Abbeydale Cottage Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are nurturing, and they warmly welcome children when they arrive at this vibrant and friendly nursery. They greet children eagerly and are reassuring and attentive to children's needs. Staff know that children learn best when they feel safe and secure. As a result, they spend time getting to know children and develop positive relationships with them. Staff create a caring and fostering environment in which children can grow and develop. Consequently, children are excited to learn and settle quickly, eager to play.

Children are curious learners. Staff plan a curriculum that supports children to continuously develop their learning as they move through the nursery. They use children's interests effectively to create activities and experiences for them. For instance, children learn about kindness. They visit their local community care home and sing, make crafts and play parachute games with the residents. Staff uses these visits to enable children to flourish, empathise, make friends and respond to others with respect and compassion.

Children have lots of opportunities to use their imaginations and be creative. Staff encourage children to develop their writing skills and control over tools, such as using scissors, tweezers and different objects for painting. For instance, children cut grass in the fields and pick up vegetables with tweezers.

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

• Managers have designed a curriculum that is based around children's needs. Staff are fully aware of children's interests, and they know what each child needs to learn next. They are led by what children want to do. Staff value and respect children's choices and are committed to providing further opportunities. For example, staff source funding to provide resources that support children's development and next steps in learning.
• Staff place a strong focus on children's communication and language. They have enhanced the programme for communication using visual aids, such as Makaton signs and symbols to introduce vocabulary, to help children to make choices and communicate. However, some staff do not fully understand how to apply these strategies.
• Partnership with parents and carers is secure and highly effective. Staff keep parents updated about what their children are learning and how they can support their children's learning at home. Furthermore, staff get to know children's extended families. They invite parents and family members into the nursery to teach children about their occupations. For example, children are fascinated to hear about the work of firefighters. This supports children's understanding of the wider world around them and how to keep themselves safe.
• Managers demonstrate exceptional leadership skills. Although a few of the staff are new, they work well together and there is a strong team spirit. Managers have a clear self-evaluation process in place and aspire for the nursery to be a beacon of exceptional practice.
• Children make their own choices and can choose whether to be inside or outside, whatever the weather. They explore the extensive, enclosed field, where they enjoy nature walks and jumping in muddy puddles, giggling with delight. Staff also provide children with opportunities to climb, balance and run freely in the outdoor area. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements.
• Children enjoy counting as they sing number songs. Staff teach children to count how many farm animals they can find and describe how many more scoops of water to fill their container. However, staff do not foster children's knowledge of wider mathematical concepts, such as weight, measurement and height, as effectively.
• The manager recognises the importance of continuous professional development. All staff receive regular supervision sessions and training to improve their practice and the experiences for children. For example, some staff recently accessed training for forest school activities. This has helped them to provide activities to encourage children to take risks. Consequently, children show high levels of safety in their play, for instance, when cutting holes in the container and filling this with water to make a fountain.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend children's knowledge of wider mathematical concepts
• support staff to fully understand how to support children's early language and communication, such as when using symbols, to help children to become confident communicators.