Ladybird Nursery Beckenham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and parents are greeted warmly by the friendly and professional staff. Children arrive happy, and settle quickly into the routines of the nursery. Staff provide a stimulating and inviting learning environment, indoors and outdoors. Children select from a range of interesting and age-appropriate resources. They are confident in choosing the direction of their play. Staff provide fun and exciting activities to capture children's attention. All children make good progress from their starting points.

Children are supported well to manage their feelings. Staff give clear instructions, and children know what is expected from them. Staff consistently praise children for their efforts, achievements and positive behaviours. As a result, children's behaviour is good. All children enjoy regular access to the nursery's outside area, where they have fun exploring a range of activities to practise their physical skills.

All children develop secure and trusting bonds with their key person and all staff. Babies and toddlers are relaxed and smile when they see familiar staff. They look to staff for reassurance and cuddles, which they receive in abundance. Children seek staff out to show their accomplishments and share their ideas. Children are confident and well supported to develop their independence skills in preparation for the next stage in their learning.

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

• The manager and staff have organised an ambitious curriculum, whereby children make good progress, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff swiftly identify any gaps in children's learning, and plan activities to help to close them. They work closely with outside agencies to ensure support is accessed quickly. This demonstrates their knowledge of the curriculum and children's next steps.
• Staff support children to develop their curiosity and be motivated to learn. Younger children enjoy dressing up and being imaginative by playing doctors and helping dolls feel better with some medicine. Older children eagerly demonstrate how to be dinosaurs as they play a game of chase. However, staff do not always join in children's play effectively to build on children's learning.
• Staff create a calm and relaxing space for babies and toddlers to explore and engage with sensory resources. Children become involved using malleable resources, rolling and cutting the play dough and displaying good small-muscle movements. Staff build on babies' and toddlers' communication skills, introducing new words while they play.
• Staff act as excellent role models to the children. They listen when children talk, and value what they say. Older children confidently hold conversations with staff and describe past events. Staff use effective questioning when communicating with children to extend conversations. Children become confident talkers.
• The manager and staff have focused on children's physical development. Younger children eagerly dance to music and confidently use climbing equipment. Older children enjoy regular yoga sessions and practise using the pedals to move the bicycle around the garden. Staff support older children to improve their fine motor-skills, adding elastic bands to templates to develop their pencil control to support their early writing skills.
• Children are supported well to develop a love of books. Staff provide cosy and inviting reading areas where children handle books with care. Children are encouraged to share books they read at home with their friends, developing their confidence to speak in a group.
• Children have opportunities to learn about the local community. The nursery regularly collected donations for the local church food bank to support families within the community during the pandemic. This supports children's wider understanding of helping others.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals are good. Parents talk about how staff provide them with regular information about their child that helps them support learning at home. This helps them to understand their child's day as they are no longer allowed into the nursery due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. They describe the nursery as 'brilliant' and the staff as 'professional'.
• The manager values everyone's contribution to the nursery and places strong emphasis on staff's well-being. All staff, parents and children are involved in reflecting on the nursery and planning improvements.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff should be encouraged to join in children's play to ensure children's learning is enhanced even further.