Ditton Lodge Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported exceptionally well by staff. They develop friendships swiftly and work extremely well together. Children happily rise to the high expectations staff have for them, particularly regarding showing care and respect towards one another. For example, using large sand timers, they take responsibility for taking turns fairly. Children show great consideration to others, inviting them to join in their games, such as racing flat scooters down the playground incline. They learn to manage risk well, ensuring, for instance, that others are not in the path of the scooters.

Children benefit greatly from staff's highly positive, nurturing and encouraging involvement in their play. This results in children displaying exemplary behaviour. Children's thinking and problem-solving skills are developing exceptionally well. Staff plan activities around children's interests and encourage them to explore and experiment. Children fill containers using different sized funnels. They think critically when a container has a narrow neck, working out that a smaller funnel will do the job better. As they play, children use mathematical language to describe what they are doing. Staff provide a rich breadth of vocabulary for children, whose language develops rapidly. Children show excellent conversational skills as they speak and listen politely.

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

• The inspirational management team is extremely supportive and provides very effective leadership for staff. As a result, staff feel valued and work diligently to ensure that the nursery provides an outstanding environment where children flourish.
• Children enjoy a broad curriculum that ensures they embed skills across all areas of learning. They thoroughly enjoy planting and growing vegetables, such as carrots and beetroot. Children enjoy taking part in forest school activities, where they can climb trees and use natural resources to extend their imaginary games.
• Staff know how to support children to be confident to explore new experiences. For example, children discuss and extend their understanding about how best to help a honeybee they discover struggling on the ground.
• Children have a highly positive attitude to their learning. They concentrate exceptionally well during their chosen activities. Staff provide children with a high-quality range of resources and well-planned extended activities. They are enthusiastic and motivate children to keep trying and persevere when they come across challenges. Children dig in the sandpit and use a range of equipment to transport sand around.
• Staff are highly successful in helping children to learn about their feelings and well-being. Children take part in small-group activity. They talk about caring for themselves and each other. This helps to foster very positive relationships between children and staff.
• Staff know the children very well. They successfully adapt activities and tailor individual support to meet the needs of each child. The curriculum is securely rooted, and staff skilfully interact with children to help them build on their learning and further challenge their development. Staff encourage children to recall previous experiences, which helps them to remember and consolidate their learning.
• Parents speak very highly of the nursery. They comment on the excellent progress their children make and their confidence and independence. Parents of children who speak English as an additional language, and those whose children have SEND, value how staff give them detailed information about how they support and meet their child's specific needs.
• Staff's ongoing professional development is consistently nurtured. Staff take part in regular training sessions and team meetings. They have individual supervision meetings where they reflect on their work and identify targets for continuous improvement. This contributes to their exceptional understanding of the nursery curriculum.
• The commitment to staff development has a highly positive impact on children's learning. Staff widen children's experiences and recognise that all children have different ways they prefer to learn. They ensure that daily learning takes place inside and outside. This helps to provide optimum learning environments for all children, including those who prefer being outside.