Woodberry Day Nursery and Preschool-Peartree

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children form strong relationships during their time at nursery.

They show genuine pleasure as staff welcome them with warmth and enthusiasm. Staff take the time to talk to children about home and what they have been doing since they saw them last, which helps children to feel valued and secure. Children learn how to keep themselves safe.

For example, staff remind older children to take care when exploring leaves. Children correctly identify leaves that may 'prickle' and use litter pickers to protect their hands when reaching the leaves of tall trees. Overall, staff demonstrate an appropriate understanding of risk and the... action to take to ensure children's safety.

However, some written risk assessments lack sufficient detail. This means that staff do not implement all measures to minimise risk in a consistent manner. This has a potential impact on their well-being.

Children have access to a wide range of activities that capture and extend their interest. However, staff do not accurately consider what they want children to learn. For example, toddlers show an interest in scissors.

Staff create opportunities to extend children's curiosity by making scissors and materials for cutting regularly available. However, they fail to identify what they need to teach children in order for them to develop the skills they need to use scissors effectively. The variation in the quality of teaching means that some children make better progress from their starting points than others.

Children behave well and gain a good understanding of the rules. Staff model respectful behaviour and use effective techniques to help children regulate their emotions. For example, they provide calm and quiet spaces, where children can safely explore their feelings.

Older children learn to articulate their emotions well. They use language such as 'butterflies' to describe how some experiences make their tummies feel.

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

The manager has a clear understanding of the curriculum and what she wants the children in her care to learn.

However, she does not use monitoring and supervision arrangements effectively to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum securely. For example, some staff focus activities too heavily on extending children's interests, rather than incorporating what they need to learn next. This means that some children have better opportunities to make good progress across all areas than others.

The manager does not have a secure overview of risk assessment. Not all risks assessments are written for areas that require specific measures to minimise potential risk. This includes some activities and areas of the garden.

As a result, staff do not implement measures to minimise risk consistently. This has a potential impact on children's well-being.Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL), learn to be effective communicators.

Staff provide children with regular opportunities to promote their developing speech and language. Staff recognise opportunities to expand children's speech through their interests. For example, a toddler plays with a wooden birthday cake.

Staff notice that he is attempting to sing and blow out the candle. Staff join the child and model the tune and words to the 'Happy Birthday' song. They then sing the song together many times, clapping after they have blown out the candle.

Staff provide children with opportunities to develop early literacy skills in preparation for future reading. For example, staff plan an activity to introduce rhyming sounds. Children demonstrate good attitudes towards their learning as they concentrate and listen intently.

Staff present new information in a manner that captures children's interests, such as establishing intrigue by hiding items in a basket. Some children gain a deep understanding of language as they identify that rhyming sounds can be heard at the end of the word. However, at times, the learning intent is too ambitious for some children.

This means that not all children benefit fully from what is being taught.Children have opportunities to learn about nature as they explore the garden through their senses. For example, they observe trees as they transform through the seasons and talk about the changes they observe.

They learn that some trees have sharp leaves to deter birds from eating the berries. They listen carefully and identify the sounds of birds. Children show care and interest in wildlife as they create 'soup' and 'juice' for birds, using prior knowledge to inform their decisions.

For example, children add berries to their 'soup', commenting that birds 'love berries'. Children work in collaboration to create 'sand pies' for the birds. One child explains how his pie is 'scented with rock smell'.

This helps children develop an understanding of the wider world.Overall, parents speak positively about the care their children receive and the progress they make. However, some parents do not fully understand why interventions are in place to support those with potential gaps in their learning.

Therefore, they are unclear as to how best to support their child's continuous development at home. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to support children with SEND and those who speak EAL. They share information regularly and work together to create next steps that focus on what children need to learn next.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their role and responsibilities in keeping children safe from potential harm. They are confident in recognising potential signs of abuse and know what action to take should they have concerns about a child's welfare.

This includes reporting concerns about staff conduct to the appropriate agencies. Staff who have a lead role in safeguarding children fully understand their role. This includes ensure that staff have a good understanding of the policies and procedures to keep children safe from abuse.

Staff regularly update their safeguarding knowledge through informal and formal training. The arrangements in place to ensure those working with children are suitable to do so are effective and robust.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure staff monitoring and supervision arrangements are effective in identifying gaps in knowledge and provide staff with the support, coaching and training they need to improve the quality of teaching 28/08/2023 strengthen risk assessment to ensure that staff are provided with the information they need to implement measures consistently 17/07/2023 ensure parents fully understand why interventions are in place for their child and how they can further support their child's progress at home 17/07/2023 improve staff's understanding of the curriculum and how young children learn, ensuring that children have access to high-quality interactions and learning opportunities that build successfully on what they already know and what they need to learn next.

28/08/2023