Archfield House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have an excellent time at this nursery. They enjoy a wonderful learning experience in a nurturing learning environment. Children have access to a wide range of exciting activities. For example, older children develop creative skills, learning about a visual artist and copying their style of photography. They use cameras to explore colour and emotion. Babies laugh and giggle as they sing 'sleepy lions' and join in with the movements.

Staff are experts on effective teaching and learning and have a good understanding of the needs of each unique child. They guide children to develop independence skills. Toddlers confidently find their coats and shoes and eagerly collect the boots of staff to help them get ready to go outdoors more quickly. Older children competently remove their wet-weather clothes.

Pre-school children explain what they know and can do in great detail. For example, they discuss the vegetable seeds in an observation box. They explain that the seeds will grow into vegetables, like beetroot and beans, and that beetroot can be yellow or purple. They enjoy creating stories with a 'story mountain'. Staff support children to understand the parts of a story, with a start, middle and end. Children discuss starting sentences, like 'once upon a time'.

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

• Managers have created an ambitious curriculum which is securely embedded across the nursery. They have a firm vision of what they want children to learn and why. Staff are confident and knowledgeable in the curriculum and the signs of successful learning. Children's learning experiences build their knowledge over time. For example, staff take children on visits to explore nature and the local beach, where they learn about sea life and how to toast food on a fire. They support children to reflect on what they have learned when they return to the nursery. Children enjoy creating a book of beach memories and recalling what they have done and seen. They have recently seen wind turbines on their trips to the beach. Staff have included this in their planning and guided children to begin to understand energy and electricity.
• Staff support children to be very confident communicators. The nursery has developed a strong focus on language and communication. Staff guide children to learn new words by making deliberate choices in their own speech. Children know staff value their opinions. Interactions between staff and children are of an exceptionally high quality. Older children speak using sentences up to 16 words long. Staff explore words, songs and rhymes with babies and toddlers. Whether children are playing outdoors or indoors, they frequently choose to sit and listen with rapt attention to staff as they read stories. Staff read with engaging voices and children love to join in.
• Experienced leaders and managers support a highly dedicated team of staff that is committed to continuous improvement for children. Managers provide staff with rich and relevant learning experiences. For example, staff in the baby room have completed training on best practice and current guidance to support children's sleep. Managers understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children and introduce strategies to best support them and their families. Managers have excellent links with other early years professionals. The nursery is an active member of a local early years group and managers use a recognised self-evaluation framework to reflect and improve practice. They support and guide other professionals and contribute to the wider community as trainers and mentors.
• The nursery has an excellent provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) is very knowledgeable and confident in her role. She guides staff to recognise when children may need extra support and how to implement effective strategies. Children with SEND make excellent progress. The SENCo is based in the toddler room and recognises and supports children with SEND as early and effectively as possible.
• The nursery has created wonderful partnerships with parents who comment that they feel very well supported by staff, and that their children make exceptional progress in their learning and development.