Whitegate Early Years Care

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want babies and young children to learn, including how to achieve this. However, not all staff have the required skills to implement this in practice.

Staff do not consistently provide the quantity and quality of interactions that children need to build their knowledge and skills to a good level. Leaders have ensured that staff understand the importance of children hearing lots of words to support the development of their communication and language skills. Staff sing songs, read stories, and talk to babies and young children.

However, staff provide fewer opportunities for ch...ildren to practise and extend their developing language through, for example, high-quality back-and-forth interactions. Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development well. They take time to develop strong and trusting relationships with babies and young children, providing reassurance, comfort and cuddles when needed.

When calmed, children return to their play and exploration with confidence. Staff ensure that children learn what is expected of them. Children are well behaved and enjoy taking part in activities that interest them.

Staff support children well during their transition from room to room and into the nursery school provision. They make sure that key information is shared so that children's care needs can be supported by all those who care for them. This helps children to quickly settle in.

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

Two of the directors associated with the registration have not provided Ofsted with the information needed to determine their suitability. This was immediately actioned at the inspection. In addition, the directors do not play an active role in the nursery or have unsupervised access to children, minimising any risk.

Staff understand the need to provide activities that promote children's development across the prime areas of learning. However, leaders have not ensured that staff are able to precisely identify what individual children need to learn. This means that when they interact with children, staff do not always know how to support their good progress.

Staff provide a range of activities that interest and engage children, and sometimes they have a clear intent for what they want children to learn. For example, staff know that they want to support children to be able to hold a pencil correctly, in readiness for later writing. However, they do not consistently implement their intentions in practice, so children's learning is not secured.

Staff do not always seize unplanned learning opportunities as they arise. For example, young children show their love of books and stories by bringing books to staff. However, staff put the books aside and do not take the opportunity to use this interaction to reinforce children's positive attitudes to learning.

Leaders have an accurate understanding of their strengths and areas they wish to develop. They know what good-quality care and education looks like. Leaders are providing support and enabling staff to attend training.

This is helping secure improvements, but more needs to be done to raise the quality to a consistently good standard across the whole team.Staff value leaders' commitment to their professional development and support for their well-being. They access training that is helping to develop their knowledge and skills.

Staff attend regular staff meetings and briefings. This helps them to keep up to date with any changes in policies and procedures and keeps them in line with the headteacher's vision for children.Leaders and staff work hard to build relationships with parents, to engage them in the setting and their child's learning and development.

Regular newsletters and updates on social media and the family app ensure that key information is shared and achievements celebrated. Leaders understand the needs of the families who attend and consider this when developing the curriculum.Leaders have a clear focus on extending the curriculum to provide learning opportunities for babies and children that they may not get at home.

For example, leaders provide children with lots of walks and trips out in the local environment. This helps to develop children's understanding of the world, as well as providing opportunities for physical exercise in the fresh air. Leaders raised money to purchase a 'buggy bus', which has enabled even more children to benefit from these experiences.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders ensure that appropriate policies, procedures and training are in place to help staff to safeguard children. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a child.

They know how to identify and act on incidents that may put a child at risk of harm. Staff are deployed effectively to meet the needs of children. Leaders ensure that the premises are safe and secure and that risks are assessed and minimised appropriately to help prevent accidents and injuries.

Children learn how to behave and keep themselves safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date provide Ofsted with the information required about the new directors to help to determine their suitability for the role 20/10/2023 support and train staff to understand the curriculum and what they need each child to learn to make good progress.10/11/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop high-quality interactions between adults and children across the staff team to help deliver the curriculum, particularly for communication and language.

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