Botanic Lodge Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, well cared for and safe in this warm and welcoming nursery. They are supported by an enthusiastic and deeply dedicated staff team. All children make good progress from their starting points in development. Children are inquisitive and eager to join in with the activities and experiences that staff offer. They settle quickly and have strong bonds with their key persons. Children enjoy high-quality interactions with staff and other children. As a result, they make rapid progress in developing their communication and language skills and in their social and emotional development.

Staff set clear expectations for children's behaviour and routines. They plan many opportunities in the curriculum for children to develop their physical skills. For example, staff provide babies with soft-play equipment to enable them to pull themselves up. Staff make accurate use of assessments to identify and act on any gaps in children's learning or specific needs quickly. All children receive good support.

Staff and children are kind, patient and considerate of each other. There is a high level of mutual respect and understanding for cultures and traditions from different countries. With guidance from the nurturing staff, children begin to understand their feelings and emotions and develop resilience. Staff prepare children for the next steps in their development and eventual move on to school. Parents and carers state that they feel valued and part of their children's learning journey.

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

• Staff complete accurate assessments of children's progress and identify their next steps in learning linked to their interests. They support children to make connections in their thinking. For example, as children are interested in the natural world, staff encourage them to talk about the creatures they find in the garden, such as caterpillars, frogs and ladybirds. Children are keen to know where caterpillars live, and ask questions about how a caterpillar moves and what they eat. Staff link this to the book they are reading. This helps children to have age-appropriate opportunities to make connections in their learning.
• Staff plan many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For example, they give babies freedom to move and explore a small obstacle course. Toddlers outside use large and small brushes to paint pictures and wash walls. Staff plan a variety of ball games and seasonal walks in the local park. Staff provide these activities to develop children's small- and large-muscle strength and their understanding of the benefits of exercise.
• Staff talk to children about numbers and sing number rhymes. They take opportunities to support children to count and recognise colours throughout their daily routines and planned activities. However, they do not consistently promote children's understanding of other mathematical concepts, such as time, weight and quantity. For instance, while children are playing in the mud kitchen or sand area, staff do not help children to understand how time can be measured or explore how different weights can be compared.
• The setting is calm and inclusive. Children are kind, polite and friendly. They take turns and follow instructions. Staff put plans in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which they share with parents and, if appropriate, access multi-agency support. They make effective adaptations to the curriculum and environment for children with SEND. For instance, staff use the setting's sensory room to provide a safe place for children to practise their coping skills and emotional regulation strategies.
• Staff provide children with a range of meaningful activities to extend their wider development. Children find out about different festivals and cultures of the world. For instance, they learn about Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year. Staff teach children key words in languages spoken by their friends and relatives who live in different continents. This helps children to begin to understand the diverse world and life in modern Britain.
• Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery. They continually evaluate their practice and make positive changes. For example, leaders quickly identify priorities for children's development and ongoing support for their speech and language. This has brought about a positive impact on children's learning. All staff, including long-term apprentices, have access to online learning platforms to enhance their professional development. However, leaders do not yet target coaching and training to staff's individual strengths and needs, to help them to raise the quality of education further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum for early mathematics to extend all children's thinking and knowledge in this area of learning, appropriate to their age and stage of development
• strengthen training and coaching for staff to target their individual development needs and help to raise the quality of education.