Laugh and Learn Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are safe and very happy in this warm and friendly nursery.

They show high levels of confidence and get fully involved in their chosen play from the moment they arrive. Staff have created a nurturing environment which is full of exciting learning experiences for children of all ages. For example, as younger children play in the water tray which is set up as an ocean, they learn about the dangers of sharks and stingrays.

Older children show delight as they create an 'm' for 'mummy' out of dough. Staff know the children and their families very well and are tuned into children's individual needs. They help childre...n to understand how to manage their emotions and how to ask for help.

Staff are positive role models. Their warm interactions and caring manner help children to develop responsible behaviour, learn to be kind and manage risks in their play. Children's behaviour is consistently good.

Children get plenty of fresh air and exercise in the nursery garden, where they climb, balance and run around. Staff prepare nutritious meals and snacks. Children learn to make healthy choices and enjoy fresh water.

Older children practise carrying their plates of food back to their seats, in readiness for school. Children make good progress from their starting points and are developing positive attitudes to learning.

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

The dedicated managers, who are the owners, plan and organise the curriculum well.

They put children's emotional well-being and communication skills at the heart of everything they do. Once children are happy and settled, the managers and the staff assess how children are developing and discuss this with parents. They decide when children are ready for their next steps or if they need to keep revisiting learning.

This means that all children build securely on what they can do.The managers and staff are equally skilled at adapting the curriculum to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They create tailored plans to ensure that all children can achieve as highly as others.

Staff work closely with parents and all professionals involved in children's care. Staff support the children to learn new hand signals so that everyone can communicate together. They share a 'sign of the week' with parents, as part of the 'nursery family' ethos.

Staff develop children's language and communication skills well. For example, when children count eight toy turtles in the water tray, staff skilfully initiate a comical discussion about what they could do if they had eight legs. Staff adeptly introduce new vocabulary through conversations about children's interests.

For instance, children who are keen on construction activities talk animatedly to staff about the photos of local buildings that are displayed. This helps build children's confidence to use descriptive words and to talk about their designs and models.The managers' processes for self-evaluation and effective monitoring systems mean that continuous improvements are made and ensure that quality care and learning are consistently provided for children.

They strongly believe in investing in staff training to help raise the quality of teaching to the highest levels. However, although staff's interactions are continually good, they occasionally miss chances to extend children's emerging interests and abilities, to help them make as much progress as possible. For instance, sometimes, opportunities are missed to follow up on children's questions and ideas during mealtimes.

Parent partnership is a strength of the nursery. Staff regularly contact parents about their children's development. Parents spoken to at the inspection praised the managers and staff for their kind and caring ways.

They commented that the personalised adaptions put in place have made a huge difference to their children's progress. The managers recently held their first parents' evening, following the COVID-19 pandemic when parents did not enter the nursery. Parents are grateful for the regular newsletters they receive with ideas to support children's learning at home, such as enjoyable activities to help to improve mathematical skills.

They value the advice given to help to promote children's oral health, their mental health and how children can use technology safely.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff have a very good knowledge of how to keep children safe.

They fully understand, and implement, the comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures, such as prohibiting the use of mobile phones in the nursery. All staff have a good understanding of the signs that may indicate a child is being abused. This includes wider safeguarding issues.

For example, they know how to recognise that individuals are being exposed to racism or county lines gangs. The managers place a high importance on children's safety. They review the premises daily so that all children are safe and secure.

They teach children about risks during tidy-up time as they talk about making the room safe and clear of hazards. For example, children offer to help mop the floor because they know if it is wet, someone could slip.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove staff's skills further, to help them to maximise on all opportunities to extend children's learning as far as possible.

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