KidsLab Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happily engaged in activities in this caring nursery. They have warm, secure relationships with staff who take time to help children to settle well. Staff greet them warmly when they arrive. They use lots of eye contact and calm and soft tones. Children feel valued. Staff have high expectations of children.

The curriculum is securely based on areas of learning. Children learn about the wider world effectively. For instance, staff teach children about the life cycle of a butterfly. They plant daffodil bulbs with children to teach them how things grow. During this activity, children learn to share and to take turns. For example, they take turns to fill their pots when planting bulbs in soil. Children behave safely. They use the stairs with care and caution. Children handle tools, such as scissors, with care and caution. Staff teach children about road safety. Children act with care when crossing the road with adults. Children develop good creative skills. They explore different textures, such as of pasta and rice, which they use with toy animals to create imaginary farm scenes. Children use pencils and crayons of different colours to draw pictures. All children develop effective skills in preparation for school.

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

• Children have good early mathematical skills. Staff teach children to count, for example as they sing number songs and rhymes. As children play in the home corner, staff teach children that some foods are circle shaped and point out other shapes in the environment.
• Staff help children to gain literacy skills. For instance, they read stories to children, often in dual languages, to support children who speak English as an additional language. They teach children new words, for instance by singing action songs and rhymes.
• Children learn about difference. For example, staff make clay lanterns with children to celebrate Diwali. They talk about and celebrate other special religious and cultural events, such as Chinese New Year.
• Children learn to do things for themselves. Children aged as young as two to three years help to prepare their own snacks. For instance, they chop pineapples and pour their own drinks. All children learn how to put on their coats and shoes.
• Children behave well. Staff share group rules with children and explain why some behaviour is not acceptable. They use praise to encourage children to act in positive ways.
• Children gain good physical skills. Children learn to balance on wheeled toys; they climb up ladders and go down slides. Staff play simple ball games with children to develop their physical coordination skills. In addition, there is a regular music and movement session which supports children's physical development further.
• The manager provides good support to staff. She ensures that staff have time away from the children to plan activities and organises regular team-building days. The manager meets with staff regularly to discuss work and provide support where needed.
• The manager is committed to the development of the skills and knowledge of her staff team. She ensures that staff attend relevant training courses, for instance on developing children's mathematical skills. This leads to improvements in this area.
• Staff question children effectively. However, at times, some staff do not consistently give children time to think and respond to questions. The manager evaluates the nursery and has good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Overall, she is clear about specific areas that she plans to improve. For instance, the manager sets a goal to develop children's communication, language and literacy skills further.
• Staff have good partnerships with parents. They work well with parents to support children's development. For instance, parents borrow books from the nursery to read at home to their children. This supports children's language and literacy skills. Staff give parents regular updates on children's progress.
• The manager ensures that meals and snacks provided to children are healthy, nutritious and meet special dietary needs. However, staff do not help children to gain understanding of the value of eating well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children more time to think and respond to questions to develop their thinking skills further
• extend children's understanding of how healthy eating habits contribute to their overall health.