Twynham House Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children grow in confidence and practise new skills.

Older children spend a long time using real tools as they drill holes and hammer nails into wood. Younger children pretend to use laptops to write letters. Children develop good control and coordination.

Children have high levels of respect for each other. They work together well as a team. For example, older children ride a bicycle with many seats and coordinate their larger muscles together to move up a slope in the garden.

When they reach the top of the slope, they delight in rolling back down. Younger children learn to take turns and to share. For exampl...e, they take turns to post a ball at the top of a spiral model and show excitement as it reappears at the other end.

New children receive focused support to help them feel safe and secure. They form strong emotional attachments with staff quickly. Older children show a caring attitude towards new friends and help them to settle into the nursery's routines.

Children make good progress from their starting points. They learn to use their voice to express themselves and socialise with their friends. All children eat their meals together at mealtimes in a calm and social environment.

They enjoy nutritious meals and snacks, which the nursery chef provides.

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

Leaders provide a curriculum that widens children's opportunities and gives them experiences that they may not otherwise have had. For example, children learn about a variety of festivals and celebrations throughout the year.

Furthermore, they learn about people who help us, such as the police and fire fighters who visit the nursery. This helps to broaden children's understanding of other people and the local community.Children of all ages are inquisitive and curious.

They want to know more and are eager to learn. They ask questions, show intrigue as to why things happen and how things work. However, staff do not always know how to respond and adapt in the moment to ensure that children remain engaged and are consistently challenged.

There is a strong emphasis to help children to be independent and ready for school. Staff think carefully about the order in which children develop new skills. For example, they identify the skills children need to develop independence at mealtimes.

As children progress through the different rooms in the nursery, they learn to use cutlery with increasing control. Babies learn to use spoons and then gradually progress to using a fork. Younger children learn to pour their own drinks, while older children serve themselves.

This supports children's good progress in their self-care skills.Staff enhance children's love of books and stories. Babies listen carefully as staff read stories with expression, and younger children cuddle up to staff.

Children clearly feel safe and secure and have strong relationships with staff.Staff recognise children's immediate needs. They reassure older children gently when they show their frustration, which helps them to start to build their resilience.

Staff use a quiet tone of voice as they sing rhymes and to talk to babies. They are attentive and show genuine care for all children's needs. During caregiving routines, staff ask the children's permission to wipe their nose and change their nappy.

Staff quickly identify potential risks to children, such as using equipment safely when others are nearby. They share risks with the children, highlighting what they are. However, staff do not use such opportunities to extend children's ability to assess and manage risks independently.

This is because staff are occasionally too quick to step in and help children.Leaders understand the importance of partnership working and have established good links with parents and other professionals. They help to ensure all staff feel valued and that all children reach their potential.

Parents say that the nursery is 'family orientated' and that children come first. They are pleased with the progress that their children make.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They know the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm and the process to follow in response to a concern about a child's welfare. Leaders work closely with other agencies, ensuring that children and families are supported and not at risk of harm.

The provider has a thorough recruitment process and induction procedure to ensure staff working with children are suitable. Children's safety is further assured because all areas of the nursery are safe and secure.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nextend staff's understanding of how to respond and adapt in the moment so that they provide teaching that consistently builds on what children know and can do provide further guidance to staff to help them know when to intervene in children's play, to further support children to think about and manage risks for themselves.