Lexden Lodge Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the kindergarten confidently and wave a cheery goodbye to their parents and carers. They are greeted by smiling staff, who take time to find out what they have been doing at home and how they are feeling. Children are very familiar with the kindergarten and know where to place their coats and other belongings. Older children climb the stairs to their base rooms with ease, making sure they follow the staff's clear directions to hold onto the banister and stop at the various waiting points on each landing. Children are keen and excited learners. They are encouraged to develop their independence from a very early age. For example, children from babies upwards are encouraged to guide their own play through self-choice. They help to serve meals and clear away when they have finished eating.

Children are kind and caring towards each other. They are praised and rewarded for good behaviour. Staff use consistently positive language to help to develop children's confidence and self-esteem. Babies form close bonds with their key persons. They approach the adults for cuddles and know that they can have their comforters when they need them.

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

• Managers and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to meet the actions raised and improve the provision and outcomes for children. Staff have completed a range of training, including about behaviour management strategies. The management team has made a conscious decision to reduce numbers of children and families attending to enable them to focus on building a strong and successful staff team. The provider has engaged effectively with the local authority and worked in partnership with them to further develop all aspects of the kindergarten.
• Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection speak highly of the staff and management team. Some say that they cannot fault any aspect of the kindergarten and believe that their children benefit greatly from their early years experiences. Parents are kept well informed about their child's day through the online app used to record and log all aspects of the kindergarten provision. Parents are encouraged to share information from home with their child's key person verbally and through the online system.
• Children engage in a wide range of activities during their kindergarten day. For example, they cut fruit to add to the water dispenser to flavour their drinking water. They confidently use knives to cut the fruit and talk about how it smells and tastes. Staff remind children of the importance of good hygiene when handling food and provide clear explanations to support children's learning.
• Staff help children to develop a greater understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts during their everyday activities. They encourage them to count when playing and provide resources for children to sort, weigh and estimate with.
• Children enjoy listening to stories read by staff as well as looking at books. They re-tell favourite parts and talk about the pictures in the books. Children confidently create a register of the children and staff present.
• Children have fun finding pirate related items buried in sand. They chat confidently to staff about what they have found, how the sand feels and where pirates live. Staff follow the children's lead well, providing additional props. For instance, when a whale is brought into the conversation, staff find various whale figures to enhance the children's game.
• Staff generally interact well with children, during both freely chosen and adult-led play. However, at times, some staff do not use their interactions to extend and enhance the children's learning further. They lack the confidence to take the quality of teaching to a consistently high level. For example, while staff ask children questions they often ask closed questions, which do not enable children to think past yes or no answers. Occasionally, they also ask quick fire questions, not providing time for children to consolidate their thinking.
• Children participate in messy and creative play activities across the kindergarten. However, much emphasis is placed on the use of pre-printed sheets and adult-initiated finished products. This does not enable children to freely express themselves and further develop their imagination.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor and further develop interactions between staff and children to raise the quality of teaching and learning to a consistently high level
• review the provision for children to freely express themselves, for example, through creative play, to promote and spark their imagination.