Love Being Little Day Nursery and Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The manager has a secure knowledge and understanding of what she wants children to learn and has high aspirations for them. The manager and staff know children well. They use their observations and assessments alongside children's interests to provide a wide variety of stimulating activities across the curriculum, indoors and outdoors.

The new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has been proactive to put in place support plans for those children with development delays to help close gaps. She liaises with staff and parents to monitor children's progress and makes referrals to other professionals as needed. As a result..., all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress in their learning.

Staff are enthusiastic, caring and approachable. The settling-in process supports children's emotional well-being effectively. Children are happy and show that they feel safe and secure, such as when babies snuggle up to staff to have their bottles.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning and become confident communicators. For example, they chat to adults excitedly about the 'herb soup' they have made with water, herbs and pieces of dried spaghetti. They ask adults to smell and 'taste' the soup, offering it to them on a ladle.

Children laugh when they realise the ladle is 'too big' for a mouth and say they need to find a 'tiny spoon' instead.Staff are good role models and are consistent in giving children gentle reminders about the behaviour expectations. Consequently, children behave well throughout the nursery.

Toddlers and pre-school children show respect for the feelings of others, play cooperatively together and talk eagerly to adults about their friends.

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

The senior leadership team and the manager are committed to providing a high-quality provision. The manager has introduced positive changes in the nursery since returning from maternity leave.

She follows robust recruitment processes to help ensure staff suitability to work with children. She meets with staff regularly to check their well-being and has started to observe staff practice to identify further areas for improvement that will benefit children.Staff understand the importance of sequencing children's learning in small steps to help them achieve, such as supporting babies from the crawling to walking stage.

Children show good coordination skills. They scoot around confidently using push-along bicycles and enjoy playing basketball with their friends. They enjoy mark-making activities in readiness for writing.

For instance, babies eagerly explore paints with their hands and older children concentrate as they use pencils to draw around wooden shapes. Staff weave mathematical language into play, such as challenging babies successfully to find the red ball next to the chair. Older children enjoy playing 'What's the time Mr Wolf?', and staff encourage bilingual children to use their home languages, for instance, when counting resources.

Staff help children to develop their independence and self-care skills. Toddlers and pre-school children pour water unaided from jugs into cups, serve themselves lunch and clear away their plates. Older children take off their coats and know to hang them on their peg, recognising their written name.

Staff work with parents to toilet-train children in readiness for school.Staff provide a language-rich learning environment for toddlers and pre-school children. They constantly engage children in meaningful conversations, for instance as they talk to toddlers about their experience in a car wash.

Staff successfully extend language and learning, working with toddlers to build a car wash on the 'construction site' using toy house bricks. Staff introduce new vocabulary to babies, such as when they complete simple lift-out puzzles and play with plastic food in the toy kitchen. However, at times, staff leave babies who are settled with dummies in their mouths, which hinders their language development.

Staff do not always make the most of opportunities to engage in high-quality interactions with babies to build on their developing communication and language skills.Overall, most pre-school children and toddlers enjoy group song, music and story times. They contribute their ideas to stories about what might happen next, join in with songs and play musical instruments enthusiastically.

At times, however, some toddlers become disengaged and lose interest. The manager recognises that this is because some stories are too complicated for them, or large group activities go on for too long.Parents state that their children enjoy going to the nursery.

Parents report that the quality of the provision has improved since the manager returned from maternity leave. They speak positively about the online application which provides them with information about children's care and learning. Parents appreciate being welcomed into the nursery for 'stay and play' sessions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection issues. They work effectively with other agencies to safeguard children.

Staff are confident in the correct procedures to follow if they are worried about a colleague's practice or have concerns about children. For example, staff in the baby room know to make referrals for all injuries on non-mobile babies. Staff risk assess the learning environments to ensure they are safe for children to play.

Staff maintain good hygiene procedures to promote children's good health. They supervise children effectively to promote their safety and well-being, including during outdoor play, at mealtimes and when children sleep.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nextend staff's skills and confidence in the baby room to promote babies' communication and language development as well as possible review the organisation of large group story, singing and music times for toddlers, to increase their enjoyment and engagement.