Puddleducks & POSH Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive in this interesting and welcoming environment. Their individual needs are known and met effectively throughout the day. Relationships between children and staff are secure, and children show through their behaviour that they feel safe in the nursery.

Children's independence develops from an early age. Even the youngest children make choices during play. They safely access resources that enhance their development and they relish song and story time.

Young children's enthusiasm is infectious as they wait to see 'what is in the box'. They clap and wriggle around excitedly in anticipation of what is inside ...and squeal when out comes a toy turtle. The older children learn about the titles of books, the author and what speech bubbles mean.

They join in with familiar text and rhyme and pre-empt what might happen next.Sensory experiences spark children's curiosity. They feel various textures such as porridge oats, smell coffee beans and scoop up various cereals, filling different containers, emptying them and starting again.

Children excitedly involve staff in their play, explaining to them what they have been doing.Children engage in a wide variety of interesting activities both inside and outdoors. They use paints, pencils, crayons and chalks to make marks.

Staff support children's language and communication skills well, with lots of repetition of words, building children's awareness of pronunciation.

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

Managers and staff have made significant improvements since the last inspection, which has a positive impact on children's learning and outcomes. Staff know children extremely well.

Comprehensive information, gathered from parents about their child, is used alongside staffs' own observations to plan effectively for their individual needs. Ongoing assessments of children's progress and development are shared with parents, as are ideas for continuing their child's learning at home. However, opportunities for parents to include their own comments in the two-year progress check are not yet embedded in practice.

Children benefit from a broad range of freshly prepared meals and snacks throughout their day. Dietary requirements are known and catered for. Fresh drinking water is available throughout the day and staff encourage children to drink, especially when it is hot.

Children rest and sleep according to their needs. Consistent routines throughout the day add to children's feeling of security. Opportunities for quieter time during the day, such as sitting in quieter areas of the room, looking at books or just relaxing, enable all children to have some time to recharge their energy levels.

Staff use their knowledge of children, including their mannerisms and needs, to ensure each child has the best possible day. They respond sensitively to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities where large group activities may upset them. They pick up on children's interests and use this to engage in something relaxing, such as looking at books and talking about what they can see.

Children show kindness to each other and treat each other with respect. Staff support children as they learn to share and take turns. Children respond positively to the praise and encouragement they receive.

Staff are positive role models and speak to children at their eye level. This ensures that they are listening and staff explain things to them using language that they will understand. As a result, behaviour is good.

Children's creativity is supported well. They enjoy making their own observational drawings after story time, drawing the animals in the story taking fruit out of a child's hat. They pat, roll and manipulate the dough in their hands, filling cake trays with pretend foods they have made.

Children build their understand of mathematical concepts. They fill and empty containers in the water and sand play. Children compare size when making pretend foods in the dough, and younger children count through songs and activities.

Hand-to-eye coordination and dexterity are supported well. Younger children enjoy turning handles and knobs, pressing buttons and flicking switches to make animals pop up. They make the sound of the animals that appear.

Staff promote children's awareness of diversity and the wider world. They make good use of children's personal experiences and books, and children learn about various cultures and differences. Children explore family backgrounds and staff support children's awareness of differences.

Photos throughout the nursery reflect different families. Children enjoy looking at their photos and staff encourage discussion about the special people in their lives.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Managers and staff fully demonstrate a secure understanding of their role in safeguarding children from abuse and neglect. A comprehensive safeguarding policy is adhered to at all times. Effective recruitment procedures and monitoring of staffs' practice ensure that their knowledge across a broad spectrum of topics is maintained.

Supervisions and appraisals support the identification of training needs well. Children's safety is assured both inside and outdoors. Risk assessments and safety checks are completed each day to ensure children remain safe at all times.

Children learn to keep themselves safe. They learn how to use large-play equipment safely in the garden, use small tools, such as scissors during art and craft activities, and cutlery at mealtimes.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review procedures for involving parents in the completion of the two-year progress check.