Lavender Lane Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This highly inclusive nursery helps all children to flourish. The passionate and dedicated team creates a nurturing environment where every child feels valued. Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding each child's unique abilities and challenges. This enables all children to make good progress across all areas of development. Leaders adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those learning English as an additional language. They use additional funding strategically to create a sense of belonging. For example, they purchase uniforms and organise exciting outings for all the children to take part in. Funding is also used to support children's learning, with leaders allocating it for training and resources that have been recommended by professionals. This personalised approach ensures that all children receive targeted support, allowing them to thrive within an inclusive setting.

Children are happy and take joy in their learning. For example, they exclaim that making play dough is 'so satisfying'. Staff use the environment well to help children create their own challenges. Children use tubes to tie blocks together to create their own Christmas tree. They place pallets on tyres and balance as they walk across them. Staff encourage children to persevere, and children develop a 'can-do' attitude as a result.

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

• Leaders work with parents to identify which experiences would benefit children the most. They then design the curriculum to help children build skills step by step. For example, children first touch and smell new foods before trying to taste them, making new experiences less scary. This gradual approach helps children feel confident and ready to try new things.
• Children learn new words rapidly. During an activity to explore different environments and animals around the world, staff introduce vocabulary such as 'glacier' and 'prey', which children then use. However, some group activities are not organised effectively. As a result, quieter or less-confident children do not always have equal opportunities to contribute. This limits their engagement and the full impact of the learning experiences.
• Staff actively foster children's independence through everyday routines and responsibilities. Children chop their own fruit and vegetables for snack time. Children beam with pride when they put on their own boots, with gentle support from staff. Staff work closely with families to conquer potty training, even when parents are uncertain. This aspirational, supportive approach empowers children, including those with SEND, to achieve self-care skills and become equipped for the next stage of learning.
• Children's physical development is supported through varied, purposeful play. For example, children enjoy digging in the sand, rolling vehicles down ramps and climbing trees. They paint with rollers, reaching high to make large movements that strengthen their upper bodies and support muscle control. As a result, children develop physical competence, increased confidence and a positive attitude towards being active.
• The setting promotes positive behaviour by encouraging responsibility, such as through tidying-up routines. Staff use strategies like sending the class bear home to support consistency between nursery and home. However, expectations are not always reinforced consistently at nursery. For example, children are sometimes allowed to run indoors without reminders, which sends mixed messages about the rules. This inconsistency impacts children's understanding of acceptable behaviour and expectations.
• The setting supports children's oral health through hands-on activities. Children practise brushing toy teeth with toothbrushes and toothpaste. Staff read stories about visiting the dentist. Leaders link with local dentists to help reinforce these messages. As a result, children gain confidence in toothbrushing routines and understand how food and hygiene affect their teeth.
• The setting values children's diverse backgrounds. They display words in different languages, use voice messages in home languages, and explore similarities and differences through activities like making play dough faces. This fosters inclusion, respect and a strong sense of identity.
• Leaders prepare children well for school. Staff prepare detailed transition reports and arrange visits from school staff. Parents are actively involved throughout the process to ensure a smooth and well-informed handover. As a result, children build the confidence, independence and emotional readiness they need for a successful start to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group activities to ensure all children are actively involved and able to engage fully in their learning
• support staff to apply consistent behaviour expectations so children receive clear messages about acceptable behaviour.