Redditch YMCA Pre-School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Good settling-in procedures ensure that children are ready for the move from home to the nursery. Children arrive happy and eager to begin their play. They are greeted by the caring and friendly staff team.

Children benefit from an ambitious curriculum. They make independent choices about their play. Children access a wide range of good-quality toys and resources.

Pre-school children take responsibility for their belongings and place their coat and bag onto their named coat peg. Babies are settled and content. Staff are tuned into their individual needs.

For example, they recognise when babies are beginning to... get tired or hungry. Babies receive lots of cuddles from the staff throughout the day. This supports them to feel emotionally secure and confident to engage in the play activities staff provide.

Babies excitedly investigate textures, such as jelly. They use their senses to taste and touch it. Staff offer lots of encouragement and reassurance.

Young children use their imagination as they pretend to cook in the play kitchen. They enthusiastically fill and empty small containers with water. Staff introduce mathematical language to support their play.

For example, they ask children if their jug is full or empty.

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

The experienced and knowledgeable manager is dedicated to her role. She has strong relationships with her staff team, who comment on the high levels of support they receive for their well-being.

The manager meets regularly with staff to discuss best practice and identify training needs. Staff regularly access online training to improve their knowledge and skills.Staff know the community they serve well.

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the challenges faced by the families who attend the nursery. They do their very best to offer them support and meet their individual needs.Staff plan a range of interesting activities to support children's learning.

They make regular assessments of what children know and can do. Staff use this information to plan what children need to learn next. Children make good progress in their learning and development.

Partnerships with parents are well established. Staff share information with them in a range of ways. They use a digital system to send photographs and messages, and they speak to parents at drop-off and collection times.

Parents are complimentary about the service the nursery provides. They comment on the wonderful staff and how settled their children are.Children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points.

Staff offer children with SEND the support that they require. They work closely with a wide range of professionals to ensure children receive individualised and targeted support. The manager ensures that any additional funding is used to support children's individual needs.

Hygiene procedures, routines and care practices promote children's health and well-being. Pre-school children understand the importance of good oral health. They demonstrate how to brush their teeth effectively.

Pre-school children interact positively with visitors. They explain that sweets and sugary drinks can cause cavities and that bacteria can live on your tongue.Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well.

They engage them in thoughtful conversations as they play. Staff talk to children about their bath time and ask if they have bubbles in it. They use single words and associative sounds to support the youngest children's emerging speech.

However, at times, children who are not yet able to speak sometimes become frustrated and struggle to make their needs known. Staff are yet to find effective ways to fully support the youngest children to express their wants and needs.Children generally behave well.

They learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively together. However, some staff are not consistent in their approach to managing children's behaviour. This means children do not always gain a good enough understanding of staff's behavioural expectations.

Pre-school children access technology to learn computer skills. Staff teach them how to use a mouse and keyboard. Although staff supervise children well, they are yet to fully support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using technology.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their responsibility to keep children safe. They regularly check all areas of the nursery to ensure that children play in a safe and secure environment.

Staff attend regular child protection training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Staff are aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of abuse. This includes indicators that may present if children have been subject to extreme views or behaviours.

Staff know that to do should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Robust vetting and recruitment procedures ensure staff are suitable for their roles.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider further ways to support the youngest children to be able to express themselves and make their wants and needs known support staff to be more consistent in their approach to behaviour management, to fully support children's understanding of the expectations for their behaviour provide children with further experiences to support their understanding of how to keep safe when using technology.