Sugarcane Nursery LTD- Nursery on the Heath

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress at the nursery. This is thanks to the dedication and hard work of staff and leaders. Many improvements have been made since the last inspection. Processes are embedded and staff fulfil their roles confidently. Children arrive and settle quickly, welcomed by the friendly staff in their rooms. Older children participate in daily risk assessments of the nursery. This helps them to learn about how to keep themselves and their friends safe.

Children learn to wait patiently, and staff prioritise teaching children to interact positively. Staff remind younger children of what is expected and wait for them to respond, using their manners. Older children readily use their manners when they need to. Children wait until their friends have finished eating before they leave the table. Staff sit with children and hold relevant discussions as they eat and supervise them well. These positive interactions support children's ability to build relationships with others and understand and follow the rules in place.

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

• Staff have a strong knowledge of the children that they work with. They monitor children's progress carefully and this helps them to identify any areas where children may require further support. If required, support is put in place swiftly to minimise gaps in children's learning. There is a clear curriculum in place that builds on children's skills, so that they are prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Children become more independent as they move through the nursery. Younger children serve themselves with staff support. Older children are able to accurately identify if they have any allergies and which coloured plate they need to use. They relish the opportunity to complete tasks, such as being the helper to support with serving their friends their meals.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. Babies begin to confidently use single words and start to join words together to form simple sentences. Pre-school children discuss with staff what they are eating and how the food feels. Staff introduce relevant language and expand children's vocabulary further. This helps children to become effective communicators.
• Staff work well together. They hold regular discussions regarding the children and know that they can rely on their colleagues for help and support, when required. Staff receive a thorough induction into their roles, including agency staff. Children become familiar with consistent agency staff, when they are required. This provides children with reassurance and helps staff to work effectively as a team.
• Leaders are reflective and have worked hard to build staff knowledge and practice since the last inspection. Staff have received a range of relevant training, and this has helped improve their knowledge of topics, including safeguarding processes. Staff use their regular supervision meetings to reflect on their practice and identify further training that they wish to complete.
• Parents are very happy with the provision on offer. They speak positively about their children's time at the nursery and the bonds that their children form with the staff. They recognise the support their children receive and the progress they make. They feel informed about their children's time at the nursery.
• On the whole, children engage well in the planned learning opportunities on offer. However, sometimes staff do not plan effectively to fully support children's different ages and stages of development. For example, the choice of cooking experience that staff plan for babies does not allow them to explore in their own ways without staff having to interrupt what they are doing. This also limits the opportunity for staff to encourage and support children to extend their learning further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan and deliver learning opportunities that challenge and extend children and are tailored to children's individual ages and stages of development.