Lola-Belle's Private Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this caring setting. They enter their daily sessions with enthusiasm. They hang up their belongings when they arrive and greet their friends as they enter their dedicated rooms. Children enjoy taking part in exciting physical activities that are facilitated by the creative team of staff. Children scoop up sand to fill buckets and use mark-making tools to design their own Christmas jumper.

Children listen to instructions and follow routines. They demonstrate positive behaviour and good manners. Staff and managers are positive role models. They speak to children and each other with respect and teach children how to play cooperatively. Staff respond sensitively when children struggle with strong emotions. They help children to regulate and understand their emotions. Staff offer comfort and support to children, which helps them to feel safe and loved. Children listen and respond positively to the support provided by staff and happily continue with their activities.

Staff carry out appropriate assessments of children to identify their level of development. They take swift action when they find that children are not making their expected levels of progress. Staff work collaboratively with parents and other professionals to establish appropriate targets and actions to support children. This means that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive targeted intervention that helps them to make good progress.

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

• Children benefit from a wholesome curriculum that focuses on providing them with a variety of unique experiences. Managers and staff have a clear understanding of children's individual targets. They use additional funding appropriately to purchase resources and activities that enhance children's communication, cooperative play and physical development. For example, children take part in football coaching, where they learn to share resources, follow instructions and develop their strength and coordination.
• Staff and managers know the children very well and can accurately explain children's next steps. They plan and provide activities that offer awe and wonder. Children explore activities with play dough. They practise rolling their dough and tell staff what they are doing as they mould it into shapes. Staff praise children and help them to develop their use of tools. However, staff do not always plan activities precisely enough to offer differentiation for the varying needs of the children.
• Children at the nursery develop a rich vocabulary that they use confidently in their play. Babies join in with repeated rhymes and stories that enhance their growing vocabulary. The attentive staff sit with babies and engage them in rich communication. Babies select animal props and match them to the correct animals in the story. They repeat after staff when they name the monkey and snake. Older children explore cereal, transferring it between containers. They accurately use the language of capacity to explain that a cup is 'nearly full'.
• Parents are happy to share their thoughts and feelings about the setting. They feel that they are partners in their children's education and receive regular updates on their children's progress and next steps. Staff and managers work with parents to find out their individual family needs and address any queries that parents may have. Staff and managers deliver detailed hand overs to parents to update them on children's experiences and progress.
• Children are confident to make choices and develop their independence. They serve themselves and help to pour their own drinks. Children are provided with wholesome, healthy meals. Staff ensure that children's individual dietary needs are met and that this information is shared with parents. Children understand the importance of collecting their washcloths to wipe their faces after eating, and they brush their own teeth.
• There are appropriate systems in place to keep children safe. Security cameras allow staff and managers to view and monitor any visitors to the setting. They complete routine risk assessments on the setting and outdoor area and maintain appropriate staff ratios. Children learn how to travel safely to their dedicated outdoor learning environment.
• Leaders and managers are committed to offering an environment that prioritises the well-being of staff and children. They strive to make a positive difference in the lives of children that attend. Staff talk positively about their experiences in the nursery and the supervision that they receive. Leaders and managers are positive role models who strive to demonstrate good practice. However, these systems are not yet fully embedded to ensure that teaching is consistent across all rooms.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance planning further to ensure that activities are highly focused on children's precise needs
• strengthen the supervision and coaching of staff so that they continue to develop their teaching skills.