Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd

Inspection of Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd Lancaster Lodge, Lancaster Way Business Park, ELY, Cambridgeshire CB6 3NX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is good

Children smile with excitement as they get ready to begin their day at this welcoming nursery. They begin to make independent choices in their play from a young age. For example, young babies confidently move between indoor and outdoor learning throughout the day. Staff have warm and responsive interactions with children. As a result of this, children feel safe and have built trusting relationships with staff.

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The provision is good

Staff promote a love of literature in children, who enjoy listening to stories snuggled up to a member of staff. Children enjoy daily group activities with staff and form good friendships with each other, playing confidently and expressing their own ideas. For example, toddlers laugh and play cooperatively together in the water tray and take turns to use jugs to pour water down the pipes.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. They demonstrate good awareness of how to keep themselves safe during play and use equipment appropriately. For example, older children show delight in using a small wooden hammer to dig into ice to reveal hidden animals. They show positive attitudes to learning and are supported by skilled staff to make progress. Children are highly inquisitive in their learning and maintain their focus to complete activities to their satisfaction.

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need to do better?

n Children are provided with a wealth of experiences to broaden their knowledge of the world around them and allow them to contribute positively to society. For example, children enjoy looking at different occupations with staff and benefit from a visit by local paramedics and police officers to develop their understanding further. n Children are well supported for their next transition in learning. Their well-being remains at the centre of this nursery and they are supported effectively through well-established key-person relationships. For example, the nursery provide older children with transition packs that contain images of their new school and teacher, to allow them to become familiar with their next stage of education. n The manager has developed a curriculum that focuses on promoting children's independence and confidence. The curriculum is well sequenced throughout the nursery and older children become increasingly independent with self-help skills.

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need to do better?

For example, they confidently access water from the drinking station and fill up their own cups. n Staff provide children with warm and responsive interactions. For example, young children squeal with delight as they try to pop bubbles while staff sing to them. However, on occasions, staff do not consistently give children enough time to respond to questions asked. This means that not all children are able to

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need to do better?

21 December 2022 share their own thoughts or ideas or process what is being asked of them. n Staff provide activities to promote all areas of learning for the children. Staff know the children well and use what they already know and can do to support their learning further. For example, young babies enjoy exploring coloured rice, using their fine motor skills to scoop with the spoons and pour into bowls, a skill which supports independent feeding at mealtimes. However, during daily routines, two-year-old children become disengaged from the learning activities provided and experience long periods of waiting during mealtimes. n Managers and staff build strong relationships with families. Parents state that staff are passionate and caring and they feel safe leaving the children in their care, as they trust them completely. n The manager values partnership working with other professionals. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and benefit from

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need to do better?

an array of support from different professionals to ensure the best start to their early education. n Staff took appropriate precautions to keep themselves and children safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnerships with parents since COVID-related restrictions were lifted have been strong. The manager and staff have worked hard to ensure that they work closely with parents and carers to support continuity of learning at home and identify any gaps in children's development. This ensures that all children were kept safe from harm and have made progress in their learning since returning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have good understanding of their own roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. The manager ensures that policies and procedures are well understood by staff and that they are confident in the process for reporting concerns to ensure that all children are kept safe from harm. Staff have good awareness of wider safeguarding issues, such as when children may be at risk of radicalisation, and highlight the importance of monitoring children's attendance. The committed manager ensures that staff conduct regular risk assessments so that all activities provided to children are safe and appropriate. This ensures that children's safety is paramount across the nursery.

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should:

n review the organisation of daily routines to ensure that two-year-old children are consistently engaged in their learning n develop staff's understanding about how to best support communication and language development, to allow children time to respond to questions and share

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY458324 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10264091 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 93 Name of registered person Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01353662808 Date of previous inspection 22 May 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Lancaster Lodge Childcare Ltd registered in 2013 and is a privately owned nursery. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager showed the inspector the premises and discussed how they ensure that it is safe and suitable. n The deputy manager, manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

21 December 2022 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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