Fleur de Lys Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are encouraged to complete tasks on their own. For example, younger children use jugs to pour their drinks. Older children cut cucumbers and peppers into slices for their peers and help staff to wash their plates after lunchtime. Children show that they learn the importance of following good hygiene practices to promote their good health. Older children tell visitors that they wash their hands prior to having lunch to get rid of germs because the germs will make them sick.

Children are supported to understand how to behave positively. For example, when younger children struggle to manage their behaviour when they play a game, staff help them to understand when it is their turn. This results in children asking staff, 'Is it my turn?' Children are supported by staff to investigate how to use toys in their play. For example, staff show very young children how to roll and throw soft balls. Children copy staff and use both hands to throw a soft ball into the air, showing good hand-eye coordination. Older children learn about the Christmas nativity story. For example, staff take them to a school to watch a nativity performance. Staff offer children small toy figures that enable them to recreate the story. Children show that they remember the story, telling staff that the angel spoke to 'baby Jesus's mummy, Mary'.

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

• The management team and staff have made improvements to the nursery since the last inspection. These include embedding staff's understanding of how to support children to understand what is expected of them with regards to their behaviour. For example, older children show that they understand the rules and boundaries in place. They tell visitors that they need to use their 'walking feet' indoors or else they might fall and hurt themselves.
• Staff are supported to reflect on their practice. For example, they attend supervision meetings, where they have opportunities to discuss their key children, discuss any changes to improve how they interact with children and build on their professional development. Staff attend training courses to help develop their knowledge of how to provide resources to promote older children's imagination. For example, they offer children different materials to use in their play. Children use these resources to create dens and make a veil when they pretend to get married.
• Staff offer children a nutritious range of snacks and meals to promote a healthy diet. They support children to understand how they can keep their bodies healthy. Children recognise that sweet foods are not good for their teeth. They share with staff that they need to brush their teeth at nighttime and in the morning.
• Staff plan activities that enable children to follow their interests and widen their experiences. For example, when children copy their peers to say the phrase 'pickle juice', staff provide them with pickled onions to smell and try. Children taste these and tell staff they are 'disgusting'. This helps children to understand what the phrase means.
• Overall, staff implement the curriculum to support children's independence and communication skills well. For example, children choose nursery rhymes to sing, and staff read stories to children. However, sometimes, not all staff are supported to consistently implement the curriculum with very young children. For example, they do not encourage children to select their nappies. Furthermore, not all staff communicate fully with children when they change their nappies. This would help promote children's early speaking skills.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. Individual targets are identified for children, and staff implement these to meet children's needs. These include children using gestures and sign language to communicate their needs and wishes.
• Additional funding that some children receive is used to promote their learning effectively. For example, the management team purchases sensory toys that help children to remain calm and focused when the noise level in the playroom increases, promoting their emotional well-being.
• Staff share information with parents about activities children enjoy and about children's daily care routines. They give parents regular written reports showing how children are progressing in their learning. However, staff do not offer all parents ideas and suggestions about how they can continue to support their children's individual learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to fully implement the curriculum for very young children more effectively
• offer all parents ideas and suggestions about how they can continue to support their children's individual learning at home.