The Lodge

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children have a positive attitude towards learning. For example, they enjoy digging in the soil, filling buckets and adding water while outside.

Children show excitement as they explore with their friends. Those who learn best outside are given numerous opportunities to follow their interests. For example, they independently select safe scissors to cut plants and flowers, which they proudly give to adults.

Staff plan and structure the day to enable children to spend a significant amount of time outdoors to explore, investigate and learn through play. Children access activities which are unique and spark their imaginati...on. They make fires in cauldrons, adding sticks, leaves and water to make 'witches' soup'.

Children are confident to follow their own interests.Staff support children to behave well. Children listen and respond to staff's instructions and follow the rules well.

They are familiar with the routines of the day and know what is expected, for instance when it is time to wash their hands on arrival. Staff sensitively encourage and support children to understand the importance of following appropriate personal hygiene routines. Children show their understanding of this when they remind each other to wash their hands before eating.

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

All children make good progress in their learning. Parents cannot currently come into the setting, as they would have done before COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. Instead, they have daily discussions at the gate when dropping off or collecting their children.

Parents say how much their children love attending the setting, and how well their children are progressing.Staff develop close bonds with children, which helps to support their emotional development and confidence. There are effective systems in place to ensure good continuity of care and learning, such as when a child's key person is absent.

Parents receive good information on their children's development and confirm that they receive daily feedback on their children's care and learning. However, staff are not always consistent in providing parents with information and advice as to how they can support children's learning and development at home.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and for disadvantaged children is a particular strength at this setting.

Children benefit from the calm a consistent environment and staff support their individual needs closely. All children enjoy the wide variety of experiences on offer and make good progress from their developmental starting points. Staff often meet with other professionals to share information and plan for children's learning.

Staff ensure the curriculum they provide meets children's individual needs. They ensure activities are planned to meet the current interests of the children.Staff have high expectations of children.

Overall, children make good progress. However, sometimes, staff do not extend or adapt the teaching and activities to take full consideration of the abilities of all of the children. In particular, at times they do not ensure that the most-able children are fully challenged.

Children gain a good understanding of healthy practices. Staff regularly remind them to wash their hands and ask them if they know why, to check their understanding. All children carefully cut fruit and vegetables for their snacks and discuss their likes and dislikes.

Staff understand the importance of promoting children's physical development. They provide opportunities outdoors for children to play and have introduced an obstacle course from planks and tyres. Children develop good physical skills as they learn to balance and negotiate the obstacle course independently.

Recruitment, induction and ongoing suitability processes are robust. Staff receive regular supervision and encouragement to continue their professional development. Leaders discuss manageable workloads with staff to ensure they do not feel under pressure.

Leaders and staff have recently introduced an ethos of being 'trauma-informed'. Leaders say they have seen a positive impact from this in the nursery. For example, they have developed a 'calm down area' where children can spend time to relax when they may be feeing upset or anxious.

Children enjoy playing in a safe and secure environment. The premises are checked daily to ensure resources and equipment are safe for children to use. Staff support children effectively to understand risk.

For instance, children know that they must wait to use the climbing frame, if there are already children using it.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are aware of safeguarding issues which might affect children in their care.

They attend regular training and understand the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk of harm or abuse. Staff know the dangers posed to children from extreme views and behaviours and how to report their concerns. They have a clear understanding of what to do if an allegation is made against a member of staff or they have concerns about a colleague's conduct.

Staff keep appropriate records and contact relevant professionals when required. Risk assessments help to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build further on the established systems for sharing information with parents to help them become more actively involved in their children's learning at home nadapt and extend teaching and activities to consistently take into account the abilities of all children and ensure they are offered sufficient challenge.