Tree Tots Nursery Kirkham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement The provider has failed to notify Ofsted about a change to the nominated individual at the nursery, as is required.

However, steps were taken at the inspection to put this right. The inspector was satisfied that this was a genuine oversight, and not done intentionally to deceive Ofsted. Therefore, the impact to children is minimised.

The new manager has worked hard with the deputy manager and the whole staff team to raise the quality of practice at the nursery. However, some aspects have been more successful than others. Leaders now construct a more sequenced and balanced curriculum across the nursery.

However, t...his is not implemented to a consistently good standard across all rooms. Children's communication skills are still not consistently supported. This is because some interactions with staff are weak and do not fully support children to build on their existing speaking skills.

In addition, the way staff plan and carry out some routine times of the day does not support all children to extend their social skills. As a result, some children quickly lose focus and do not remain as engaged in learning as possible. This means that some children do not yet make the progress they are capable of.

Children enter the safe and secure premises with ease. They warmly greet staff, are eager to find their friends and quickly settle into their self-chosen play and activities. Children are becoming increasingly independent.

Babies have a go at feeding themselves and toddlers attempt to butter their own toast. Pre-school children wash and dry their own hands before eating, select their own snack items and pour their own drinks. In the main, children behave well.

They understand what is expected of them. This is because staff are good role models. New children settle quickly and develop strong bonds with key staff.

Staff make time at the beginning of placement to get to know children and their families. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem.

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

The new manager has high expectations for the nursery.

She has worked tirelessly with her team to make some necessary improvements at the nursery. The manager has clear action plans in place. These will further support her to build on her current successes and achieve her overall aims in the future.

More can now be done to support all staff to raise the quality of their practice to the highest levels across the team.Staff say they feel part of a close team and that the new manager is mindful of their workload and supportive of their well-being. Staff access some useful training to support their teaching practice.

For example, some staff implement some communication and language strategies well. However, others do not.Some staff miss vital opportunities to ask questions that further test children's understanding and extend their vocabulary.

As a result, gaps in children's speaking skills do not close as quickly as they could.Some routine times of the day are not carried out in a way that helps children remain engaged and able to build on their existing skills. For example, staff working with younger children are busy with jobs, such as setting out the beds for sleep.

This means children who are sat eating their lunch at the table, become restless, get up from the table and wander off. Furthermore, staff hurriedly take children away from activities to have a routine nappy change. This means children become frustrated and upset because they do not have time to bring their play to a natural end.

The curriculum for mathematics is stronger. Older children confidently add and subtract numbers, for example, as they build with blocks to create their own ideas. Younger children confidently match patterns and shapes.

Staff sing number songs with babies and toddlers. In addition, pre-school children understand concepts such as 'one more' and 'one less', and can group a small number of objects together.Children have access to a safe and stimulating outdoor area.

Children practise their large physical skills as they scale the climbing frame, jump in and out of large tyres and confidently ride a range of wheeled toys. Children grow their own produce and eat this as part of their meals in nursery. This, alongside visits to the local market, helps children to develop positive attitudes to food and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Staff work hard to ensure that children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support they need. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) works diligently with staff, parents, children and other professionals. As a result, targeted plans are quickly put into place.

These help children to catch up and achieve their own unique learning goals. This goes some way to ensure children's continued progress. However, some children are not making the progress they could because the quality of education is not consistently good throughout the nursery.

Parents value the staff and describe them as a 'God send'. Parents feel included in the life of the nursery. They say they feel listened to by the manager and staff and have confidence in their ability to make further improvements.

Parents particularly enjoy using the online application. This is used well by the staff to keep parents informed about their children's learning and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staffs' understanding of safeguarding and child protection has vastly improved. Staff have attended training and fully understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe from harm. This includes what they need to do should they have a concern about another adult they work with.

There are robust recruitment and vetting arrangements in place. New risk assessment procedures are understood by the staff and implemented well across the nursery. This further ensures children's safety.

Children learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, they confidently talk about how to cross the road safely when they embark on outings away from the nursery.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimplement an ambitious curriculum to better support children's good progress, particularly their communication and language skills focus staff interactions to build on what children know and can do, so that all children participate and remain highly motivated and engaged to extend their learning continue to embed the current arrangements for supervision and coaching of staff to help raise the quality of educational practice to the highest levels.