Leapfrog Neighbourhood Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children clearly show they feel safe and secure at the nursery. They demonstrate positive attitudes to each other and their learning.

Children are self-motivated, purposeful and enthusiastic learners. They form very strong bonds with staff and other children. Children play happily in the nursery and take obvious delight in the company of the playful staff who care for them.

Children's emotional development is exceptionally well supported by the passionate and attentive staff. Children benefit from many engaging and exciting activities and experiences. They enthusiastically explore ice, enjoy making marks with paint and... confidently climb challenging equipment outdoors.

Children learn about keeping themselves safe and healthy. Occasionally, however, staff do not make the most of teaching opportunities that arise as children play in order to support their learning to the highest levels. Children are very independent.

They enjoy serving their own meals and making their own dough to play with and to share with their friends. Children learn and develop many skills as they play with their friends in the nursery.

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

Staff provide children with excellent support to help their personal development.

Children learn about people beyond their immediate families and the local area. They enthusiastically look through 'family books' and regularly visit a local care home. This very effectively supports children to learn about diversity in the wider world.

Staff are exemplary role models for children. They very swiftly and calmly step in to support children to understand, recognise and manage their feelings and behaviour. Staff communicate very effectively with each other to ensure the smooth running of the nursery.

Children know the high expectations the staff have for their behaviour and attitudes to learning. They understand the nursery's simple rules and behave well.Staff know the children well.

They build very effective partnerships with parents who regularly share children's interests and achievements from home. Staff plan activities that build on what children can already do. Children learn about rhyming sounds, make lines in sand and pinch and pull dough.

This helps children to develop their early writing skills.Staff effectively teach children about simple mathematical skills. Children enjoy searching for hidden objects and racing cars down ramps.

However, at times, staff do not challenge or extend children's learning to the highest possible levels. Although staff plan exciting activities, occasionally, these are not always finely tuned to support children's learning needs. A few children distract other children's learning.

Younger children enjoy playing with water. They explore textures, such as sponges, and make choices about which additional resources they would like to investigate. Older children free dinosaurs trapped in vines and arctic animals frozen in ice.

All children benefit from warm, caring and supportive interactions with staff that help their learning.Additional funding is thoughtfully used to ensure all children receive the very best learning opportunities, experiences and chances in the nursery. Staff work effectively with parents and other professionals to consistently support children's care and learning.

All children benefit from playing and learning in the stimulating nursery garden every day. They balance on bikes, enjoy familiar stories with puppets and take part in role-play cooking activities. Nutritious meals and energetic music-and-movement sessions led by enthusiastic staff help children to learn about developing a healthy and active lifestyle.

The manager has a clear overview of the staff team. She regularly monitors the quality of practice and is a positive role model for staff in the rooms. Staff take part in regular training to develop and improve their knowledge and teaching skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff recruitment is a thorough and robust process. The manager regularly checks that staff are suitable to work with children.

She ensures staff understand their role to keep children safe at all times. Staff attend regular safeguarding training. They know the actions to take if they have any concerns about children's or their family's welfare.

Staff are knowledgeable about wider safeguarding issues, including the risk of children being exposed to extreme views. They ensure the nursery is clean and safe for children to play and learn in.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make the most of learning opportunities that arise as children play to support and extend their learning to the highest possible levels strengthen small-group activities to help all children join in and acquire the skills they need to move on to the next stage in their education.

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