Ladybird Preschool Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment for children. They enter the pre-school and settle quickly. Children build strong attachments to key staff and feel happy and safe in their care. For example, when the train goes past, they excitedly run to staff and shout 'train' as they watch it pass together. Staff operate a free-flow system for children to access the outdoors, where they enjoy getting messy. They mix soil and water together in the mud kitchen and tip, pour and transport it into different-size containers. This helps children to explore mathematical concepts, such as weight, capacity and volume.

Staff provide a wide range of resources for children to freely choose from. Children enjoy being creative and paint with a range of colours. Staff praise children for their efforts and talk about their picture. Children use a wide range of vocabulary and tell staff that their artwork is 'abstract'.

Overall, children behave well and are learning to take turns. For example, staff help them to wait for their turn to jump in the muddy puddle. This helps children to develop social skills, such as respect and patience.

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

• Staff provide children with opportunities to develop their physical skills. They thoroughly enjoy playing running races together and practise using scissors. This helps children to build the strength in their muscles that is necessary for the development of their fine and large motor skills.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Staff work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure that children receive the support they require. Their individual plans and interactions are tailored to meet the needs of the children. For example, staff differentiate their teaching when talking to children with speech and language delay. This helps to ensure that communication is pitched at the right level for their stage of development.
• Staff encourage children to be independent learners. Children use a variety of utensils to cut fruit and vegetables in preparation for mealtimes. They serve themselves and share snack with their friends. They pour their own drinks and zip up their own coats. Consequently, children develop a sense of achievement and confidence in their abilities.
• Children have a good understanding of the world around them and benefit from outings in the community. For instance, staff take children to the nearby church for the celebration of harvest festival and nativity performances. Children also enjoy visits from some of the local police officers. They talk to children about the important job they do and how they help to keep us safe.
• Staff establish positive relationships with parents. Parents talk highly of the pre-school and comment on the progress that their children are making. Staff gather detailed information from parents when children join the setting. This helps them to identify clear starting points for children's learning. Staff share information about children's progress through regular discussions and an online platform. However, a two-way flow of information to help parents continue children's learning at home is not yet fully embedded.
• In general, staff support children to develop their communication skills well. They sing songs and read stories together. Staff introduce children to a wide range of vocabulary and new information. For example, they talk to them about special festivals and events, such as Chinese New Year. However, children who speak English as an additional language do not always have opportunities to hear and use their home language in play and learning. This does not fully support their overall language development.
• Staff provide a broad and balanced curriculum and have a good understanding of what they want children to learn. They plan exciting activities that children are eager to take part in. However, occasionally, staff do not successfully carry out what they have intended for children to learn next. As a result, children do not always learn as much as they possibly could.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the communication and support for parents to continue their child's learning at home
• ensure that staff develop an understanding of how to support language development for children who speak English as an additional language
• support staff to develop the implementation of planned activities to reflect the identified learning intention for the children taking part.