Ladybird Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happily at the nursery. They are welcomed by staff and settle very well.

Children immerse themselves in their play and activities that have been carefully selected by staff. Children spend a lot of time at a pretend ice-cream parlour. They talk about their favourite flavours and how many scoops of ice cream they would like.

Staff engage well with children. They ask questions and children respond, helping conversations to flow. Some children spend the majority of their time with a staff member, and, as more children arrive, staff encourage children to interact with their peers and play collaboratively....r/>
Children's independence skills are supported well by all staff. Children are encouraged to wash their hands with soap before snack time and mealtimes. They self-serve at mealtimes and can pour their own water at the hydration station; younger children do this particularly well.

However, not all staff monitor this closely. As a result, this can lead to cross-contamination when children self-serve second helpings. Children are encouraged to make choices.

They can choose which fruit they would like to have at snack time. When children get ready to play in the garden, they can identify their own belongings, and all older children have a go at getting their coats and hats on.

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

The manager had devised a well-sequenced and purposeful curriculum that covers all areas of learning for all children.

Staff are aware of the curriculum intent and implement it well. The manager encourages staff to evaluate the impact of activities on their key children to ensure that planning is personalised for individual children. Staff plan outings for all children.

They provide children with visits to the local park, especially for those children who do not have access to a natural outdoor space at home.Staff know children very well. They know what children can do well and what their next steps in learning are.

Staff spend quality time with their key children to support them with their learning. Younger children engage in creative activities. They listen to instructions and position objects in the correct places.

Children understand terms such as 'on top', 'below' and 'on the side'.Children go into the book area often during the day. Staff across the nursery spend time reading to children spontaneously.

Older children talk about the rules, which are displayed in the book area. They can explain that the rule 'we look after our books' means that they should not sit or stand on the books or rip them. Children understand that they should put the books back when they have finished reading them.

Overall, staff promote children's awareness of healthy lifestyles. They talk about healthy eating choices at snack time and mealtimes. Staff provide healthy and nutritious meals and talk to the children about why the meals are good for them.

They also speak to the children about oral health and the importance of brushing their teeth. Older children can explain how they should brush to make sure that their teeth are cleaned properly.Children follow routines well and know what is expected of them.

Younger children follow familiar sleep and care routines. They are quick to transition to sleep time after lunch.Children behave well and staff praise children often.

On rare occasions when children display unwanted behaviours, staff's responses are inconsistent. Some staff clearly explain their expectations of behaviour to children and distract them swiftly. However, other staff do not explain why some behaviours are inappropriate and they do not talk to the children about the impact of their behaviour on others.

Parents say that they are very happy with the care provided by staff at the setting. Children and parents are made to feel welcome from the beginning. They are informed of the progress that their children make and what their next steps in learning are.

Parents say that they can talk to staff about any concerns that they have. They receive regular updates, such as through a bulletin, and support around parenting.The manager has suitable arrangements and plans in place to focus on providing mandatory training for all staff.

However, the training that staff currently hold does not fulfil all required aspects of paediatric first-aid training to meet the requirements. Nevertheless, the manager has taken proactive steps to address this and the circumstances have minimum impact on children in the meantime.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff have very good knowledge of safeguarding. They are aware of the signs of abuse and would report and refer in line with the setting's policies. Staff can identify the signs of female genital mutilation and radicalisation.

They know who the designated safeguarding leads are. The manager is aware of the referral processes and the support available to her through the local authority. The setting follows procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

There are ongoing suitability processes in place to check that staff remain suitable.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date ensure that staff hold the required first-aid qualifications and are available at all times when children are present, and accompany children on outings.31/01/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: monitor and support staff to help children to understand further about hygiene practices within the setting support staff to help children to learn about how their behaviour affects themselves and others.