Laugh and Learn Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Overall, leaders and staff create an inclusive environment, where children's individuality is celebrated and valued. Staff gather key information about children and families as part of the settling-in process and quickly identify any barriers to children's learning that need to be considered.

Staff gather information about the different languages spoken at home. Staff ensure they use key words to be able to communicate and assist children in making their needs known. Staff also support children to develop confidence in their communication skills as they learn to speak English.

Leaders and staff ensure there is targeted support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Partnership working with parents and other professionals is well established and ensure clear plans are in place for children. Leaders and staff ensure these are regularly revisited and considered, helping to ensure any gaps in learning do not widen further.

Typically, funding is used well to ensure staff receive suitable training to be able to support children and meet their varying needs. Staff use a variety of approaches to support children in their learning and development and to aid communication. These include the use of visual aids to help children anticipate routines, what is happening next and to help children effectively communicate their needs and wants.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders understand what high-quality teaching and an ambitious curriculum looks like in practice. Some action has been taken to improve the curriculum and teaching, but this is still in the early stages and is not yet having an impact consistently across the setting. Staff are not always clear what they want the youngest children to learn and be able to do, or the order in which they will teach this. However, staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to learning, are more targeted in their approach. They demonstrate how they ensure children acquire the necessary skills.

Leaders arrange specific training for staff around teaching and learning but this is yet to have an impact consistently across the setting. The environment, particularly outside, is not always set up to actively support the youngest children's next steps in learning and to provide a curriculum that is ambitious.

Leaders have started to look at how they can make the indoor environment more conducive to learning. It is a large open space and the level of noise is a factor that needs to be considered to support children's communication and language skills. Leaders understand this and look at different ways in which they can address this. Areas where children can rest and relax are incorporated into the play environment. Staff in the pre-school manage the children's excitement well. When children all want to talk and share their ideas, staff remind them of the importance of taking it in turns to speak so that everyone can be heard. This helps to develop children's listening and attention skills and aid communication. They also remind them to be mindful of the younger children close by and not to speak too loudly.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children engage in creative activities. During a planned painting activity, young children mix different coloured paints together. However, their exploration of how colours change is not consistently supported through modelling and interaction. Children show little interest in response. Outside, younger children enjoy going on a 'bear hunt' and enjoy 'stomping' around. A woodlouse sparks their curiosity and they lay on the ground to watch it before putting it in a bowl of soil. However, staff do not build on such things that capture their interest to extend their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with barriers to learning, do, however, receive the necessary support to enable them to make positive progress from their starting points.

Babies roll balls down guttering and watch with anticipation as staff say, 'ready, steady, go' before watching it follow a route. Children in the pre-school regularly ask questions. They are curious and enjoy learning about the butterflies they have cared for since they were caterpillars. They discuss which fruit they should cut up for them, asking if butterflies would eat the peel of an orange. They talk with excitement about the life cycle of a butterfly, recalling what they have learned. They name the different parts of the butterfly, pointing to where the antennae and legs are, before asking if butterflies have ears.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff act as positive role models for the children and manage children's behaviour in a calm manner. They use explanations appropriate to children's age and stage of development. In the pre-school, staff talk to children about different situations and what they would do. Children understand that some behaviours are not kind and they learn about how their actions can impact others. They learn about responsibility as they take on different tasks during daily routines. They clear away and tidy up after meals. They work collaboratively and show care and concern for one another. For example, they offer support to their friends and demonstrate how to use the water dispenser when they see their friends having difficulty.

Typically, children have positive attitudes to learning. Children in the pre-school persist and concentrate well on tasks. They enjoy setting themselves different challenges. Outdoors, they set a goal to reach the end of a balance beam without falling off. They concentrate well and persevere until they successfully complete this task. Children in the pre-school are inquisitive and enjoy learning how things work. They regularly recall and share experiences of previous events or activities.

Leaders ensure that parents are aware of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality and follow up on any absences with parents.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

At times, routines are not effectively managed to fully support children's welfare and wellbeing. Staff do not regularly offer water to babies and do not fully consider the need to do so. Babies wait for long periods of time when getting ready to go out to play. They wait until everyone is ready and become increasingly unsettled during this time. On occasions, a lack of communication between staff results in them not being clear who is attending to which children's needs. For example, some staff place children in high chairs unaware that they have just woken from their sleep and these children then show a lack of interest in their food. Staff can be seen to wipe young children's noses from behind and this startles them as they do not anticipate such actions. Additionally, at times, communication between staff is not as effective as it could be. Staff do not always tell others when they are leaving the area to complete tasks and this can mean staff are not always effectively deployed to best support the children. However, their safety is not compromised.

All children spend time outdoors in the fresh air on a daily basis. They take part in a range of activities that enable them to build their stamina and to physically challenge themselves. In the main, meals are healthy and nutritious. However, consideration has not been given to the regular inclusion of dried fruit as a snack, which should only be provided as part of a meal in line with the current nutritional guidance.

Staff understand and follow safer sleep guidance and appropriate hygiene measures, when changing nappies. Staff support children in the pre-school room to become increasingly independent in their personal care. For example, staff encourage children to have a go at putting on their coats and shoes and offer support and encouragement. Staff help children to build these skills overtime, so that when they go to school they can manage their personal needs without needing support from an adult.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders do not yet have effective procedures in place to ensure the curriculum is ambitious for all children across the setting, with particular regard to the youngest children. Interactions are not consistently high quality across all age groups.

Since the last inspection, leaders have focused on the previously identified areas for improvement. They recognise there are still areas that need developing and have an accurate understanding of the strengths and what they want to improve going forward. Leaders support staff to attend training and all staff have recently attended safer eating training. Leaders follow up on this training and observe lunchtime practice. They intervene as necessary to offer gentle reminders to staff about where they should sit during mealtimes so they can clearly see all of the children. They refer staff back to the recent training and how to ensure they implement this in practice.

Policies and procedures include the required information and leaders work with other professionals to drive improvement. Leaders seek feedback from parents and staff about what they feel is working well and where improvements need to be made.

Leaders are mindful of staff wellbeing and develop initiatives to recognise and celebrate staff contributions and to acknowledge their hard work. This helps staff to feel valued and builds morale and team spirit.