A NEWHALL nursery has been praised by government inspectors following a visit by Ofsted.

The Newhall Nursery was inspected on September 8th, 2022.

Newhall Nursery is part of Newhall Primary Academy

The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff.

Of these, 10 have early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including one staff member who holds qualified teacher status.

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm.

The nursery provides funded early education for two-year-old children.

The report states:

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good
Children are warmly welcomed into this friendly nursery. They build bonds with
staff who they seek out for comfort and reassurance.

Staff are warm, kind and caring towards children. They often sing songs, which helps to comfort children when they are distressed. Children explore the wide range of activities on offer
with support from staff. They are curious as they explore textures and sensory
materials. Children’s communication and language skills are well supported. Staff
frequently model new words to children as they play. For example, as staff
encourage children to feel the texture of hay in a farm-themed tray, they say
‘crinkle, crinkle’ as they crunch the hay. This helps to increase children’s exposure
to a wide range of vocabulary.

The nursery is well resourced in both the indoor and outdoor environments to
ensure children experience all areas of learning each day. Children develop their
small- and large-muscle skills while making marks using pens and pencils. They
independently practise how to put lids on pens, learning how to do this successfully
through perseverance and exploration. Staff encourage children to be independent.
Children are supported to use spoons to feed themselves and learn to wash their
own hands before meals.

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

Managers and leaders design a structured, yet individualised, programme of
activities to help children learn new knowledge and skills. This is built on over
time as staff identify children’s next steps of learning and development. Children
are supported to access a broad and balanced curriculum which follows their
interests and builds on what they already know and can do. Children, including
those receiving additional funding, make good progress.

Children develop an interest in books and enjoy listening to stories read by staff.
In addition, they borrow books from the setting to read at home with their
family. Staff provide activity packs and resources to help children continue their
learning at home. These were also provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children are supported to make good progress in mathematics. This is because
staff use mathematical language throughout activities and conversations. For
example, staff sing songs that use numbers and positional concepts. Staff know
how to differentiate and adapt activities to support each child’s individual
development level.

Staff teach children to understand the importance of being healthy, including
oral health. They invite dentists in to visit and provide oral health activities. Staff
are ambitious when supporting children who speak English as an additional
language. They learn and use common words and phrases in children’s home
languages.

A well-established key-person system supports children to form strong
relationships with staff. Parents and their children are invited in for settling-in
visits prior to starting at the nursery. During these visits, parents discuss
important information with their child’s key person. This helps staff to settle
children successfully. However, staff do not always adapt the nursery routine to
consistently meet children’s individual needs.

There is an effective programme of supervision and professional development in
place for the manager and staff, which focuses on the learning and development
needs of the children who currently attend. Staff feel valued and are pleased
with the opportunities they have to further their own knowledge, skills and
responsibilities.

Partnership working is strong. Leaders support smooth transitions through links
with the feeder school and local childcare settings. They also support children
well as they make transitions through the nursery by working with parents and
planning for children to make short visits to their new rooms over a period of
time.

Parents speak positively about the nursery. They say that ‘the staff couldn’t be
more committed to our children’. They appreciate the effective communication
methods that ensure they have a great insight into their children’s learning and
how they can support this at home. Parents talk about the progress their
children have made at the setting, particularly those children who speak English
as an additional language.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager and staff show a good awareness of their roles and responsibilities
relating to keeping children safe. They understand the reporting procedures within
the local authority and know how to report and record concerns within the setting.
Staff are confident to whistle-blow regarding allegations against staff members.

They complete online and in-house safeguarding training to keep their knowledge
up to date. Management ensures all safeguarding updates are filtered through to
staff. They hold certificates in food hygiene and first aid. There is an emergency
evacuation procedure in place which is practised and understood by staff and
children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider
should:
review and improve the daily routines to make sure they consistently prioritise
the needs of the children.