Linden House Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children clearly enjoy the time they spend at nursery. They are confident, independent and motivated learners, who behave well.

They listen carefully and follow instructions well. Young children enjoy the responsibility of helping as they assist staff to set the table for lunch. Staff celebrate their efforts and offer continuous praise and encouragement.

Children are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas and to make choices throughout the day. This helps to raise children's self-esteem and sense of belonging.Children develop warm and trusting relationships with the staff who look after them.

Attachments... in the baby room are particularly strong. This is because staff offer flexible settling-in sessions and take time to gather detailed information about children's likes, dislikes, routines and their existing skills.Staff recognise the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have focused their recent teaching on nurturing children's confidence and ability to interact with others. As a result, children settle quickly. They are confident and secure and show high levels of emotional well-being and resilience.

Furthermore, children show kindness and concern for their friends and an awareness of others. They are becoming confident communicators, who are able to express their needs.

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

Leaders demonstrate ambition and commitment to providing high-quality care and education for children.

They have worked tirelessly to create a warm and welcoming environment for children that encourages them to explore and investigate freely. For example, children are taught how to identify potential risks as they play. As older children climb trees in the forest school area, they understand that they can only step onto branches that are thicker than their arm.

Furthermore, children learn to cook meals on the campfire. These opportunities help children to develop skills needed for the future.Overall, staff support children's emerging language skills well.

Staff working with older children ask thought-provoking questions and continually encourage children to express their ideas and to talk about what they are doing. Toddlers talk about the colours that they can see as they make firework pictures with paint and brushes. However, some staff do not consistently support younger children to develop their growing vocabulary.

This is because they do not always model the correct pronunciation of words.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who receive additional funding make good progress in their learning. Strong professional partnerships and good information sharing with other agencies helps to secure any additional support needed to enable children to reach their full potential.

Children have good opportunities to engage in energetic play. They enjoy weekly sport sessions that enable them to develop skills, such as throwing, catching, kicking and balancing. Furthermore, young children skilfully navigate the space available as they operate wheeled toys and play running games.

However, occasionally, some staff do not always effectively engage with children when playing outside. This means that children do not consistently experience the high levels of interaction with adults that they do when indoors.Staff provide engaging activities for children to practise their mark making and develop their early writing skills.

For example, young children thoroughly enjoy making marks in glitter. They 'squish' and 'squeeze' dough which supports children to develop the muscles in their hands. Children concentrate intently as they are supported to use scissors.

Staff offer gentle guidance as children persevere in this challenging task. This helps children to develop a positive, can-do attitude, when trying new things.Staff are dedicated and passionate practitioners.

Leaders support staff's professional development well. For example, they complete regular observations of their practice and hold meetings with them to identify their strengths and any training needs. Staff describe how they feel supported in their role.

They welcome the training opportunities that are provided for them and recognise the importance of engaging in reflective practice to help them to develop their knowledge and skills further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff understand their responsibility in protecting children from harm.

They describe the possible signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk. They have an understanding of wider safeguarding issues and how to report any concerns. This includes the action they would take if they had concerns about a colleague's conduct.

Robust recruitment arrangements, detailed induction and ongoing support from the manager ensures that staff remain alert to their responsibility to keep children safe from harm. Staff complete comprehensive risk assessments of all areas, including the forest school, which promotes children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to understand how to further extend children's growing vocabulary and communication skills nensure staff consistently engage with children, particularly when playing outside, so that children can benefit from the same purposeful, high-quality interactions that they experience when playing inside.