Birdwood Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children access a setting that truly excites and encourages their thirst for learning. They are provided with a wealth of inviting and challenging experiences, which build upon their understanding of their community and the world in which they live. Children take part in a daily hunt around the setting to find the colour, letter, number and shape of the week. These are hiding somewhere amongst the wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Children are proud to go and find their picture or name and place it on the board next to the item they have found. They share this with the group at show and tell at the end of the session. They talk about where they found the item, who they were playing with, and what they were doing.

Children are supported by highly skilled, attentive and nurturing staff. They demonstrate impeccable attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is exemplary. They are clear about the rules and boundaries within the setting and understand ways to keep themselves safe. For instance, not only do children instinctively clean their hands before entering the setting, but they also remind adults to do the same, to keep their friends with health conditions safe. Staff work incredibly well with parents and professionals, to ensure that they identify children's needs promptly. All children, but specifically those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive an education and care package, that celebrates and values all that makes them unique. Therefore, children and their parents feel that they are safe, secure and extremely well cared for.

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

• The manager and deputy have a clear vision and ethos of what they want children to learn and why, especially post Covid-19. There is a real sense of team spirit within the setting, and a sharp focus on continually evolving the outstanding strategies in place, to support the quality of the provision.
• Staff know children incredibly well. They gather information before they start, which helps them tailor the curriculum to meet their individual needs. All children, including those most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make rapid progress from their starting points.
• Staff provide a language-rich environment and are consistent in ensuring that all children hear and develop a rich vocabulary. They fluently and naturally use pictorial aids and signing to ensure that no child feels excluded from the experiences. For instance, when children made hedgehogs in the garden, they had picture prompt cards for reference, and the teacher used signs throughout the activity, for action words such as rolling, more and finished. This meant children could see and/or hear what to do next.
• Staff provide fantastic learning experiences and ensure that all children's personal development is enhanced. Snack time is a truly enriching social event. Staff utilise their in-depth knowledge of what makes each child unique, to engage in meaningful conversations. They encourage children to recall what they learned today and skilfully build on their vocabulary, introducing words such as 'nocturnal'.
• The setting values parents as active partners in their children's early learning, and fully informs them of next steps and future learning goals. For example, children's key workers share strategies, latest developments and research with parents, to jointly support and improve children's communication and language. As a result, parents hold the setting in high regard.
• Children thrive by having clear boundaries and high expectations of their learning and behaviour. They respond by being confident, independent learners that take the lead in the nursery for managing their own safety and behaviour. Children's behaviour is exceptional, they wait patiently for their turn during games and put their hand up to speak at show and tell.
• Children demonstrate care, compassion and kindness to one another. The setting celebrates what makes children unique and prepares children incredibly well for life in modern Britain. Children help one another to put on high visibility waistcoats and hard hats, before playing in the construction area. They bring their friends coats outside for them when they notice they have run outside without it, to avoid them being cold.
• The setting is exemplary in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff set up small intervention groups to support children's speech and language development and use additional funding to access specialist assessments for those children on long waiting lists.
• Managers have thorough oversight of staff workload, well-being and assessment abilities. Staff say they feel extremely well supported and love working at the setting.
• The provider is proactive in sourcing professional development opportunities to improve practice. For example, the whole staff team are trained in simple sign language, and they have developed safeguarding systems within the setting using sign, to support staff and promote children's emotional well-being.