The Lawns Children's Nursery @ Chard School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the setting happily and settle quickly into nursery activities. Children benefit greatly from the strong bonds they form with familiar adults who know them well. The play environment is well organised and carefully considers children's interests. Staff use their knowledge to engage children in a well-thought-out curriculum, which helps children make the progress of which they are capable.

Children thoroughly enjoy exploring, using their senses, and develop their physical skills. For example, toddlers apply glue with spatulas with control and use brushes to paint pumpkins. Older babies immerse themselves in scooping seeds from a pumpkin. Staff interact well. They constantly talk about babies' movements and introduce new vocabulary so babies hear language often.

Older children develop their imagination well, making connections with their own experiences. For example, children explain that it is someone's birthday in the 'restaurant' today and offer the inspector cake. Children confidently make marks on the clipboard, showing control in their early writing, as they take the inspector's order. Older babies persevere to link toy fence pieces together. Staff show children how to fit them together, providing support and encouragement so that they are confident to have a go on their own.

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

• Leaders and managers have addressed the concerns raised at the last inspection. They plan an ambitious curriculum for all children and carefully consider what they want children to learn. They have ensured that the new and enthusiastic staff team receives effective coaching and training to deliver the curriculum successfully. Staff assess children's next steps successfully. They identify any gaps in children's learning swiftly, put action plans in place and monitor children's progress efficiently.
• Leaders and managers continually reflect on the curriculum. They have identified core books to spark interest and discussions to support children's literacy even further. For example, children recall what they remember from the story 'Room on the Broom'. They design pumpkins with lentils and use the sticks they have collected to make brooms. However, these visual reminders are not always used consistently to help children recall what they know, for example what fireworks might look like before they paint them.
• There is a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. Staff question children well as they manipulate the dough. Children confidently talk about their Halloween experiences and their costumes, listening to their friends. Staff model language well, introducing more specific and descriptive words, and they help children to build sentences. However, on occasion, staff do not minimise disruptions to ensure toddlers can fully engage in small-group learning times.
• Children begin to learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. For example, children understand that they should not eat the dough, and they remind their friends. Children thoroughly enjoy the healthy snacks and meals provided by the resident cook. There are good opportunities for children to learn about where food comes from, to prepare it and grow their own.
• Children show curiosity in the natural world and love their time outside. Older children search for bugs, working together to discover where the bugs may be hiding. Older children throw the leaves in the air. They listen well to instructions when staff challenge them to see which direction a single leaf may blow in the wind, making predictions.
• Children behave well. There is a strong focus on providing children with the skills to self-regulate and understand their feelings. For example, children visit the tepee when they want time on their own to calm down. Staff support older babies well. For example, they use a traffic light system to help them understand expectations and the routines of the day.
• Staff forge positive relationships with parents and ensure they share information on children's care and learning regularly. Leaders and managers use social events, such as 'The teddy bears' picnic' and stay-and-play sessions, to engage with parents, explain the curriculum and to seek their views.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of care routines to ensure young children remain focused in their learning
• make better use of resources to help children build on what they remember from their previous learning.