Leaps and Bounds Children's Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff interact warmly and build strong relationships with children. They listen attentively to children and link their interests to activities. Staff recognise each child as an individual and value them highly. They understand and support children to settle back into their routines following the long Christmas break. This helps children to feel happy and settled. Staff manage children's behaviour well and have high expectations of them. They share the rules in the nursery with children and explain why some behaviour is not acceptable. Children behave well.

Staff use new knowledge from recent training to develop children's growing vocabulary. Children interact and engage with stories well, promoting their use of language. Enthusiastic staff create an atmosphere of fun and engagement when storytelling. Children confidently recall the story and point out deliberate gaps created by staff, demonstrating their understanding of the story. Children cuddle up with staff to read their favourite book. They join in eagerly when they sing action rhymes. Staff act as positive role models to children. They speak clearly and give children time to think and respond in conversations. This promotes their listening and communication skills and develops their use of vocabulary.

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

• The newly implemented curriculum builds on what children know and can do. Staff provide opportunities to strengthen children's knowledge and understanding through well-planned adult-led activities. However, staff have not fully considered how to consistently implement the curriculum through child-led activities, to further extend children's learning.
• Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They teach children how to hold a paintbrush and draw in the sand. Babies have resources, such as soft play to build confidence in crawling and climbing. Older children learn to keep themselves safe as they navigate stairs to the home corner. Children make good progress in their physical development.
• Staff use effective observation and assessment procedures to monitor children's learning. They collate information from parents and use baseline assessments to create good starting points for children. Any gaps in children's learning are quickly identified and interventions are put in place to help children make better progress.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) exceptionally well. They quickly identify children who may need additional support and are prompt to make a referral when needed. Staff take time to really know each child, including what they like and need and where they are developmentally. Small achievable targets are used consistently by staff. Leaders link well with both parents and professionals to ensure they are working collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes.
• Staff introduce some simple mathematics into children's play. For example, they recognise shapes and count how many angles each shape has. Children solve problems as they match the patterns to join the jigsaws together. Children are starting to use mathematical language in their play.
• Children learn to do some things for themselves, such as putting on their coats and washing their hands. Younger children learn to feed themselves, and all children help to tidy up. However, at times, staff complete tasks such as pouring drinks and chopping up fruit that children can do for themselves.
• Staff provide children with a variety of healthy and home-cooked meals prepared fresh on the premises. They are aware of children's allergies and dietary requirements when serving food and ensure that these are adhered to. This supports children's physical well-being.
• Staff have regular training opportunities, including safeguarding, aspects of the curriculum and supporting children with SEND. However, more focus is needed in staff's professional development of teaching and learning, to support children to make the best possible progress and enable staff to identify more learning opportunities in child-led play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop further the implementation of the curriculum to strengthen children's engagement and learning through child-initiated play
• support staff to consistently enable children to do things for themselves to promote children's personal development to a higher level
• focus the professional development of staff on developing an expert knowledge of teaching and learning, so that children are supported to make the best possible progress.