Barnwell Academy

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and settled at this welcoming nursery. They show that they feel secure in the care of the nurturing staff. Children benefit greatly from a range of exciting and challenging experiences. For example, they use a variety of brushes and paint rollers to make marks with water during play outside. This helps to develop children's larger muscles, balance, and coordination in preparation for later tasks, such as early writing. Children use their senses as they roll and shape dough to identify scents that staff have added to the mixture. There is superb support for children's physical development. Children navigate wheelbarrows along winding paths in the nursery garden. They use their whole bodies as they climb up steps and slopes and slide back down.

Children's behaviour is excellent. They are encouraged to be respectful, take turns and help others. Staff are excellent role models, who have high expectations of all the children in their care. New children settle quickly and grow rapidly in confidence and independence. For example, young children are encouraged to learn how to use cutlery and drink from beakers from an early age. Children show great enthusiasm for the experiences on offer and are highly motivated to learn.

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

• Children benefit from a robust curriculum that covers all areas of learning. The manager and staff have a deep understanding of what children know and can do. They understand how to embed this and extend children's learning further. The manager is inspirational and has a very strong vision for the nursery. She has very high standards and supports staff exceptionally well.
• The manager and staff work closely with other professionals who support children. For example, the manager meets weekly with the reception teacher, from the nearby school, to help plan experiences that support progression for children. Together, they have put in place a highly detailed plan to help children understand counting and number. They work closely together to help provide consistent support for children as they move on to school. There is very strong support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with health visitors and other health professionals to help identify where children might need extra support.
• Parents speak highly of staff and the quality of education and care they provide. They comment that they feel informed about their child's day. The manager and staff work hard to involve parents in their children's learning. For example, staff provide paper bags for parents and children to take home and fill with natural objects found during autumn walks. Children are encouraged to bring these back to nursery to show and share with their friends. Staff put on fun events to encourage parents to share stories with their children at bedtime.
• Staff are highly skilled and well qualified. They have superb relationships with the children and know them individually very well. Support for children aged under two is exceptional. Staff have a deep understanding of how young children develop and plan fun activities to support their future learning. For example, they move teddy bears around to teach children language, such as 'up, down and side'. They cover the teddies with scarves and play peekaboo. This helps children understand things can still be there even though they cannot always see them. The children are delighted by this. They have formed very strong bonds with staff and are eager to learn.
• Staff provide excellent opportunities for children to access fresh air and exercise. Children learn directly about nature as they grow carrots, cauliflowers and onions in the nursery's vegetable plot. Children learn first-hand about the natural world. They compare the colours and patterns on leaves they have gathered. Staff encourage children to carefully handle insects they find during their play. These nurturing experiences contribute highly to children's personal development and emotional well-being.
• Support for children's developing communication and language skills is of very high priority. Children learn new words, such as 'scrunch' and 'crunchy', as they explore with leaves. Staff teach them new names for creatures, such as 'woodlouse'. Staff write down the new words children say and display them for parents to see. This helps promote children's self-esteem. Staff provide children with rich opportunities to learn about language through stories, songs and rhymes.