Ladybirds Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Some improvements have been made in the setting since the last inspection.

Leaders and staff have taken steps to improve risk assessment and the management of children's behaviour. However, there are still some improvements that are required to raise the quality of the provision. Leaders do not ensure that staff working with the babies and pre-school children provide a curriculum that builds consistently on what each child knows and can do.

For example, staff plan activities for children to decorate things, but do not consider what skills and knowledge they want the children to practise and develop. Staff do not always as...sess children accurately and identify appropriate next steps; they are sometimes unclear about what it is that they want these children to learn. Consequently, staff are unable to ensure that every child receives the support and challenge needed to help them make good progress in their learning.

Additionally, staff do not work closely enough with all parents to promote consistency in children's learning and development.Children arrive at the nursery happily and confidently. Babies and toddlers greet staff affectionately with cuddles.

Staff are kind, caring and playful with the children and they quickly develop positive relationships. This helps children to feel safe and secure and comfortable in staff's care, so they settle quickly. Staff remind children of the reasons for the rules, to help them understand the potential consequences of their actions.

Children listen to and follow staff's instructions and learn to share and take turns with their friends. They have opportunities to lead their own play. Babies have plenty of space to crawl and move around, happily knocking down towers of building blocks.

Toddlers push toy cars around imaginatively and listen to staff with interest when they read. The pre-school children enjoy filling and emptying containers and rolling play dough with their hands.

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

Leaders do not monitor staff's practice or provide sufficient support and coaching, to check that staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of how to meet children's learning needs.

Some staff identify next steps for children that do not link with their current stage of development and do not understand the skills and knowledge that children require before they can learn new skills. For example, staff try to teach children to write their name before they have developed the coordination and strength to hold a pencil securely and make marks with control.Key persons working with babies and pre-school children do not always recognise when the children have made progress and do not identify appropriate next steps for them promptly enough.

For example, key persons set a single next step for new children and those moving to a new room to settle in.However, the staff do not review this for several weeks, even though the children are settled and contented. This means staff's ambitions for children are sometimes too low and they do not help the children to make progress in their learning.

Staff working with toddlers are clear about what they want the children to learn and how they can support the children. For example, they plan several activities for children to develop their control, coordination and dexterity with their hands and fingers, and ask children questions to aid their thinking skills and speech. Toddlers make good progress in their learning.

Leaders and staff work well together and with parents to provide more targeted support for children who need extra help. They complete additional training to help them to create individual plans and implement relevant strategies to meet the children's individual needs.Although staff provide parents with some information about their children, they do not share sufficient detail or obtain enough information from them about the children, to help provide consistency in children's learning and development.

Parents comment positively about the relationships that staff form with the children and on their children's happiness at the nursery.Babies benefit from a very calm and peaceful environment. Staff are respectful of the babies and sensitively meet their care needs.

For example, staff ask the babies' permission before wiping their nose and use nappy-change times to build warm relationships with the children through discussion and singing.All staff remind children to use good manners and support them to manage their care needs independently. Toddlers and pre-school children learn to serve the food, put on their coat and put their belongings away.

Staff promote children's health and hygiene effectively. They provide healthy meals and snacks, ensure that all staff working with children at mealtimes are aware of the children's dietary needs and offer plenty of time for children to be physically active in the fresh air.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff, including those with lead safeguarding roles, understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. They know how to recognise the signs which could indicate that a child is at risk of harm and are aware of the procedures to report any concerns about a child's welfare. Staff are mindful of children's safety within the nursery.

They supervise children closely and teach children how to keep themselves safe, such as when using the stairs. Staff identify risks to children and take prompt action to prevent children from hurting themselves, such as recognising and clearing up slip hazards.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date develop staff's knowledge and understanding of how to build on what babies and pre-school children know and can do, to ensure every child receives good challenge and support in their learning 27/11/2023 support staff to assess babies and pre-school children's progress and identify their next steps in learning in a timely way, to enable staff to target children's individual needs consistently and effectively 27/11/2023 exchange more-detailed information with parents about children's learning and development, to promote consistency in children's learning and development.

27/11/2023