Teacher Time Berwick Hills

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are highly motivated and extremely curious.

They become deeply involved in activities and enjoy their learning very much. They concentrate very well and try hard. They giggle and gape in wonder when mixing ingredients to make dough.

They count out ingredients and keep trying until they reach the correct consistency. Children enjoy creative activities in nursery. They design intricate patterns while designing a festive tree and mix different colours to work out how to make brown paint.

Leaders and staff review practice and tailor the curriculum to children's learning needs and interests. Children play ...harmoniously together in the recently extended pretend-play space, showing good imaginative skills. Older children help younger ones during play.

They help them to serve 'dinner' made from mud in the outdoor kitchen.Children show that they understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe. At snack time, they talk about how fruit helps them to grow.

They remind one another that they should not eat whole grapes and ask staff to cut them up to make them safe. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They listen intently to staff and are eager to please.

They show great pride in their achievements. They take pictures of their work to share with others and look forward to seeing their name on the 'proud cloud'.

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

Children enjoy a wide range of age-appropriate activities that help them to make good progress in their learning.

Teaching is good, and some aspects of teaching by higher-qualified staff are outstanding. For example, they skilfully identify when adults need to step back and allow children to lead their own learning. Leaders model effective teaching to staff and suggest enhancements to activities that help to extend children's learning even further.

Staff have a good understanding of child development. This helps them to provide an effective curriculum that is appropriate for the ages of the children. Staff have a secure knowledge of what their key children need to learn next and use this when planning activities.

However, leaders have not established ways to ensure that children's learning priorities are fully considered when their key person is not present.Parents say that staff are very friendly. They are confident that their children are well settled, very happy and safe in the nursery.

Staff kept in touch with absent families and continued to support children's learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, they sent out video recordings of staff reading children's favourite stories. They use an online package to share information with parents.

Leaders plan to restart activities, such as parents' evenings, to help parents to become even more involved in their children's learning.Staff promote children's communication skills well. For example, they ask children pertinent questions and give them plenty of time to think and respond.

The nursery is filled with exciting conversations and discussions. This helps most children to develop good language skills. Staff have comprehensive strategies in place that help children who need extra support in their speaking skills to catch up quickly.

Leaders are passionate about providing the best possible childcare and education. They are mindful to respect and appreciate staff and to involve them in decision-making. Staff report that they feel well supported.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make very good progress. Leaders quickly gather information about children's needs when they start nursery and develop effective partnerships with other professionals. This helps them to meet the needs of the children and support their learning well.

Children play harmoniously together. They recognise when their friends may need support and alert staff. Older children help younger children during play.

For example, they help them to serve up 'dinner' made from mud when they play in the outdoor kitchen.Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their creativity. Two-year-old children enjoy splashing in the water while staff teach them about mathematical concepts, such as 'full' and 'empty'.

Older children enjoy making their own representations of a character from a familiar story. They add 'purple prickles' and 'poisonous warts' to a creature they create from dough.Staff provide plenty of opportunities that promote children's physical development.

Children build obstacle courses using crates and planks in the garden. They take turns to walk along them and develop good balancing skills. They enjoy climbing, rolling and large-scale building in the indoor soft-play area.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff know about the different kinds of abuse that children may be at risk from and they know how to identify them. Leaders have a very good understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children.

They maintain secure and up-to-date knowledge of what to do if there are concerns about a child's welfare. All staff have a clear understanding of their role in keeping children safe. Visitor identities are checked and unexpected people who arrive to collect children must confirm a password from parents.

Staff record and monitor children's attendance. They understand why poor attendance can be a cause for concern.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the key-person system to ensure that staff working with children know what the children need to learn next and that teaching is more consistently tailored closely to those needs develop further ways for staff and parents to share information about children's learning to help children to make even better progress.