Beis Chinuch Lebonos Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this welcoming nursery. Relationships with staff are good. Staff understand and meet the needs of all children. They work closely with parents to gather information to enable them to offer continuity of care from home. This helps to ensure parents leave their children knowing they are safe and well cared for. The key-person system is effective, and all children create strong bonds with their key person, which enables them to feel safe and secure.

Babies enjoy interactions with staff and beam with excitement. They receive cuddles and encouragement as they develop their confidence to crawl, move and explore their safe environment. Older children demonstrate kindness to others and develop an understanding of the importance of sharing. For example, in the book area, they choose books on their own and look through them together, developing early foundations of working together and expectations that books have purpose and meaning.

Staff offer praise and encouragement during activities, which promotes children's good behaviour and confidence. Toddlers are curious about new people and are keen to involve them in their play, confidently smiling and offering toys. Older children display positive attitudes towards their learning. For instance, they explore textures such as dry lentils in play, and extend this into their imaginary play in feeding themselves and their dolls.

Staff follow respectful care practices so that children feel valued. Children develop a good understanding of modern British values regarding democracy and mutual respect.

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

• Staff support children's developing communication and language skills well. For example, they engage children well through singing songs in their home languages, and then concepts and key vocabulary are reinforced in English. For example during circle time, children hear and connect words linked to numbers and days of the week. Some parents comment on how pleased they are that their children are counting in two and sometimes three languages.
• The staff work together effectively to provide good levels of care for the children. The provider is aware of staff's strengths and aspects of their professionalism that can be developed further. However, not all staff are made aware of the precise knowledge and skills they need to develop their practice further.
• Staff in the nursery promote children's good health. For example, they help children to learn about the importance of washing their hands before they eat and of making healthy choices for meals and snacks.
• The nursery provides an excellent opportunity for breastfeeding mothers to return to the nursery during the day to feed and soothe their babies. This creates great opportunities for the staff, parents and children to further develop and strengthen their bonds.
• Staff regularly assess children's development and consider any gaps in learning and development. They implement plans for children who need additional support. Staff actively seek advice from other professionals and work closely with parents to support and implement strategies at the nursery. This helps children to make progress.
• Although most teaching is effective, some staff do not consistently plan for children to independently use their own ideas to express themselves and develop their own way of doing things.
• Staff support children's mathematics skills well. Younger children are introduced to shapes, numbers and counting through songs. Older children count and recognise a range of patterns in the environment. They develop an understanding of measurement and size concepts, such as 'small' and 'big'.
• Managers have a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for development. Secure recruitment procedures are in place. Managers complete regular supervision sessions and use these to identify staff training and development. Staff comment that, overall, they are well supported by the management team.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff know the children and families well. Staff collaborate closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning, both in the nursery and at home. Parents say they receive regular feedback on their child's progress and development. This creates a trusting relationship between parents and staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the monitoring of staff performance further to help identify precisely how staff can raise their good practice
• place a strong emphasis on supporting children to make their own choices and express their own independent thoughts.