Leap Ahead@ Southfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and thoroughly enjoy their time at this nurturing setting. Staff greet children, parents and visitors with a very warm welcome. Babies form close bonds with staff, who are nurturing and attentive to each child's individual needs. Staff create a calm, nurturing environment, which enables children to play and explore. Children are well motivated and engage in activities that interest them, showing positive attitudes to learning.

Staff recognise that children enjoy outdoor learning and allow plenty of uninterrupted time for children to play and learn outside. The large, well-equipped garden provides all children with many opportunities to read, play and learn. Older children are well supported to begin to develop their large-muscle skills, as they access a range of climbing apparatus. Children are self-motivated and fully explore the whole nursery.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They support children to follow clear boundaries, which helps them to learn right from wrong. Children are respectful to each other and listen attentively to staff. Babies willingly pass toys and resources to each other. Older children show kindness towards one another. For example, at lunchtime, children support their friends to pour water from small jugs without prompt.

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

• The manager has designed a program of activities that focuses on children's well-being and independence as a priority. Children of all ages demonstrate high levels of independence. Staff plan activities that help children to learn about their feelings and the feelings of others. All children are respectful and tolerant. They share resources and listen to each other's opinions.
• Staff make good use of their observations of children and their assessment information, and overall, plan well for their learning. An effective key-person system means that staff have a secure understanding of children's needs. Room leaders have a strong overview of each child's planning to help provide continuity, and ensure that staff target children's next steps in learning.
• Children throughout nursery learn to live healthy lifestyles. They all routinely wash and dry their hands before every meal and are provided with nutritious snacks. Children enjoy outdoor learning and staff allow time each day for children to play and learn outside. Children are well supported to begin to develop their physical skills through a variety of resources on offer.
• Staff have a good overview of children's development and share this with parents. Staff identify where children need additional support and put appropriate plans in place. They work well with other agencies and seek additional specialist support. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.
• Managers and staff have clear aims of what they want children to achieve in each room. Overall, these are implemented well. The communication and language development of younger children is well supported. Staff in the baby room, for example, often sing songs and rhymes and children respond positively. They model the correct use of language consistently well. However, at times, the quality of support for older children is not as good as staff do not always use the correct terminology for words.
• Staff who are working on an apprenticeship scheme receive extensive support from leaders and managers. They benefit from regular mentoring and coaching. There are systems in place to support staff professional development. However, the manager has not yet embedded this fully across the nursery. This does not support all staff to access training that would improve the quality of teaching.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the nursery and staff. They state that their children are keen to attend, have developed strong attachments and feel secure. Parents receive daily updates on their children's routines and progress. Staff encourage parents to support the children's next steps with ideas to continue learning at home. This helps support consistency in learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the quality of support for older children's communication and language development by consistently modelling the correct use of words
• strengthen professional development opportunities for staff to help further enhance learning experiences for children.