Tiddley Tots Nursery

Inspection of Tiddley Tots Nursery 25A High Street, Hoddesdon EN11 8SX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children and their parents and carers receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive at the nursery. Children appear settled and content. Any children who are new to the nursery and need extra reassurance receive lots of kindness and cuddles to help them feel more secure. Children have time to choose what they want to do. They have plenty of easily accessible toys and resources to support them as they learn through play in their self-chosen activities. Children are imaginative and delight in pretend play in the role-play areas. They make 'food' for their friends, the dolls and the staff. Children discuss with staff and each other what they know about caring for others.

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The provision is good

Children go outdoors each day. They spend time in the small nursery garden, where they make and use a hopscotch grid. The children jump between each of the numbers, and staff support them to count each square. Children also enjoy frequent trips in the local community, such as to the library and the park. Children request trips to feed the ducks and enjoy finding books to read with their friends.

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The provision is good

Children behave well, and staff give them plenty of guidance and support. Recent training to refresh staff on effective strategies to help children to behave appropriately is having a positive impact on children's ability to express their feelings.

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need to do better?

n Staff are deployed appropriately in each room and there are enough staff to care for the children. Staff often organise children into small groups to enable them to supervise children more effectively and to keep them safe. Changes to the way the sensory room is used help to ensure that staff have the things they may need to hand. n Staff who are responsible for overseeing the planning of the curriculum understand what children need to learn. They assess the quality of education that staff provide effectively, identifying where this is done well and suggesting aspects for improvement. For example, babies and young toddlers thoroughly enjoy exploring the textures of materials used to represent a farm. They feel the hard sticks and prickly grass with delight. Staff support these children very effectively, giving them time to explore and providing the language to describe what they are seeing and doing. However, some less-experienced staff do not

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need to do better?

support children's speaking and listening skills as well. n Parents have time to speak to staff about their children's needs, which helps to make sure that children receive appropriate care that is based on their individual needs. Parents say that they are happy with the care. They comment favourably on the friendly staff and the good communication that they receive.

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need to do better?

1 March 2023 n Staff work closely with other agencies, such as those who support children with additional needs. This helps them to provide the right support for children and their families. Staff use picture cards to help children follow the routine and to communicate what is happening next. They also use simple sign language to help children to express themselves and to help staff understand when children's spoken language is unclear. n Staff know their key children well. They use the information from parents about what children already know and can do to plan for the next steps in their learning. Staff listen to and observe the children, which helps them to decide what to teach them next. For example, children playing with small vehicles are offered a large cardboard tube to run the vehicles through. The children run the cars through the tube excitedly and then explore what else they can do. They use it to look through and to listen to the sounds that they can make with it.

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need to do better?

n Managers take swift action to address weaknesses in practice to ensure the safety of children. They provide staff with opportunities to attend essential training, such as first aid, safeguarding and special educational needs support. However, there is less focus on how to support staff to rapidly improve their teaching skills.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the possible signs of abuse and neglect. They attend training to help them understand the possible risks to children and the action to take in the event of concerns. Staff know the process for recording and reporting concerns about children's well-being. They understand the role of the designated safeguarding leads in the nursery and how to contact the local safeguarding partnership. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of adults and how to report these to the local authority designated officer.

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should:

n support staff to improve their skills and help them to promote children's early communication and language skills to a consistently high level n broaden the focus for staff's continuous professional development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2665083 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10279226 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 75 Number of children on roll 70 Name of registered person Tiddley Tots Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01992910529 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Tiddley Tots Nursery registered in 2021 and is situated in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery employs 17 members of staff. Of these, one holds an early years qualifications at level 6, and eight hold qualifications at level 3. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the staff and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The manager and the inspector discussed how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n The manager and the inspector carried out two joint observations of planned experiences and evaluated the quality of the experiences for children. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n Parents shared their views about the nursery with the inspector. These were considered as part of the overall evaluation. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff working at the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

1 March 2023 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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