Leaps and Bounds Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy attending this nursery and build secure bonds with staff and other children. They show confidence as they move and explore in the safe and secure nursery environment. Babies and children have access to age-appropriate activities inside and outdoors, and benefit from meaningful learning opportunities.

Babies and young children show a keen interest in books and staff have high expectations for children to develop their early literacy skills. For example, they provide props to encourage children to re-enact the story of 'Going on a Bear Hunt', to help bring the story to life. Staff work closely with parents to promo...te children's learning at home.

They have introduced a lending library, providing each child with a library card where they get to choose a book to take home and share with their parents and/or carers.Staff encourage children from an early age to be independent and manage small tasks for themselves. For example, children self-serve their own food and help staff clear away chairs after mealtime.

Children gain the skills they need for the next stage of their learning. The nursery closed for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic and some staff were furloughed. The manager kept in regular contact with children and their parents throughout the national lockdown, such as through social media platforms.

Following the full opening of the nursery, parents can now enter the nursery to collect their child, where they receive updates from their child's key person.

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

The nursery offers a broad and balanced curriculum to help children develop the skills they need to be successful learners. During the inspection, the children enjoyed a special visit from the local police.

They gathered in the car park and were extremely happy to explore the police van and listen to the siren. Children demonstrate good attention and listening skills and are curious to learn about people who help us.The nursery's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works with staff to ensure they provide an inclusive provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The SENCo meets weekly with staff to discuss learning plans. However, the role of the SENCo is not yet fully established, particularly to ensure a more realistic and manageable workload. The nursery is in receipt of funding for some children with SEND.

However, leaders do not always have a clear overview of how some of this funding is being utilised to maximise children's learning experience.Staff are good role models and teach children to recognise different emotions.For example, to help encourage children to discuss their own feelings, staff use 'The Colour Monster', which is a pop-up book about a monster who explores colour through his emotions.

Children of all ages have good opportunities to be physically active and develop their different muscle groups. Babies have ample space to move and practise their early movements, such as carefully pulling themselves up to balance on low-level tables. Older children engage in music activities and enjoy moving in different ways to music.

Staff provide healthy food choices for children at mealtimes and cater for specific dietary needs, including known allergies. They ensure parents complete an allergy form and staff provide specific placemats and coloured plates to help identify specially prepared meals.The manager meets regularly with staff during supervision meetings and supports staff to address any training needs.

Staff also benefit from a well-being ambassador who is assigned to support them with any concerns and to signpost them to relevant information.Parents are highly complimentary about the staff team. They state that staff go 'above and beyond' to meet their children's individual needs.

Parent are pleased with the regular information they receive from the nursery about their child's learning, including the online learning books.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a good understanding of their role to safeguard children and keep them safe.

Staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of the nursery's safeguarding policy. They are familiar with the signs of abuse and neglect, and the procedures for reporting any welfare concerns about a child. Staff have a good understanding of wider safeguarding issues, such as the 'Prevent' duty and county lines.

Staff deploy themselves well and supervise children at all times. The manager ensures required ratios are maintained, particularly during periods of staff absence.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: gain a clear overview of how funding is being utilised to help children reach their full learning potential nembed the role of the SENCo and offer additional support to enable them to undertake their role fully.