Ashford Play Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and parents receive a warm welcome when they arrive at this lovely nursery.

Parents have the opportunity to exchange news with staff. This helps children to have the best possible start to their day. Children develop independence when they learn where to hang their coats before joining their friends in the large garden.

The manager and staff have high expectations for all children. The curriculum builds upon what children already know, which helps them to be curious to learn more. Funding is used to buy items to support specific needs and provide new experiences for children.

Staff also work closely w...ith external agencies, such as speech and language therapists. This helps children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make the best possible progress. Children enjoy developing their physical skills by playing in the large garden.

Here, they use bikes and ride-on toys as well as having space to run and jump. Children happily dig and make recipes in the mud kitchen. They also enjoy growing vegetables and herbs, which are often eaten at snack time.

A range of stimulating resources are provided throughout the nursery. The curriculum promotes progress for all children. For example, a cosy library invites children to look at books and to enjoy having stories read to them.

This helps children to learn new words and develop new interests. Kind, caring and qualified staff get to know children well. They help children to settle in at nursery help them to feel safe and secure.

Once children have settled in, they plan activities to help them make progress with their learning and development.

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

Children are encouraged to enjoy books and hearing stories. They delight in singing songs and joining in with actions.

Staff introduce new vocabulary during play and allow children time to think before they respond. This gives children confidence to try out new words and ideas. However, children who speak English as an additional language do not always have opportunities to hear and use their home language in play and learning.

This does not support their overall language development.Dedicated staff develop excellent relationships with parents and children. Information is shared daily and formal updates on children's progress every term.

They receive regular updates about their child's progress, and they have opportunities to respond with their thoughts and ideas. Parents value receiving information about current topics and events at the nursery. This helps them join in with opportunities for learning at home.

For example, by growing sunflowers from seed and sharing photos of how tall they have grown on the nursery's private social media page.Children's behaviour is very good. They cooperate with each other when they play, learn to be kind to each other and learn to take turns.

Children learn about feelings and talk about how characters in books might be feeling. This helps them to develop an understanding of how people feel in different circumstances. Children also benefit from familiar routines, and this helps them to know what to expect throughout the day.

Staff provide exciting opportunities for children to role play and learn about different people and their jobs. Children enjoy dressing up and pretending to be a doctor, a builder or a princess. Other children enjoy learning about how to care for babies, as they are expecting a new sibling.

Staff support all children, but sometimes the group size is too big to give all the children the attention they need to develop their roles and storylines.New children are welcomed into the nursery by everyone, and most settle very quickly as a result. Settling-in periods are planned for each individual child, which helps them to become familiar with their new environment, get to know their key person and to meet their new friends at nursery.

When children take longer to settle in, staff at the nursery speak to parents to keep them informed and to discuss how best to help their child. When children move on to school, the nursery ensures that teachers receive information to help them settle in.Children are provided with healthy snacks and nutritious, home-cooked meals.

The trained cook ensures that children with allergies and food intolerances are catered for. Children have independent access to water at all times. Children are further helped to learn to be healthy by washing their hands before meals and learning to put their hands over their mouths when they cough.

This helps to stop the spread of infection.The manager ensures that staff have access to opportunities to attend training and complete a variety of online courses. This helps to ensure that all staff have opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The provider is fully aware of their duty to keep children safe. Staff attend training so that they can recognise children who may be at risk of harm.

The premises are well maintained, regularly risk assessed and secure. Toys and resources are clean and in good repair. Staff know who to contact if they have concerns about a child.

They also know what action to take if there is an allegation against a member of staff. The manager regularly discusses safeguarding at team meetings and ensures that staff keep their knowledge updated.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: manage group sizes and provision of resources to ensure that all children receive the necessary support provide opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to use their home language at nursery.

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