Your Co-op Little Pioneers Nursery & Pre-School Tavistock House

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from being cared for by nurturing staff.

Staff in the baby rooms fully understand the importance of their role in helping children to build attachments and feel safe and secure. There is an effective key-person system, which ensures that children's emotional well-being continues to be promoted effectively as children move through the nursery. Staff get to know children and their families well.

This enables them to plan opportunities to help children to make progress, based on their interests and identified next steps in learning. The arrangements for new starters, and when children move up to the next ...room, are highly effective.Staff design the learning environment indoors well to meet the needs of all children.

Baby and toddler rooms are calm and restful, offering children freedom to make choices in their play. Older children choose from a range of highly stimulating activities. On arrival, they are eager to go and explore the interesting activities available.

Some children choose to settle by sharing a book with a member of staff, while others join their friends who are exploring what happens when they roll vehicles down slopes. Staff successfully use play opportunities to ensure that children develop their communication and language skills, alongside areas of learning such as literacy and mathematics. Children behave extremely well.

This is largely due to them being thoroughly engaged in appropriate learning opportunities. On the rare occasions when children struggle to regulate their emotions, staff skilfully support them using strategies which are appropriate to children's age and stage of development.

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

Leadership and management arrangements are highly effective.

Managers value their dedicated staff team and ensure that staff are empowered to contribute to the continuous development of the nursery. There are regular opportunities for staff to access training to improve their skills in supporting children's progress.The curriculum is well-designed with an appropriate emphasis on supporting children's communication and language.

Staff share books with children and point out images on the page. They encourage children to join in with familiar songs. Toddlers repeat familiar words in response to staff's warm interactions.

Staff respond to younger babies' babbles and vocalisations. They ask questions, repeat words and narrate children's play. At mealtimes, staff sit and talk to children.

This helps children to learn about the importance of conversation and effective communication.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength of the nursery. Staff work with other professionals and parents to ensure that they use consistent strategies to help children to make progress.

The arrangements to support children with SEND as they move between rooms, and on to school, are well planned and consider children's individual needs.Staff encourage children to try things out and investigate. For example, babies run wheeled toys in flour and notice the marks and patterns that they make.

Toddlers concentrate hard as they carefully pour water between containers. Pre-school children want to make sure their drawings of spiders are accurate. They are especially interested in finding out if spiders have noses.

Staff show children how to use books to look up information. This helps to provide children with valuable skills to help them to become independent learners.Children thoroughly enjoy the healthy meals provided.

They always have access to drinking water. There is a large garden outside where children can develop their physical skills, such as climbing and riding tricycles. However, the younger children do not always benefit from access to the outdoor space.

This does not consistently promote their health and well-being or support children who prefer to learn outside.Staff encourage babies and toddlers to become increasingly independent. For example, they provide plenty of activities which encourage them to develop good manipulative skills.

Toddlers grip brushes and pens and delight in making marks on paper. These activities help children to develop good hand-eye coordination, and manage tasks such as feeding themselves. Staff use cloakroom space, toilet facilities and mealtime arrangements to support older children's increasing independence.

Children set the table for lunch and practise serving their own food. They receive much praise and encouragement from staff as they do so.Parents have opportunities to give feedback about the service which the nursery provides.

They notice the progress that their children make in their learning. Parents appreciate the support and advice they receive, such as how to manage children's mealtimes and sleep routines at home. They receive regular information about their children's experiences.

The nursery regularly takes part in fundraising for local charities. This supports children to gain a greater understanding of their local community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff share a strong understanding of the important role the nursery plays in keeping children safe. They update their safeguarding knowledge by attending regular training sessions and in staff meetings. Staff can describe a wide variety of signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm.

They know how to appropriately pass on any concerns they have. This includes knowing what to do if there is an allegation against a member of staff. Staff vigilantly supervise children.

The premises are safe and secure. Managers have systems in place to check that staff remain suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: consider how to develop the outdoor area further to support all children's health and well-being and to benefit children who prefer to learn outdoors.