Magic Sparks Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe and well cared for at the nursery. Babies develop meaningful relationships with their key person. They enjoy the activities that staff plan for them. For instance, they concentrate as they stack blocks in a tower. The oldest children talk with staff about how they feel during group time in the morning. This helps them to become considerate to those around them.

Toddlers learn to wait and take turns with toys. They sit patiently waiting for the sand timer to finish before they take their turn. Children develop their independence. They climb steps carefully up to the changing mat when it is time for their key person to change their nappy.

Children gain new experiences and learn about their wider community. The oldest children make lists of what foods they would like for an upcoming party. They talk about what foods are healthy and unhealthy. Children share their own experiences with others. For instance, children bring their pet rabbit in to show their friends as part of the topic they are learning about. This gives children the opportunity to build confidence and share their home life with their friends. Other children, who may not have pets, learn about how to care for animals.

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

• The committed owner and manager have made significant improvements to the nursery since the last inspection. They have worked tirelessly to address the previous actions set. For instance, children move carefully up and down the stairs, closely supervised by staff. They sing a song about how to move carefully through the car park as they hold on to safety rings while walking to the garden. This helps children to keep safe.
• Children who speak English as an additional language receive strong support. Staff find out about children's backgrounds when they start at the nursery. They learn key vocabulary in children's home languages. This helps them to meet children's needs. Older children demonstrate their developing understanding of English. For instance, they talk about the 'very cold' ice cubes that they explore. Staff provide children with relevant language as they complete activities. As a result, children are able to communicate what they know effectively with staff.
• Children work collaboratively together. For example, the oldest children help one another pour water from a teapot into cups. Toddlers play alongside one another. Staff help them to build friendships with those around them. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Staff support them with short, focused activities to help them interact with others. They use visual timetables to support children to understand what will happen next. These strategies contribute towards all children making good progress.
• Parents are very happy with the care that their children receive. They find staff supportive and approachable. Staff and managers know the families they work with well. Parents gain regular feedback about their children's time at the nursery. They share information with staff about what children do at home through the online application they use. Staff are then able to build on children's experiences during their time at nursery.
• Overall, children behave well. They sit down and eat their meals together, developing their manners. Staff have a range of strategies to support children's behaviour if they need to. However, occasionally some staff do not use these strategies as effectively as possible. This means that, sometimes, children receive mixed messages about what staff expect of them, such as when toddlers line up to return indoors from the garden.
• The staff team has strengthened since the previous inspection. The manager has worked hard to recruit qualified and experienced staff. These staff members act as positive role models for less experienced members of the team. Staff complete necessary training. However, the training they complete is not yet highly focused to support specific areas of children's learning. This contributes towards staff's interactions with children not being as consistently strong as they possibly could be.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all children to consistently follow routines and instructions and understand what staff expect of them
• continue to provide staff with professional development opportunities to raise the quality of their interactions with children to an even higher level.