2025 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the organisation of daily routines and play activities, to support children's engagement in meaningful learning experiences provide children with more precise next steps in learning, so that staff can provide more targeted support, to help children make the best possible progress.