Ladygrove Day Nursery And Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy in this inclusive nursery. They form strong emotional bonds with their key persons, and babies settle extremely well. Children approach staff for a cuddle when needed, confident that their needs will be met.

This helps children to feel safe and secure. Children behave well and are learning to take turns. Older children understand boundaries, and staff help them to manage their feelings well, such as through the use of picture cards.

Children develop a good understanding of how to manage their personal safety. This was demonstrated well when older children risk assessed outdoor activities. Children fo...llow safety rules which are modelled by staff, such as sitting down when having a drink.

Children enjoy exploring the toys and activities. Staff's good teaching skills help them to make the progress that they are capable of. For example, children re-enacted the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' with the help of staff, and were then supported to extend their learning as they hunted for bears in the outdoor environment.

Staff introduce props and different sensory materials to spark children's interest in books. For instance, babies explored the large model animals as they listened intently to a story and heard a song about a farmyard.

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

The new manager and the leadership team have made swift and effective improvements since the last inspection.

They have reflected and worked well with staff to develop and raise the quality of their interactions with children. This helps to ensure that children develop the knowledge and skills they need for their successful future learning.Staff plan an interesting curriculum both indoors and outdoors.

They know the children well. However, at times, they do not use their good knowledge of children to plan and adapt activities to meet their precise needs. For example, on occasion, activities lack challenge and do not target children's most important learning needs.

Children are engaged and excited by the range of activities on offer. They make choices from the available toys and are well supported by staff to use the resources in their play. For instance, children made 'food' from modelling dough and took this outside to use in the pretend kitchen to serve to their friends.

Children develop good levels of independence. Staff support them well to learn to dress and to manage their self-care needs. For example, staff encouraged young children to have a go at putting on their coats for outdoor play before providing assistance.

Since the last inspection, the manager and staff have built strong partnerships with parents. The recently introduced parents' forum, workshops and regular parents' evenings provide good opportunities for a two-way sharing of information about children. Innovative initiatives, such as the home-learning shelf and book exchange, are useful for all parents, including those who struggle to support their child's learning at home.

These activities help to support continuity between the nursery and home well.Children's good health is promoted well. Staff are vigilant and take effective action to make sure children's dietary and health needs are met.

Children learn about the importance of good dental hygiene, for example, as staff used large denture models to demonstrate correct brushing techniques. Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise in the well-developed outdoor area.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL) make good progress in their learning.

Staff work closely with parents and professionals to fully include these children and meet their individual needs. For example, staff make good use of EAL support packs to promote children's language development.Staff focus successfully on supporting children's communication and language skills throughout the nursery.

However, while children regularly hear new vocabulary, on occasion, staff do not encourage them sufficiently to repeat and use these new words to further develop their speaking skills.The manager and leadership team monitor the provision well. They have effective procedures in place to support staff practice, such as providing regular training.

Staff feel well supported and say that they enjoy working as a team to meet children's needs. The management team has recently devised new supervision arrangements to include a greater focus on supporting staff's well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and know what to do if they have any concerns, including the reporting procedures to outside agencies. Since the last inspection, staff have undertaken a range of training and increased their knowledge of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty. Managers follow robust recruitment and induction procedures to help check that staff are suitable to work with children.

Staff are vigilant about supervising children carefully inside and outside. They follow effective procedures to deal with any accidents children may have, and record and report this information to parents promptly.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make better use of what is known about individual children to plan even more precisely for their next steps to help them make the best possible progress focus teaching even more sharply on helping children to raise their speaking skills to the highest levels.