Noahs Ark Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this warm and nurturing nursery. As they arrive, they separate from their parents with ease and eagerly enter the playroom ready to start their day. The environment is stimulating, which helps children to promptly get involved in their learning. They choose what they want to play with and settle in very quickly. Key persons are kind, caring and attentive. They are on hand to give comfort and reassurance to children on the few occasions they may need it.

Children are continuously busy throughout their day. They develop their fine-motor skills as learn to hold scissors correctly to cut through card and other materials. Children's early mathematical skills are enhanced as they identify shapes that they have cut and begin to learn about what a rectangle is. Outdoors, children express interest in a book about animals, and staff help to look for snails they have seen in the garden. They use portable boards and pens to practise their early writing skills as they draw pictures of what they have seen. Staff have high expectations for every child. They encourage children to become independent in managing their own care routines. Children learn how to independently go to the toilet, wash their own hands and pour their own drinking water when they are thirsty. This helps them to gain skills in readiness for the next stage in their learning.

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

• Leaders and managers are extremely passionate and ambitious. They have made significant improvements since the last inspection and are committed to giving every child the very best start in life. Leaders and managers are highly reflective and engage with other professionals to accurately evaluate the quality of provision. They are continuously striving to improve on the already good quality of care and education that children receive.
• Managers have identified a coherent and well-sequenced curriculum which is fully understood by staff. They know what they want children to learn, and staff deliver this effectively. As a result, children gain knowledge and skills that are essential for the next stage in their learning.
• Children's communication and language development is given top priority by managers and staff. They use every opportunity to interact purposefully with children and frequently introduce new words. Children who speak English as an additional language receive excellent support. Staff build on these children's skills gradually and model speaking one word at a time, which children successfully follow. Consequently, all children are supported to become fluent communicators.
• The quality of teaching is consistently good. Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to practise what they have learned so that this is remembered. Children confidently recognise letters and numbers they know and can count accurately. However, on occasions, staff do not fully extend activities to stretch learning even further for the most-able children.
• Children benefit from a secure relationship with their key person. Key persons get to know each child very well. They use their deep knowledge of children to plan exciting experiences that they know children will enjoy. Children form sound relationships with their key person and seek them out when needed. This helps to ensure that every child's individual needs are met.
• Children behave very well. They play alongside each other and share resources during activities. Outdoors, they take turns in blowing bubbles and chase after those which their friends have made. That said, sometimes, staff do not recognise when children need more time playing because they have been sitting for group activities for a longer time. This causes some children to struggle with following instructions, such as standing in a line.
• Staff teach children about the importance of brushing their teeth to promote their oral health. The nursery follows a healthy eating programme, which means that children receive healthy snacks and meals. Children also benefit from daily opportunities to exercise and gain fresh air.
• Staff consistently report that they receive high levels of support from managers. Routine supervision takes place to provide staff with opportunities to discuss their performance, training needs and any support they may need. Staff and managers regularly observe each other to share good practice. This contributes towards the continually improving quality of teaching.
• Parents are extremely happy with the care and education that their children receive. They comment enthusiastically about the progress they have seen in their child's development, particularly regarding their communication and language skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of routines to allow children more time to deeply engage in their play and learning
• enhance staff's teaching skills even further to provide challenge for the most-able children in order to continually stretch and extend their learning.