Tick Tocks Nursery And After School Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff enhance children's early literacy and communication skills well across the nursery. They use books to develop children's speech, creativity and sensory exploration. For example, babies feel material with their bare feet and hands that resembles grass.

Staff say words from the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', such as 'stumble trip', as babies do this. Older children mix paint together and name the colour they make. They use brushes to paint paper plates and design a bear mask of their choice.

Children have positive attitudes to their play and learning. They show what they already know, remember and can do.Since... COVID-19, staff have identified the difficulties some children have in regulating their own behaviour.

Staff wear lanyards with visual pictures of emotions, such as happy and sad faces. They use these to support children to talk about how they feel, which helps them to develop their emotional literacy. These approaches also help to support children who speak English as an additional language, contributing to their sense of security and belonging.

Children are happy and show how they feel safe in the care of staff. Staff support children well and prepare them for changes in their life, such as the wider social network of school.

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

Managers, staff and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well.

They build positive working relationships with many professionals and parents. Managers, staff and the SENCo ensure every child has the same opportunities for learning and growth. They adjust their practice appropriately to support children's communication skills.

For instance, managers, staff and the SENCo use signs and actions alongside words when speaking with all children. Inclusive practice is a real strength of this nursery.Children's learning is built sequentially.

For example, babies and toddlers develop an awareness of number through their enjoyment of action rhymes and songs. Older children show good concentration skills as they use tweezers to pick up small bears to match numerals and amounts accurately. They show how they can find the right answer when adding and subtracting one or two from their starting number.

Staff challenge older children's mathematical learning very well.Staff provide a range of opportunities for all children to enhance their small- and large-muscle skills and imaginary play. For example, toddlers jump up and down as they sing songs.

Babies use their fingers to hold and clap together castanets. Older children hit balls with racquets and ride wheeled toys. They show their knowledge of people that help them.

For instance, older children count and say 'ready, steady, go' as they take on the role of the school crossing warden.Managers and staff use assessment well to check what children know and can do to inform their next steps. The two-year assessment is completed by the key person and SENCo, shared with parents and the child's health visitor.

Staff bring together parents and health visitors to review children's health and progress, where needed. Additional support is put in place quickly, to give all children the best opportunities to achieve their potential.Children enjoy outdoor play.

They put their hands in compost and fill baking tins to make Yorkshire puddings. Managers continue to make improvements to the outdoor play area. However, they have not yet fully considered the curriculum outdoors for understanding the world, to enhance children's knowledge of nature even further.

Managers recognise the impact COVID-19 has had on staff. As a result, they have made several changes to working patterns to ensure staff have a good work-life balance. Managers and staff attended an outdoor team building day run by the local authority.

They explain how they 'climbed trees, toasted marshmallows and had a laugh'. Managers place a good focus on their own and staff's well-being, which impacts greatly on children.Managers have secure procedures for recruitment, induction and supervision of staff.

They regularly observe staff practice to evaluate the teaching of the curriculum. Managers encourage staff to undertake peer observations. However, this practice is not yet fully embedded to help ensure a consistently high standard in teaching across the nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider the curriculum for understanding the world outdoors, to enhance children's exploration of nature and the natural world even further support staff to reflect on each other's interactions with children to help raise the already good quality of teaching across the nursery.