Lottie's Day Nursery Sidcup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are in a nursery where their needs are the main focus of the leaders and staff. They implement a curriculum that matches children's interests. Staff interact with the children to encourage their involvement in learning. Children choose books and stories, and the staff join in these activities. They sit with the children, looking at books together and talk about the story and pictures. This motivates children to express their thoughts and supports them to develop a love of books and enhances their communication skills.

Leaders create chances for every child to improve their physical abilities. For example, children take part in yoga and dance sessions that support their health and well-being. They develop balance and core strength by using resources in the garden. Babies explore different sensory materials with their hands, while toddlers use their fingers and tools to create marks. Pre-school children practise early writing skills, such as holding a pencil properly, by drawing and learning to write letters in their names. These activities help children build the hand muscles they need for writing in school.

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

• Leaders create a curriculum that reflects the interests of the children. They monitor progress and assess to find any learning gaps. They organise different activities to enhance what children already know and to help in areas where they need more support. Staff understand each child's unique needs, which helps them to fill learning gaps and provide targeted assistance while collaborating with parents and specialists. Leaders effectively use additional funding to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they make good progress.
• Leaders recognise the challenges of the role and offer support to all staff, such as well-being resources and supervision meetings. However, the monitoring of staff practice is not yet fully in place to address weaknesses. Staff do not always deploy themselves effectively, and less experienced staff covering in unfamiliar rooms struggle to implement the curriculum as intended. This impacts on children's focus and learning.
• Children are encouraged to be independent. Babies make choices in their play and have space to explore their environment. Older children dress themselves, use the bathroom independently and pour their own drinks at lunch. Children are developing some positive hygiene habits, such as independently washing their hands before meals. However, some staff do not consistently reinforce some hygiene routines, resulting in inconsistent messages around the importance of personal hygiene. For example, staff do not always promptly address children's runny noses.
• Staff help children improve their language and communication abilities. They use hand signs with younger children and encourage them to imitate. Staff demonstrate language by commenting on what children are doing and repeating words and sentences correctly. They talk to pre-school children and ask questions to enhance their thinking and conversation skills. Staff also assist children who are learning to speak English as an additional language. They collect important words and phrases from the children's home languages, and staff members who know other languages help those children.
• Children receive support from an early age to develop their understanding of basic mathematical concepts. Staff engage babies by counting as they blow bubbles, while older children practise counting and simple addition during their activities. Staff incorporate a variety of words into activities to describe size. For example, during construction play, staff refer to the structures as 'big' and 'tall'.
• The staff set good standards regarding children's behaviour. They support children in forming friendships and gently encourage them to engage in positive behaviours, such as sharing. The children show confidence and maintain a positive outlook towards learning, working cooperatively with each other during various activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the arrangements to deploy and support less experienced staff so that teaching is consistently good
• strengthen hygiene practices so that they are consistently embedded to promote children's understanding and support their good health.