Kids Planet Shepherd Lodge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited to learn in this nursery's warm and inspiring environment. Staff warmly greet children at the start of the day as they enter the rooms. Staff place a high priority on getting to know each family exceptionally well. The close partnership between nursery and home is highly valued by parents and carers. Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. They share expectations and boundaries clearly so that children understand them and can follow them. This supports children's confidence and self-esteem well.

Managers and staff implement the well-thought-out curriculum with passion and excitement. They thread the curriculum intent throughout the nursery. Children benefit from well-planned activities that build upon what they already know and can do. Staff plan a range of activities that help children to think about the world. For example, children learn about new countries and their cultures through foods, flags and songs. Staff have an excellent understanding of the needs of young children and are passionate about their roles in nurturing and teaching them. Children are well supported in their learning and make good progress from their starting points.

The exceptionally well-designed garden areas promote children's curiosity and understanding of the world around them. For instance, children access a range of textures such as shaving foam, water and pipettes. Staff provide opportunities for children to plant, nurture and harvest fruits and vegetables in the nursery's allotment. Babies also have access to planters where staff support children to dig and explore. This helps to support children's imagination and creativity.

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

• Children engage in superbly organised physical activities. For example, the employed sports coaches focus on supporting children to engage in daily exercise, such as dinosaur-themed football and yoga. They provide opportunities for children to learn new skills, such as cooperation and teamwork, while developing hand-eye coordination. This supports children in developing their understanding of healthy lifestyles.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength of the nursery. Staff ensure that parents are kept informed about every aspect of their children's care and education. They share information verbally and through an online app. Staff provide parents with advice on how to support their children's progress at home and offer the loan of a wealth of resources. These include home learning bags and leaflets on toilet training and 'dropping the dummy'. This helps to provide a consistent approach to children's learning and development.
• Staff work closely with children and parents who speak English as an additional language. Parents are made aware of bilingual staff members, who support children and families by speaking in their home languages, while other staff learn key words and phrases. This helps children to settle quickly.
• From the baby room upwards, children choose to look at books and listen to stories read by staff. Older children join in with songs and rhymes, following familiar actions. Staff make books and singing integral parts of the children's day. Overall, staff promote children's communication and language skills well. However, occasionally, they do not allow sufficient time for children to respond to their questions or practise using new words to extend their communication and expand their vocabulary.
• The well-established staff team feels well supported and valued by the management. The nursery manager provides staff with termly supervision sessions and regularly checks on their well-being. Managers place a strong focus on upskilling and developing the staff team. Staff access training linked to their development needs and areas of interest. As a result, staff are happy and highly motivated.
• Children's behaviour in the nursery is very good. Children know and understand what is expected of them and respond to the gentle reminders from staff. Children sit beautifully at mealtimes. Babies are encouraged to hold utensils to develop their self-feeding skills, and older children are well supported to use appropriate utensils to eat the healthy food on offer. Staff provide positive interactions and model respect, so children develop a positive understanding of themselves and their peers.
• Staff identify children's next stages of development effectively and act quickly on any concerns about their development. Staff design individual programmes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with staff to accurately measure children's progress and make well-informed referrals for specialist support. This means that children receive coordinated help that prepares them well for their future education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to provide increased opportunities for children to respond to questions and practise speaking new words to further expand their vocabulary.