Avenue Nursery & Forest School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children love coming to this nurturing and exciting nursery. They part from their parents easily and settle into the various activities on offer. Children's behaviour is good and they understand the importance of practising manners and kindness. They show they feel safe at the nursery, as they have strong relationships with the adults. Staff know their children well and can speak at length about their current levels of learning as well as individual needs. Children enjoy curiosity as they explore the inside and outside curriculum. They visit the forest school regularly, where they take part in activities that invoke interest and encourage independence, risk and challenge.

Children thrive from visits that provide enriching experiences. For example, they visit the local shops to choose musical instruments. They return to the setting to paint and decorate a board on which the instruments will hang. The children enjoy the sounds made by the new resource and revisit it, together with friends, to make music and sing songs. Additionally, children benefit from trips to the local animal park with staff and their family members. They travel by bus and train to the beach and practise using money in exchange for gifts for others. This prepares them exceptionally well for their future experiences.

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

• The nursery's ethos promotes the message that all children are unique and must be celebrated for their own individual characters. Staff ensure that they provide a communication-friendly environment that gives every child the opportunity to convey their feelings, wants and needs. Children thrive as they learn new signs and gestures through rhymes and songs. Children can manage their feelings and behaviour well, because of positive interactions with others.
• Children make independent choices in their play. Staff follow their interests and create new resources that inspire imagination in play. They support children to learn new, high-order vocabulary. For example, children create a galaxy made from various liquids. They explore the changes and reactions that occur and go on to enjoy the exploration of the solar system. At times, however, opportunities to extend children's learning using information books and other supporting equipment are sometimes limited.
• The staff provide a wealth of opportunities to experience learning about the natural world. Young children enjoy watching goldfish and water snails. They watch activity through a window and help to feed the fish, with support from adults. Older children enjoy learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. They observe the changes that occur from egg to butterfly and provide food and shelter for their new butterfly 'friends'. Families provide photos of children as babies, so that they can celebrate the changes that have happened and the unique individuals that they have become.
• Staff expose children to a wide range of mathematical vocabulary. They count the beetles they have found and compare the lengths of spaghetti 'worms'. During songs, children understand the concepts of 'more' and 'less' by physically moving in and out of the circle. At times, however, staff miss opportunities to refer children to a written numeral, during activities in the wider setting.
• Leaders provide staff and children with excellent support for their well-being and involvement. The focus on providing a nurturing setting for children is a high priority, particularly in readiness for the next stage of their learning journey. Leaders employ a member of staff with a strong focus on providing emotional support for all. This staff member also coordinates the promotion of eating healthy and nutritious food as well as physical exercise and an active lifestyle.
• Parents describe the setting as having strong positive values. Families love the opportunity to share in their child's achievements through an effective communication system. They praise the staff for enriching the children's experiences through risky and challenging activities at the forest school. Staff invite parents to share their roles. For example, a science teacher provides experiments for children to explore and investigate and families share information about their cultural backgrounds and differences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance resources to extend opportunities for children to build on learning as it occurs, within the wider provision
• provide further opportunities for children to see written numerals and refer to numbers during learning experiences.