Layston Preschool and Nursery CIC

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy attending this welcoming setting and build strong bonds with the nurturing staff.

Staff know the children well and make good use of this knowledge. For instance, they use information from home visits to help children settle and to tailor the support they offer to more precisely suit each child. Staff promote the setting's ethos of supporting children to become strong, confident learners.

Children reflect this and have positive attitudes to their play and learning. They are excited as they play, eagerly exploring the resources and persevering, for example, when they set themselves challenges. For instance..., children show determination when they decide to use blocks to recreate famous London buildings, such as The Shard.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and use their experience and knowledge of the children to offer them sensitive support. Children respond to this and show a mature approach to managing their behaviour. For example, they often use sand timers to organise fair turns.

Good use of daily routines support children in learning about safety. For instance, children take turns to help staff risk assess the outdoor area. Ongoing discussions and specific activities, such as cleaning model teeth, help children build a clear understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.

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

The manager is enthusiastic and is dedicated to reviewing the work of the setting and offering children and their families the best care they can. She acts as a very good role model and offers staff pertinent support. This enables staff to develop their practice and support all children to make good progress.

Staff report that they feel valued and their well-being is sensitively considered and promoted.Staff observe children well and understand what they need to learn next. They offer children interesting play opportunities that reflect children's interests.

Thorough monitoring means that any weaker areas in children's learning are quickly addressed. Staff's good understanding of each child helps to ensure that additional funding is used effectively to promote children's development. Staff work well with other professionals and ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support.

Staff support children in building an enjoyment of books, adeptly repeating these and using them as a way to promote children's vocabulary and communication skills. For example, children understand the concept of 'traditional stories'. They eagerly explain that these often start with 'Once upon a time'.

They remember the refrains from stories, frequently including these in their play. For instance, children playing in the 'builder's yard' pretend to build houses and take turns to repeat 'I'll huff and I'll puff' as they try to blow the houses down.Thoughtful practices successfully support children in gaining a practical awareness of diversity.

For example, children bring photographs from home to contribute to a book they share. They talk about their unique characteristics, traditions and home life.Children spend time each day working in small groups with their key person.

These sessions are well organised and children benefit from participating in the more focused activities. For example, children develop their knowledge of mathematics as they identify written numbers and count out the corresponding number of animals. They then work together to arrange the animals in size order.

Staff are sensitive to the possible effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They recognise that children may not have had the opportunity to socialise with others. Therefore, they offer children additional support in interacting and working together.

Parents praise the supportive, caring staff. They note the good progress that their children make, particularly in their communication and social skills. Parents report that staff are very approachable and communicate well with them.

Staff support parents in understanding what children are learning and building on this at home.Children thoroughly enjoy their interactions with staff, who generally encourage them to build on their learning. However, at times, staff do not make the best possible use of opportunities to support children in expressing their ideas and creativity.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to offer children further opportunities that aid them in expressing their ideas and creativity.

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