Wise Owl Private Day Nursery Scunthorpe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Managers have worked hard to address the weaknesses found at the last inspection. They have focused on key areas such as risk assessment processes. They have prioritised what needs to be done to ensure that children are safe and secure. They have focused on training, that develops the new staff teams collective skills. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points.

Learning builds on what children already know and can do. For example, babies are provided with opportunities to develop their muscles in their legs ready for becoming confident walkers. They practice climbing in and out of soft play equipment and bending up and down to pick up toys. This helps children to develop their physical skills form an early age.

Staff focus on supporting children's language development. They consider what key words they want children to learn. They model language as children play and repeat back words to them. They use books and stories to further support children's language development. Children develop a wide range of vocabulary.

Staff are heard reminding children of the nursery rules, asking them to use their walking feet indoors. Children are later heard saying, 'excuse me please' when they want to squeeze past their friends. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure consistent routines for children. As a result, children learn what is expected of them.

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

• Managers identify the skills they want children to have by the time they go to school. They encourage listening during group activities and independence as children get ready to go outside. This helps children to be ready for this next stage in their learning.
• Staff help children to think about how they can mix colours together during a painting activity. When children show an interest in animals, staff follow this up by asking questions. They talk about how cows produce milk and what they eat. This develops children's curiosity and independent thinking skills.
• Outdoors children enjoy filling buckets with water from an outside tap. They try hard to work the tap themselves and ask for help when they get stuck. They find their own wellies and waterproof suits. Children exclaim, 'I did it' when they put their jackets on themselves. Staff respond saying 'well done'. Children develop their independence and self-esteem.
• Staff introduce expectations about hygiene form an early age. They tell children that they have to wash their hands before dinner. Some children as young as two remember that they need to do this. Pre-school children know that this is part of their routine.
• Staff are sensitive to children's needs. They adapt routines and activities so that all children benefit from what is being offered. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff recognise when children need additional support to help them to make progress. The develop partnerships with parents and other professionals, so that children get the help that they need. An effective key person system ensures consistency of support for all children.
• Parents recognise the improvements that managers have made to the nursery. They know their children's key person and say communication is good. They say that staff share ideas for how to help their children at home, such as, supporting their physical development.
• Managers support staff to understand their roles and responsibilities. Over lunch time managers coach staff so that this is an enjoyable and calm time for all children. Managers do this sensitively, to help staff to develop their skills. Managers evaluate staff practice pointing out key areas where they have promoted the skills that they want children to learn.
• Managers recognise how children at the nursery will benefit from wider experiences to help them to understand their local community. However, due to the clear focus on other areas of improvement, this is not yet embedded. That being said, managers recognise that this is an area for development.
• Managers support staff to understand their roles, through focused training and supervision sessions. For example, training focuses on developing staff skills to support children's communication and language skills. Most staff understand the wider skills that they want children to learn. However, this is not yet consistent due to many staff being new to the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how plans for widening children's experiences will enhance your curriculum and build children's characters and sense of belonging
• use existing performance management processes to securely embed all staff's knowledge of the skills you want children to learn.