Acre Wood Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children play and learn in a stimulating environment. They spend periods of time focused while engaging in a combination of child-led and adult planned activities. For example, older children thoroughly enjoy woodwork activities. They learn important life skills, including how to use tools safely, as they build their own creations using hammers, screwdrivers, and vices. Younger children become immersed as they develop their fine motor skills rolling and moulding playdough, making 'birthday cakes' using cotton buds as candles. Babies relish sensory activities and learn new vocabulary. For example, as they use their hands and forks to search for different sea creatures hidden in coloured, cooked tagliatelle.

Children form secure attachments with staff who are kind, caring and attentive to their needs. Babies' individual sleep and feeding routines at home are followed closely within the setting to help support their emotional well-being. Children understand the routines of the setting and follow instruction well. For example, older children know they need to clean their place at the table when they have finished eating. Children enjoy the additional activities set up to enhance their learning and enjoyment. For example, they clearly relish the football activity and proudly show off their stickers of achievement. They learn other languages through weekly French lessons. Children of all ages can access the dance studio where they can be active while learning to use real instruments such as a guitar and drum kit.

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

• The manager is passionate about providing a high quality of care and learning for children. There are regular ongoing plans in place to enhance the quality of the provision, which the manager and staff focus on. For example, the manager has recognised that they can enhance the provision of the curriculum outdoors. This will ensure that older children consistently benefit from a wider variety of rich learning experiences.
• Children have a range of opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles. They have ample physical exercise outdoors. The chef is the heart and soul of the nursery and provides a wide range of tasty, healthy, and nutritious snacks and meals. Children enjoy cooking activities led by the chef where they make their own pizzas. They mix their own dough for the bases and prepare fresh pizza sauce.
• Staff have a clear understanding of the focus of the well-sequenced curriculum. They monitor children's development closely and provide activities to meet their individual needs and help them move on to the next stage in their learning. As a result, children are well engaged and interested. However, at times, staff do not always successfully support children's transitions during routine changes such as lunchtimes. For example, older babies become disengaged while waiting for, and during, lunch as they lack consistent meaningful interaction.
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the quality of care and education provided to their children. They feel well-informed about their child's care routines and development. Parents have free access to a lending library to promote the extension of children's literacy skills at home. They particularly enjoy being involved in activities within the setting, such as the Mother's Day tea party.
• Staff positively support children's development as they play alongside them. They talk to children and ask questions to encourage children to express themselves. They incorporate mathematical language during water play as younger children learn concepts such as 'full' and 'empty'. Older children predict what will happen when they mix different coloured paints together and then try it out. However, at times staff do not consistently focus their interactions to extend children's learning.
• The manager and staff team work positively with parents and other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, speech and language professionals visit the nursery and staff implement recommendations to support children's ongoing development. Consequently, children with SEND make the most progress they are capable of.
• Staff positively promote children's understanding of expectations for behaviour. They help children to understand the importance of taking turns and sharing with their friends. Overall, children behave well. Older children form positive friendships with each other. Babies are noticing their peers and learning how to care for them. For example, when they recognise their friend's sun hat has fallen off and help to put it back on.
• Staff receive coaching and monitoring through regular supervision. They feel well supported by the management team who place a strong focus on their well-being. Managers implement initiatives such as 'employee of the month'. Staff feel valued through 'random acts of kindness' where they receive goodie bags to recognise how they contribute to the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to focus enhancements to the provision of the curriculum outdoors for older children, so that they consistently benefit from rich learning opportunities
• focus coaching and professional development to support staff to consistently extend children's learning and provide them with more opportunities to think critically and test things out for themselves
• review the lunchtime transition period for older babies to ensure that they are purposefully engaged.