Lollipops Nursery & Creche

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children make good progress at this well-organised nursery. They arrive happy and greet the friendly staff team with a smile. Children form secure relationships with the staff who care for them.

They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Children independently access a wide range of good-quality toys and resources, both indoors and outdoors, to support their learning. They are extremely eager to play and highly motivated to learn.

Pre-school children listen attentively to stories read enthusiastically by staff. They sing loudly and proudly, as they practise the songs they will sing at the Christmas concert. Babie...s are beginning to develop their hand-to-eye coordination.

They excitedly pull pieces of material from a small box and attempt to post them back in. Staff sit alongside them to offer encouragement and support their play. Young children enjoy lots of sensory play activities to support their learning.

They display high levels of concentration, as they use their fingers to make marks in a tray filled with soapsuds.Children behave extremely well. They know what staff expect from them.

From an early age, children learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively with their friends. Children sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings. Staff regularly check on them to ensure they are safe and well.

Young children take responsibility for small tasks. They enthusiastically help staff to take the blankets to the laundry room after sleep time.

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

The dedicated manager of the nursery is also the owner.

She works alongside her staff team on a daily basis. The manager knows her staff team well, and regularly meets with them to talk about their practice and identify training needs. She is reflective and knows what the nursery does well and clearly identifies areas for further development.

Staff have very high expectations for children's behaviour. They have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. Staff provide them with a wide range of experiences to support their curiosity and lead their own learning.

Staff provide children with a broad and ambitious curriculum. They know children well and plan play activities around their individual interests. Although staff provide children with further resources to enhance their learning, they are yet to fully consider how the resources they provide fully support what they want children to learn next.

Staff place a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. Pre-school staff introduce children to new vocabulary during spontaneous conversations. For example, when talking about their Christmas elf, they use the word 'mischievous'.

Staff encourage children to use this word in context throughout the day. Young children's emerging speech is also supported well. Staff speak clearly and introduce single words, such as 'pop', as children clap their hands to burst bubbles.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in their learning. Staff ensure the curriculum meets the needs of all children who attend. They meet regularly with parents and other professionals to share information about children's learning and development.

This helps staff to plan effectively to move children forward in their learning. The manager ensures any additional funding the nursery receives is used to support children's individual needs.Staff morale is high.

The well-retained staff team state they work well together and are very happy in their roles. They comment on how effectively the manager supports their ongoing professional development and their overall well-being.Partnerships with parents are well established.

Staff share information with them about children's time at the nursery in a range of ways. For example, they speak to parents at drop-off and collection times, complete daily diaries and sometimes add to children's online learning records. Although staff keep parents updated about children's care needs, they are yet to effectively share enough information about what children learn at nursery to support them to extend and continue learning at home.

Parents are very happy with the quality of care and education their children receive. They speak very highly of the nursery and the support they receive from the manager and staff. Parents comment on the strong relationships their children build with staff, and the high levels of progress their children make.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Robust vetting and recruitment procedures ensure that all staff are suitable for their role. Staff supervise children well.

The manager and staff have a strong knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. They attend regular training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Staff are aware of the indicators of abuse and know who to contact should they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

The premises are kept secure and well maintained. Staff regularly check the environment to reduce and minimise potential hazards, which could impact on children's safety.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum so they are clear on the skills and knowledge they want children to learn from the resources they provide build on communication arrangements with parents so they are fully supported to continue and extend children's learning at home.