The Louisa Centre Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from a very thoughtfully planned curriculum at this extremely welcoming and friendly nursery. Staff have a deep understanding of where children are in their development and how to support their future learning. They support children's personal, social and emotional development very well. Staff implement extremely flexible settling-in procedures and secure daily routines. This helps children to settle quickly and easily into nursery life. Staff help to raise children's confidence and self-esteem through praise and encouragement. Children's behaviour is excellent. They are very happy, settled and secure. Children have very warm, caring and enjoyable relationships with staff. They develop very strong bonds with their key person.

Staff plan outstanding support for children's physical development. They help to make children's learning challenging and enjoyable. Children develop their large muscles as they twist, roll and turn during activities in the large sports hall. They are encouraged to explore in bare feet to support their movement and balance. Young children are encouraged to develop their core strength while lying on their tummies. Older children balance on bikes and space hoppers. They take part in obstacle courses and jump from tree trunks during planned walks in the nearby woods. Children develop their smaller muscles, which helps to support their later skills such as early writing. They make their own play dough and explore with sand and water. Children practise mixing and stirring as they make their own birthday cake to share with their friends.

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

• Children rapidly become independent and learn the importance of caring for themselves. Staff encourage children to drink from cups without lids and use spoons and forks to feed themselves by an early age. Staff support each family to join a dentist when they start at the setting. They have completed training on nutrition and portion sizes. This helps staff to provide children with extremely well-balanced and healthy meals.
• Staff encourage children to share and take turns, for example through board games and matching activities. Children play collaboratively as they build towers from blocks. Staff help children to learn about fairness and to manage their feelings and emotions. For example, they support children to understand that they can enjoy games even though they might not always win.
• Children benefit from highly innovative and interesting experiences that cover all areas of learning. For example, children develop their strength and coordination as they splatter paint onto paper with salad spinners. They learn about resistance and movement as they stir with paintbrushes in the sand. Staff encourage children to try new things and express their thoughts and ideas.
• Staff plan a wide range of activities to build on children's curiosity and inquisitive nature. Children investigate and experiment with a wide range of natural and tactile resources and materials. They explore cut flowers and real vegetables as they play outside in the enclosed garden. Older children use a range of tools as they investigate soil and petals. Young children explore with their senses as they experiment with a silk scarf as part of a small-group activity. Children are very enthusiastic, highly motivated and eager to learn.
• There is a strong focus on building children's language and communication. Staff encourage children to develop a love of books and storytelling. Children are encouraged to join the nearby library, where they join in with storytelling sessions and meet visiting authors. Staff enhance children's experiences through the use of story sacks, songs and rhymes. Children's communication and language skills flourish.
• Staff place an extremely strong focus on working with parents to support children's learning. They provide parents with packs to encourage them to try learning activities with children in their garden or local park. Parents feel fully involved and informed about their children's development and day.
• Staff provide outstanding support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use verbal and visual prompts to help support children's understanding and communication. Staff use a tray of toys to help children choose where they would like to play next and what with, helping them to communicate their interests.
• The nursery's knowledgeable and experienced manager provides very strong leadership and support to her well-qualified staff team. She uses a mentoring system to promote staff's well-being. The manager holds regular catch-up meetings with staff. These are held privately and individually to check on their welfare, and help identify and provide any support they need.
• Staff use additional funding effectively to support children's communication and language skills. For example, children take part in specific speech and language programmes to help support them to develop speech sounds and early language.
• Staff support children to take part in rich experiences beyond their own, such as baking, borrowing books from the library, trips out into the local area and nature walks in local woodland.
• The manager and staff reflect very well on experiences for children and parents. They are dedicated to the continuous improvement of the setting.