St Michaels Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at this nursery.

They form close relationships with staff and their peers and involve them in their play. Children are confident to share ideas and voice their opinions. Babies flourish with the support and care that they receive.

Staff working with babies understand the importance of daily routines and provide lots of physical interactions, such as hugs and cuddles, to ensure that children feel emotionally secure.Children begin to learn about themselves and others. They look at themselves in a mirror and replicate what they see using play dough.

They develop their physical skill...s as they mould and stretch the play dough to form shapes. They talk about the shapes they have made and introduce mathematical concepts as they discuss whether they are big or small.There is good support in place for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They receive targeted one-to-one support. Staff observe children and implement tracking documents to enable them to swiftly recognise where children may need additional help. They work closely with outside professionals, such as the area special educational needs coordinator, to ensure that children make the best progress they are capable of.

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

There have been significant changes since the previous inspection, including a change to the manager. This has had a positive impact on the daily running of the nursery. The new manager has a clear vision for the future of the nursery.

She has a drive and commitment to making changes that will enhance and raise the quality of the nursery. She has worked closely with local authority advisers and other professionals to help her to implement action plans for improvement.Staff talk positively about the changes that have already been put in place.

They say the manager is supportive and that they now benefit from regular supervision and well-being meetings. In addition, the manager closely monitors staff practice. She provides feedback to help them improve and identifies additional training needs.

However, these improvements are not yet embedded fully into practice to ensure that the quality continues to improve and is sustained.Staff plan activities that are based on children's interests and current next steps for learning. They observe children as they play and regularly assess their progress to swiftly identify any gaps in learning.

Information is gathered from parents before children start about their current stage of development. Staff use this information to find out children's starting points. In addition, when children only attend during term time, staff carry out return-to-nursery baseline assessments at the start of every term.

These are used to identify any progress that has been made or gaps that may have emerged.Babies develop their sensory skills as they play with shiny paper. Staff encourage them to squash and shake the paper and listen to the sound it makes.

Staff introduce other sensory experiences, such as feathers, and babies demonstrate their enjoyment as they laugh and wave their arms and legs.Older children use torches to shine lights on the ceiling and under a blanket. They know that they have to wind up the torch to make it work because it does not have batteries.

Children experiment to see whether the blanket makes the light brighter or darker and watch the shadows they make. Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings and if they feel scared when it is dark.Children learn about animals that live in water.

They know that an octopus lives under the sea and a duck floats on top of the water. Although the majority of children take part in activities, sometimes they wander off because the activities lack excitement and do not hold their interest.Behaviour is managed appropriately.

When children become a little boisterous, staff provide clear explanations in a calm and reasoned manner as to why their behaviour is not acceptable. Children learn to share and take turns. Staff remind them to use manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you', throughout the day.

Information is shared with parents through daily feedback sheets and parents' evenings. Parents are encouraged to attend the craft, singing and story sessions that staff have introduced. Parents spoken to are happy with the care and learning that their children receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have a clear understanding of the types of abuse. They can recognise signs that may indicate that a child is being abused.

All staff attend safeguarding training, and the manager has introduced safeguarding quizzes and questionnaires to ensure that staff's knowledge is secure. The premises are safe and secure. Robust risk assessments have been introduced and implemented into practice since the last inspection.

Children learn to keep themselves safe as they play. Staff remind children not to walk around with knives and forks at lunchtime and to sit on the chairs correctly.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nembed fully the changes that have been recently implemented to ensure that practice across the nursery continues to improve and develop provide children with stimulating and challenging activities that sustain their interest and create an atmosphere of awe and wonder.

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