Rascal's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders plan a well-rounded curriculum that staff tailor to meet each child's individual needs. It also provides children with the experiences and knowledge they need to prepare them for the next stages of their education. Staff focus their attention on supporting children to develop their communication and language skills through lots of conversation, singing and sharing stories, as well as building their confidence and social skills. Staff share new information to help children to build on their knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, staff show children the vegetable pak choi, and explain that it is a food which originates from China.

Children actively engage in learning. They become good communicators who hold thoughtful conversations. Children are keen to talk to each other and to the adults. They follow their own interests and ideas. Older children chat to their friends as they play and learn, building on each other's ideas. When children need to develop their social skills and to understand how to get along well with others staff give them close and considered support. This helps children to develop new skills which they then successfully practise. Children are proud of their achievements and persevere to achieve their goals. For example, older children concentrate on using glue to make cards for their family, or focus on trying to cut up a real vegetables in the role-play kitchen. Children's thinking develops as staff encourage them to solve problems and set them challenges, including those about shape, space, measure and numbers.

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

• Leaders and managers have worked closely with the local authority to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection. Procedures for recruiting and inducting new staff have been revised and there is a clear plan in place to ensure that any staff who will be working with babies have suitable skills, knowledge and training to do so. Leaders only recruit staff who demonstrate that they will be able to fulfil the requirements of their roles. The youngest children now receive attentive care, which maintains their safety and meets their needs.
• There has been an increased focus on supporting staff to complete training to improve their skills. Overall, staff understand the provider's curriculum well and deliver it to children. However, there is sometimes a lack of consistency in ensuring that all of the intended teaching methods are used. For example, while leaders plan for staff to use signs with children to help further strengthen children's communication skills, staff do not routinely do this.
• A key-person system is in place and all children have a key person allocated. These details are communicated effectively to parents. However, key people are sometimes deployed to work in rooms where their key children are not based. This limits the time that they can spend directly supporting their key children's learning and building their bond with children to be able to give them the most incisive support.
• Relationships with parents are positive, with a clear focus on ensuring children's safety, well-being and good development. Parents report that their children gain new knowledge and skills from the nursery and are happy to attend. They value the feedback about how their children are progressing as well as the guidance staff give to support children's learning at home.
• All those working with the children understand their role in ensuring their welfare. Staff notice and report any concerns about children's safety or well-being to leaders who work with parents, and where necessary other agencies, to ensure the right support is sought for children and their families.
• Staff and managers reflect on the provision. They identify and make changes where they need to alter provision for children to improve their skills. For example, staff have worked to help children to learn how to serve and clear away their own food. They also teach children social skills during lunchtime. Consequently, children learn how to show good manners. This helps older children to be ready for the next stage of their learning, such as school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the staffing arrangements so that key persons spend more time supporting and interacting with their key children
• support staff to develop a deeper understanding of how to deliver the curriculum consistently in order to raise the quality of education to a higher level.