The Archbishop Lanfranc Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with a safe and secure environment. Children are happy and settled in this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Children are eager to play with their friends and run in to greet them when they arrive for the session. New children who find it more difficult to settle are comforted and quickly join activities with familiar adults. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a wide range of interesting and challenging activities that cover all areas of learning. For instance, older children are fascinated by the different bugs they find using their magnifying glasses. Babies are supported to get close to bugs and watch them move around the garden. This builds on children's understanding of the natural world. Staff have high expectations. Children have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and their peers safe. For instance, older children wear high-visibility vests and complete the garden risk assessments in the morning. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff have high expectations for all children. Children show increasing levels of independence. For instance, they confidently manage their personal care needs, such as using the bathroom and remembering to wash their hands. Young children manage their shoes and coats when moving between the indoor and outdoor areas. This builds on their self-esteem.

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

• Staff teach children to respect each other. Children are very caring. For example, older children share appropriate toys with babies. The manager gathers information about children's languages and backgrounds. However, she has not considered ways of developing children's understanding of diversity, people and communities that differ from their own experience.
• Staff know children well. Overall, they follow children's interests and plan for children's learning as part of the curriculum. For instance, they plan tummy time activities for babies to encourage their development and next stage of learning. This helps to strengthen babies' muscles. However, at different times during the day, the individual interests of toddlers are overlooked.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are extremely positive about the quality of care their children receive. Parents, including those of children with SEND, state that staff are supportive and share information to support their children's learning.
• Children are supported well to develop their language and communication skills. For instance, staff and babies sing songs and rhymes. Gaps in children's learning are identified quickly and staff provide purposeful small-group sessions. All children, including those who receive additional funding, make secure progress from their starting points.
• Staff are good role models and eagerly join in activities. Children are motivated learners who behave well. They follow instructions and make their own choices about what they would like to play with. For instance, children explore their senses mixing paint with their hands. They enjoy feeling different textures under their feet.
• The nursery provides children with a broad range of healthy snacks. Staff encourage children to try new foods. For example, children select from a range of vegetables and try spinach. Children are developing their understanding of a healthy diet.
• Staff support children to develop their listening and attention skills during group sessions. Older children skilfully recall their previous learning. For instance, they confidently tell adults the name of the bugs and insects they have seen earlier in the day, such as, 'scorpion' and 'woodlouse'. Children are developing skills for future learning.
• Staff plan well for children's physical development. For instance, older children fill wheelbarrows with bricks and manoeuvre them up and down the hills. Young children access cars and scooters. Children develop balance and spatial awareness. Babies splash in water and explore the sand. This helps develop children's strength and coordination.
• The ambitious manager and staff are passionate about the service they provide. The manager supports staff's well-being and helps them develop their skills. Staff comment that they feel happy and well supported in the nursery. For instance, staff complete peer observations. They watch video recordings of themselves during activities so they can review their strengths and weaknesses. This helps to raise the quality of the provision.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and amend the organisation of activities to ensure that toddlers are consistently engaged in purposeful learning opportunities
• provide children with a curriculum that enables meaningful learning about their own identity and heritage, alongside learning about different families, cultures and communities.