Stay N Play Day Care

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children confidently join in games with staff and their peers. For example, children call out 'What's the time Mr Wolf,' when they are playing outside.

They experiment with calling out the numbers to each other and stepping the right amount of steps towards the 'wolf'. Children are safe and feel secure. At the occasional times when they struggle with their emotions, staff take appropriate action to support them.

The close bonds that children have with staff mean that they are happy to receive the comfort and reassurance that staff give.Older children develop their independence skills. They learn to serve their own snac...ks, and put on their coats and hats ready to go outside.

Children contribute their ideas and suggestions to staff, who consider and talk to them about how to achieve their goal. Children have plenty of opportunities to build on their physical skills, and to be physically active. For example, older children balance on beams out in the garden and play ball games.

A sports coach visits weekly to run sessions for the children. Babies learn to climb in and out of a ball pool. They practise their walking as they push along sturdy walkers.

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

Children's communication and language skills are well supported. Across the nursery, staff sing songs, chat with children and read stories with them. Children demonstrate their speaking and listening skills as they join in with the parts of songs and stories that they know.

Staff present information to children in age-appropriate ways. This supports their learning. For example, when it is raining and the sun is shining, staff help the older children to know how to search for a rainbow in the sky.

Those children with additional support needs are identified by staff and receive targeted help. For example, staff use sign language to help them to learn to communicate. The staff and the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator work closely together to put in place plans for children.

They involve other professionals, where needed, to seek further assessment and extra support for children.Leaders and managers ensure that the setting meets high safety standards. They routinely risk assess all areas of the nursery.

Health and hygiene procedures enhance children's health.Babies and the youngest children develop strong bonds to, and trust the staff looking after them. They are relaxed and begin to communicate freely.

Staff interact with babies sensitively and promote their understanding of single words and simple concepts. Babies have choices in their activities. Staff follow their, sometimes fleeting, attention well, joining in alongside babies in their play.

Staff are skilled and understand the needs of the children in their care. They know the children very well and help them to make good progress. Leaders and managers have worked to develop the partnerships with parents since the nursery opened.

These partnerships are now effective. Children's key people liaise with parents about children's needs and education.Leaders and managers have a strong vision and high aspirations for the nursery.

They monitor provision to make sure that the legal requirements are met and reflect on what they provide. Leaders and managers have clear plans in place to achieve continuous improvement. However, staff are not always fully involved in these processes.

This affects how well the skills and knowledge of the staff team contribute to building highly engaging learning opportunities for children. Staff report that, sometimes, they do not have sufficient flexibility to fully support children's interests and learning, such as providing meaningful 'messy play' opportunities.At times, older children become unfocused during their free play time.

The range of resources available for them to choose from is too narrow. When this happens, staff do quickly notice that children need extra support to focus. They then skilfully engage them in adult-led activities, such as an educational game, singing and dancing, or reading a book.

However, this affects children's ability to develop their own play ideas more fully.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand the possible indicators of abuse and/or neglect.

They know the procedures to follow and explain how they follow them when there are concerns. Those responsible for safeguarding children take appropriate action to do so. They liaise with other agencies when appropriate.

Suitable safeguarding records are in place. Staff are aware of what to do in the event of concerns about an adult working with children. They understand whistle-blowing procedures.

All staff are Disclosure and Barring Service checked. This helps to ensure that only those suitable to working with children do so.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the quality of engagement with staff, giving them more opportunities to be involved in the plans for continuous improvement, so that children consistently benefit from staff's good levels of knowledge and experience nincrease the opportunities for older children to follow their own interests and develop their imagination during periods of child-led play.