Lavender Farm Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at nursery happy and ready to start their day.

Staff are warm, kind and caring towards children. They get to know every child well, which helps children to settle in quickly. Children confidently approach new people and are keen to say 'hello', demonstrating that they feel safe and secure in the setting.

Children enjoy a broad range of planned activities and experiences. Older children are eager to sit down and prepare their own snack. Staff have high expectations of children as they encourage them to learn to use knives safely and independently to cut different fruits.

Children develop their c...oordination and small-muscle skills as they thread their fruits onto skewers to make kebabs. Babies practise their physical skills as they move themselves across different obstacles. They learn to climb steps independently.

Staff count out loud as children move between steps to promote their early mathematical development. Children's communication and language skills are well supported. Staff frequently model words to children and encourage them to identify different objects in the environment.

Older children demonstrate the breadth of vocabulary they have gained over time as they describe their lunch as 'delicious'.

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

The manager has a secure understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on children's learning and development. She has used this knowledge to identify learning intentions for children to close gaps in their learning.

Staff successfully deliver this by providing ample opportunities to promote children's social and language skills. As a result, children are receiving good support to close gaps in their learning.The setting has a dedicated coordinator for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They are passionate about their role and are committed to providing children with the best experience. The coordinator swiftly identifies any development delays children show. She spends time observing them and provides guidance to staff to meet their needs.

The coordinator understands how and when to liaise with other professionals. Consequently, children receive the help they need to reach their potential.Parents speak extremely highly of the setting.

They say they receive frequent communication from staff about their child's care and learning, which helps to provide continuity at home. Parents comment that they appreciate the sensitive approaches of staff and managers and value that they prioritise their child's best interests to meet their needs.Staff provide some opportunities to teach children about diversity.

For example, they provide resources to reflect differences in people in their community.However, some practices do not yet reflect equality for all children attending and staff do not always recognise and fully appreciate children's individuality.Staff have access to a varied range of online training courses.

They have opportunities for supervision with managers and state that they feel well supported in their roles. However, managers do not yet monitor teaching closely enough to raise this to the highest level. For example, at times, some activities become overcrowded which impacts on children's levels of engagement.

On occasion, staff do not recognise when to make adjustments to the routine, such as when children have been sitting for long periods, so that they remain highly engaged in their learning.Staff have high regard for children's mathematical development. They frequently count with children and compare numbers to identify which is greater.

As children play with play dough, staff provide them with moulds and cutters and guide them to identify the shapes of these. Staff extend children's learning further by helping them to make comparisons between different sizes.Children behave well.

They understand staff's expectations for their behaviour and are keen to please. Children are highly responsive when staff a ring a bell and stop their play immediately. They follow staff's instructions to help tidy up, showing respect for resources they play with.

Children learn to take turns as they play board games with staff.Children's health and well-being is promoted well by staff. Children receive a varied range of healthy snacks and meals.

They develop their understanding of when they need to wash their hands. Staff support babies to become independent in wiping their own noses.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff access frequent training to keep their knowledge of safeguarding issues up to date. They are alert to signs that could indicate a child is at risk of abuse or harm. This includes signs that could suggest a child is being exposed to radical or extreme views or that a girl is at risk of abuse that is specific to females.

Staff and managers know the procedures to follow to report any child protection concerns to other agencies. Managers follow a rigorous procedure when recruiting new staff which helps them to assess their suitability to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nincrease awareness of equality and diversity to broaden all children's experiences and help staff to understand and appreciate what makes every child unique look more closely at staff's teaching and practice, including the organisation of some activities and routines, so that children consistently receive high-quality teaching experiences that extend their learning to the highest level.

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