Acorn Childcare Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this safe nursery which celebrates what makes each child unique. Their own heritage is celebrated because staff work closely with parents to provide familiar and meaningful experiences for children. Babies develop close bonds with key staff who know them well. As a result, they are settled and calm in their time in nursery. Babies smile at the encouragement they receive from attentive staff as they learn to crawl, stand and take their first steps. Their physical development is further supported as they learn to drink from open cups and feed themselves independently from a young age.

The nursery is filled with the sounds of staff and children talking, singing and reading together. Children of all ages quickly develop a love of books. All of this supports their communication and language skills. Toddlers practise dancing in time to music, developing their balance, coordination and rhythm. In the extensive outdoor areas, children learn to take managed risks in their play as they climb and jump with confidence. Older children enjoy the familiar routines that will be expected of them at school. They show their ability to concentrate for longer periods, and persevere when faced with challenges.

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

• Leaders have taken prompt and effective action to address the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. They have provided all staff with extensive training and support to ensure that they deliver a broad, sequenced curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. As a result, children receive tailored learning experiences which grab their interest and embed new knowledge.
• Leaders have significantly strengthened the induction processes for both managers and staff. All employees have a clear knowledge of the setting's policies and procedures from the day they start. This ensures that they have a firm understanding of what is expected of them from the outset which, in turn, contributes to keeping children safe.
• The positive impact of leaders' renewed focus on training has resulted in significant improvements in how children's behaviour is supported by staff. This is now approached in a consistent manner in all rooms, with strategies shared with parents to better support children at home. Children demonstrate a positive approach to significant times in the day, such as focused learning activities and mealtimes. Therefore, children are now much better prepared for their eventual move to school.
• Staff consistently support children to develop their speech by modelling language well and introducing a rich and varied vocabulary. Staff give children the chance to verbalise their thoughts by ensuring that they receive lots of time to communicate. This contributes to the rapid progress children are making in their communication and language skills.
• Staff teach children about the natural world and give them first-hand experience of growing a variety of crops. These are used in some of the meals they eat in nursery. Children remember what they have been taught to help plants grow and flourish, which helps them to develop key life skills.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked hard to support staff in providing the quality of care and education children deserve. Staff talk about the positive support for their well-being and the feedback they receive from leaders on their practice. However, leaders acknowledge that more precise feedback is needed to strengthen staff practice. For example, there are occasional inconsistencies in practice, such as how effectively children's independence skills are developed.
• Parents talk positively about the strong communication with nursery. They praise the prompt action the nursery takes to implement additional support for children's progress and their joint working with other agencies. They explain the nursery has made a difference in their children's confidence, imaginative play and communication. Parents express that the nursery team 'make children feel valued' and that their children have 'been given the best start in life'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen existing supervision arrangements to provide more precise evaluations of staff teaching practice.