Lilac Frog Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter this warm and welcoming nursery. They are pleased to see their friends and are quickly absorbed in play. Children are motivated to learn and show curiosity as they explore the activities. For example, babies enjoy painting activities. Older children concentrate intently as they practise cleaning the model teeth. Children learn how to grow herbs and vegetables and how to cook them for lunch. This helps children to know where their food comes from. Children are increasingly confident to carry out self-care tasks, such as putting on painting aprons and washing their hands.

Staff know the children well and plan a curriculum around their interests. However, on occasion, this is not sufficiently challenging for the most able children. Children behave well and gain the skills that they need to move up into the next room or on to school. Children play alongside others and learn to share and take turns. Children show that they feel safe as they follow the daily routines, which help them to know what is happening next. Babies learn how to manage risks and climb safely on play equipment. Older children enjoy undertaking tasks, such as setting the table and tidying up. They are confident to express their thoughts and ideas to staff as they explain the various roles their animals and dinosaurs are playing.

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

• Leaders and managers are committed to making improvements. They have addressed the recommendations from the previous inspection. For example, staff now receive professional supervision and are provided with regular feedback. Staff have regular opportunities to access training and to further their professional development. This has improved the quality of care provided to children.
• Overall, staff support children's emerging communication and language skills. Most staff identify vocabulary to enhance children's language. As a result, children use words such as 'paradise' to describe where the lion lives. However, some staff working with younger children do not always model the correct pronunciation of words, which hinders children's communication and language skills.
• Children access a wide and varied curriculum that successfully links to their interests. For example, staff plan activities about animals or pretend characters to actively engage children. However, staff are not always clear on the learning intent for children's learning. Although the children are interested in the activities, their learning is not supported to the highest level.
• Older children acquire lots of knowledge and skills that help them to prepare for their move to school. Children are provided with lots of opportunities to count and to recognise numbers and letters. Children use mathematical language well as they play. For example, they talk about needing one more plate as they set the table.
• Children learn how to keep themselves fit and well. They are provided with healthy meals and snacks. They talk confidently about foods that are not good for them, such as sweets and fizzy drinks. Older children enjoy taking part in the 'daily mile' and confidently count their laps as they run around the garden. Babies are provided with opportunities to crawl and practise their walking skills. As a result, children develop their physical skills, which enables them to explore the environment.
• Staff work well in partnership with the parents and others. They work closely with professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures that the children's learning is well supported. Parents comment that they are very well informed about their child's time at the setting. They know what they can do at home to support their child's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to understand how to further extend children's growing vocabulary and communication skills
• strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum so that they are clear on what the youngest children need to learn.