Langwith Junction Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show high levels of enjoyment and engagement in their learning. They respond positively to staff's invitations to play and eagerly join in with the activities on offer. Younger children self-select books of their choice and safely toddle to a nearby member of staff so that they can share the story together. Staff use a range of tones in their voice to add excitement to their reading. They introduce children to new words, such as 'jellyfish'. When children start to name what they see on the pages, staff respond with praise and extend the language that children hear. For example, when a child names a crab, staff say, 'The crab has pincer claws.' Children are building their vocabulary from a young age.

Older children quickly follow staff's instruction to come together in a group for song time. They take it in turns to choose a prop that represents a song or nursery rhyme. Children quickly identify a favourite song about a bus. Staff ask children to vote on where the bus will go. Some children raise their hand for Chesterfield and others for Mansfield. Here, staff are teaching children about their local communities as well as introducing the skills of democracy. The children confidently count the votes and then sing about the bus reaching its destination.

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

• Leaders and managers have taken appropriate action to rectify the breach to requirements that was found at the last inspection. They have made sure staff fully understand their safeguarding responsibilities, including where to refer any concerns that they might have about children's safety. Staff confidently demonstrate this knowledge by explaining these procedures.
• Leaders and managers support staff to implement a curriculum that enables children to develop their skills and knowledge over time. Staff know what they want children to learn from the activities that they provide. They communicate effectively with colleagues across the nursery to make sure children have a chance to build on their learning. For example, younger children develop their hand pincer movement by squeezing sponges while they wash dinosaur toys. Older children refine this skill when they use tweezers to move pom-poms across a large tray. These activities help children to develop the skills that they will later use for writing.
• Staff promote children's individuality and help them to understand what makes themselves and their friends unique. They find out about children's cultural and religious heritage when they first start at the nursery. Staff recognise the special dates in children's lives, such as religious festivals, and learn about these with children by sharing traditions such as making sweets to mark the festival of Diwali. Parents say that staff work hard to provide a fully inclusive nursery community for them and their children.
• Leaders, managers and staff strive to support and build positive relationships with parents and members of the wider community. They acknowledge the positive impact that this has on children's lives. Staff provide a food larder and a clothes-swap scheme for families to access when they need or want. They organise workshops where parents learn how they can support their children's development at home. Staff fundraise with children for local and national charities. This helps children understand the importance of caring for others.
• Staff give children clear direction to help shape their positive behaviours and keep them safe. They use children's names to capture their attention and give explanations that help children to understand what they should do and why. For example, staff ask children to sweep sand from the floor and pick up blocks so they do not slip, trip or fall.
• Leaders and managers have systems in place to identify staff's training needs. Less-experienced staff are allocated a mentor who offers them support and coaching. Leaders and managers arrange for staff to complete relevant training courses to improve their skills and develop their knowledge of childcare and development. However, the impact of this support, coaching and training is still to be seen in some instances. That said, all staff show a commitment to their professional development and want to do well in their roles.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to embed their learning from the training, coaching and mentoring that they receive in their daily practice.