Lynton House Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy and secure. They arrive excited for their day ahead at the nursery. Children display a real yearning and motivation towards their play and learning. They eagerly explore the wide range of resources and activities that staff have carefully planned for them. This helps to keep children highly engaged and enthralled in their play. All children, including babies, have excellent bonds with staff, who are wonderfully caring and attentive. Children are encouraged to quickly become independent to gain the skills they require for their future learning. For example, babies learn to feed themselves and older children relish responsibilities, such as setting up the lunch tables, during which they use their impressive communication skills to discuss the nutritious items displayed on the lunch menu.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Babies and younger children receive gentle reminders to help them to gain a more secure understanding of sharing with others. Older children are wonderfully patient and kind. Staff are outstanding role models who treat each and every child as unique. As such, children build an immense sense of pride and belonging. They receive an abundance of praise and encouragement and this helps them to become notably self-assured, resilient and proud of their own achievements. Children are celebrated within the nursery through meticulous planning and are able to see themselves reflected in resources and all learning environments. For example, they can explore with a range of hair textures and products in a hairdressing role play. This helps children to develop a keen awareness of the similarities and differences in themselves and others.

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

• The leadership team have very high expectations for all children and staff who work at the nursery. Through their inspiring approach towards supporting their staff team, they have formed a formidable and highly knowledgeable team. Staff feel very valued, respected and proud of their roles and responsibilities. The entire team are masterful in how they use self-evaluation, to constantly reflect and improve all areas of the nursery and provide the very best early years experiences for all children.
• Children have many optimal opportunities to build increasing physical skills. For instance, babies show a real determination as they push wheeled toys up small inclines in the garden or start to take simple risks as they climb the stairs to the baby room. Older children make rapid progress in their scissor skills as they carefully cut tape to reveal hidden items during a planned activity. Children delight in correctly forming letters contained within their own name, using their increasing hand and eye coordination with large chalks on the ground.
• The professional development of the staff team is precisely planned. The leadership team are highly responsive and reactive to information gained through audits and team meetings. This helps them to implement required learning which will help children to continue to thrive. For example, all staff have recently completed a course with a speech and language therapist to help them to gain even more understanding and significant skills to support children's communication and vocabulary. As a result, children with English as an additional language are also supported to the highest levels to help them to build confidence in their communication skills.
• Children are making excellent progress in their learning. Staff carefully watch children's progress to swiftly provide additional support for any gaps identified. Children who excel are also provided with higher levels of challenge to keep them fully engaged in their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive a targeted joined-up approach towards the next steps in their learning. Information is prioritised and shared with other professionals, and this helps the children to reach their fullest potential.
• Partnerships with parents are viewed as an integral part and success of the nursery. Every effort is made by the leadership team and the staff to involve parents in every stage of their child's development. Parents provide weekend-news updates that older children share with their friends, and babies routines are perfectly balanced through open communications with their key person to quickly respond to their rapidly changing needs. Parents comment on the unprecedented level of care provided for their children and the 'passionate' and 'unfaltering' dedication of the staff team who work at the nursery.
• Staff help children to build a love of stories and books. Children display an excellent understanding of how to use books to gain more information in their learning. For instance, babies point to pictures and are able to repeat simple words as they turn the pages of a book. Older children seek new information as they try to solve riddles using their impressive range of intricate words. Staff add a sense of drama and imagination to stories. For instance, babies and staff arrive in their pyjamas to match the characters in their favourite book.