Ladybird Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children readily leave their parents at the nursery door. Once inside, younger children quickly settle into their play where there are a rich variety of activities on offer. Older children recognise their written names and stick them on the board to register their attendance.

Children enjoy sharing their play with adults. For example, staff join the children as they play cooking in the home corner. Staff use these opportunities to support children's mathematical thinking as they work out which of the vegetables are the heaviest and which are the lightest.

Children show positive attitudes to learning. For example, young... children demonstrate high levels of persistence to find the correct wooden shapes to complete puzzles. Older children enjoy activities as these closely reflect their interests.

They make birds using play dough and feathers, and share their ideas with their friends. Children show that they feel happy, safe and secure. They actively seek out adults for support, for example when they need help to put on their shoes or wipe their noses.

Babies have their care needs met well. They begin to develop their social skills from a young age, sitting together with staff to enjoy a healthy lunch together.

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

Children have daily opportunities to develop their physical skills.

For example, babies learn to walk and move about as they use low-level furniture to pull themselves up to a standing position. In the garden, children can climb and slide on the apparatus and use wheeled toys to move around. Children dig and make marks in the sand.

They confidently choose from the resources outside that are available to them. This means that children who learn best from being outdoors are able to do so.Staff encourage children to follow healthy lifestyles.

Children are provided with home-made nutritious meals and snacks that take account of their individual dietary needs. Children have the opportunity to plant, grow and harvest vegetables. This helps extend their knowledge of growth cycles and where food groups come from.

Children enjoy activities where they learn about teeth and the importance of good oral hygiene. They use role-play toothbrushes and sets of teeth to learn how to brush teeth effectively.Staff know the children well and confidently talk about where they are in their learning.

They gain information from their parents regarding their starting points. Staff focus on children's early language and communication. They introduce new vocabulary during activities, such as 'porcupine' when describing a model the children have made.

Younger children hear words, such as 'freezing' when playing with sea creatures and ice cubes, as adults help them to understand the effects the cold has on their hands.Children enjoy songs and stories throughout the day and independently look at books in quiet spaces created for them. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

Staff learn new skills, such as picture communication cards and Makaton sign language, to further help children to become confident communicators.Leaders and managers evaluate their practice and identify further ways to strengthen the processes to share information with parents. However, this is not yet fully embedded.

Some parents are not always clear on what is next for their child's learning and how they can support their children's learning at home. This does not help to extend all children's outcomes to the highest levels.The manager supports his staff team well, for example through peer observations and staff supervision.

He regularly observes their teaching and provides them with helpful feedback. As a result, staff report feeling valued and happy in their roles. Staff have the opportunity to attend training courses to enhance their professional development.

They feed back their training to the team and implement changes to enhance practice. For example, after attending training on how to support children to manage their own emotions, they now provide additional activities to further support the children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of child protection, including wider aspects, such as the risks to children from being exposed to extreme views. They have all completed safeguarding training and understand their safeguarding responsibilities. New staff undergo a thorough induction to help them to become familiar with the nursery's procedures, including their safeguarding policies.

Leaders and managers follow strict recruitment procedures and complete rigorous checks to ensure that only those suitable to work with children do so. Staff are familiar with whistle-blowing procedures which clearly explain the action they would need to take if they were concerned about the behaviour of a colleague.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the good partnership with parents further so that all parents are fully informed how they can support their child's learning at home.