Lavender Farm Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are genuinely warm and affectionate in nature at this nursery. Children are greeted with friendly smiles. Staff create a calm environment for children, which helps them to feel settled and happy. They stay close to children who are new to the nursery and provide extra emotional comfort to those children. This means strong attachments are formed with children from the earliest opportunity.

The curriculum throughout the nursery is ambitious and well-sequenced. Children have opportunities to build on their existing skills and extend their abilities in different areas of learning. Staff are skilled at implementing the curriculum, planning suitable activities that allow children to practise the skills they need to develop further. The learning opportunities provided are exciting and interesting. This helps to maintain children's attention and develop their concentration.

Children's behaviour is excellent. They follow routines confidently and show respect to others. They are often seen using manners without prompting when interacting with other children and adults. Staff gently remind children of what is expected of them. Children develop strong bonds with others and learn how to build friendships with their peers.

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

• Enhancing children's communication and language development is a key strength within the nursery. Leaders and staff implement a range of communication programmes that help support children to make the best possible progress in this area of learning. Staff have a thorough understanding of how children learn and adapt their teaching to suit the ages of children they work with. There are occasions, however, when the organisation of activities and routines are not planned effectively. This sometimes means that children's learning experiences are not as broad as they could be.
• Children make good progress in their physical development. Leaders and staff identify that children require strength in their large muscle movements to be able to develop more intricate movements involved in holding pencils for writing. Plans to enhance the outdoor learning space take into consideration what staff and leaders know about children and the importance of supporting their physical skills. This helps children to be healthy and active.
• Children follow well-established routines confidently. This means there are times when older children use the toilet independently. However, due to the deployment of staff not always being effective, staff sometimes do not notice when children use the toilet. They are not then able to support children with intimate care tasks or remind them to follow hygiene practices, such as washing their hands.
• Staff support children's early literacy skills. Children learn different sounds and make links between letter names and the sound of the letter. Children enjoy taking part in these activities, and show increasing confidence as they identify the correct letter sounds. Staff help children to recognise words that begin with the same letter as their name. This helps children to make vital connections that will later help them begin to read.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff identify any delays in children's development quickly and act swiftly to help them to get the support they need. They work closely with parents and other professionals to coordinate support plans. As a result, children make good progress in their development.
• Leaders are passionate and dedicated. They spend time in playrooms with staff and children. They model practice to staff and accurately identify where improvements can be made across the nursery. Leaders meet with staff regularly and provide opportunities for them to attend training courses. This helps staff to improve their own knowledge and skills. Staff comment that they feel supported by leaders, in both a professional and personal capacity. Consequently, children attend a nursery that has a calm and happy environment.
• Parents comment highly about the nursery. They feel listened to as parents and highlight the support they are given as a whole family unit. Families of children with SEND or health conditions are reassured by the attentiveness of staff and the implementation of care plans for children. Leaders and staff are committed to developing and maintaining strong partnerships with parents. They carry out home visits to children before they start at the nursery. This ensures effective relationships are formed at the earliest point.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of activities and routines to further improve experiences for children
• strengthen the deployment of staff to ensure that children's needs are always met.