Pippa's House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from the warm, welcoming environment the nursery team provide. Staff are kind and caring and attentive to children's needs. Staff provide tailored settling-in procedures for new starters. This allows children to begin to become familiar with the nursery environment and their key person. Children develop strong, trusting bonds with staff to help them feel safe, secure and confident to explore their new surroundings. For instance, as babies explore the musical instruments, staff teach them how to tap the tambourine to make sounds.

Children enjoy being in the outside play space. They get opportunities to mix with other children, enabling them to play together. Toddlers practise pushing themselves along on ride-on cars. They navigate confidently around friends, and wait patiently for the 'road' to clear before taking their turn. Pre-schoolers delight in throwing and spinning hoops, understanding how they can change the direction the hoops turn. Staff offer children quieter periods, to read favourite stories. Children readily snuggle in and point out characters to staff, as they think about and share what might happen next. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that they make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders and staff have worked hard to successfully address the actions raised at the last inspection. Senior leaders ensure that oversight and support is put in place for all staff, including those who are new to their roles. Recruitment, induction and support for staff is prioritised. Training to improve staff knowledge, including around safeguarding, helps staff to understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. The team work well together and are committed to an open and positive culture that puts children first.
• Leaders have reviewed and improved the curriculum. Staff provide a wide variety of play-based learning experiences that capture children's interests. For instance, staff create sensory experiences for babies, as they explore different textures and sensations of foods in their play. However, the curriculum is still in its infancy and it is not embedded consistently. At times, staff do not fully consider the learning intent for some adult-led activities. This hinders how staff focus their teaching more precisely on what they want children to know, or to be able to do next.
• Partnership with parents is effective. The key-person system helps staff to build relationships with children and their families. Staff communicate with parents and keep them up to date with their children's care and progress. Parents speak highly of the staff. They value the sharing of ideas and strategies to help them continue supporting children's learning at home. This strengthens consistency in learning between the setting and home and has a positive impact for children, particularly in relation to their personal, social and emotional development.
• There is good provision for children with SEND. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to put in place swift interventions when they identify children need additional support. Staff use shared strategies to target areas of learning, so that children with SEND make good progress alongside their friends.
• Overall, children's communication and language is supported well. Staff capture opportunities to weave in new language to build on children's speaking skills. For instance, as toddlers practise putting coloured bears into pots, staff name the purple and blue colours. Children listen well and gain good attention skills. However, where some children need additional help to communicate their wants, needs and wishes, staff are yet to embed techniques to consistently support this area of their communication.
• Children behave well. They benefit from the kindness and respect staff show to them. Children learn these skills when playing with their friends. For instance, as pre-schoolers sit for lunch they notice that some of their friends do not have their water bottles. Children quickly find bottles and take them to all of their friends. Their kindness is recognised and rewarded by staff, who help to embed the values of care and consideration that prepare children well for their future learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed staff understanding of the curriculum intent, so that teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn next
• develop the use of techniques that encourage and support children to communicate their wants, needs and ideas more consistently.