Bradley Barns Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a welcoming and busy environment. Children are lively, inquisitive and eager to learn. Staff have high aspirations for children and plan an exciting range of learning opportunities. Children show that they feel safe here. Older children eagerly tell the inspector about how they keep themselves safe when attending forest school. Babies actively seek out their key person when they are feeling unsure and quickly settle. This is because staff develop warm, nurturing relationships with them.

Children develop a love of reading as they share their favourite stories with staff, for example 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. Older children talk animatedly about their favourite characters and predict what will happen next in the story. Children learn to be healthy. They understand the importance of taking regular exercise and eating foods which are good for them.

Children behave well. They learn to take turns, share resources and are kind to one another. Older children are confident to take the lead in activities and explain to each other what they need to do. This is because staff are positive role models who treat the children with respect. Children enjoy the opportunities to spend time with their friends and work collaboratively with one another. For example, children offer each other guidance and support as they make bird feeders and complete jigsaw puzzles.

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

• The setting is led by a committed and passionate manager. Effective management systems ensure that staff receive the right training and support to fulfil their roles. There have been some changes within the staffing of the setting in the last few months. The new team is coming together well. However, on some occasions, staff do not share best practice across the nursery to accelerate children's learning.
• Children are provided with a fun and stimulating curriculum that engages their interests and enables them to make progress. Exploring the farm and forest school activities are a key strength of the setting. These opportunities significantly enhance the children's confidence, self-esteem and understanding of the world around them. For example, children eagerly tell the inspector about making a bird box with 'real' hammers and nails.
• Children's enthusiasm for the outdoor environment is infectious. Children learn to grow, prepare and cook their own vegetables and to care for animals and the environment. They learn about where their food comes from, for instance that their milk comes from the cows on the farm. They learn about life cycles as they eagerly wait for the arrival of the new lambs. Staff are skilled at making learning fun and seeing everything as a learning opportunity.
• Children learn to be independent from a young age. They put on their coats, wash their hands and see to their own toileting needs. This helps prepare the children for the transition into the next room or school. Children are skilled at using a range of tools and resources. They concentrate intently as they use a variety of containers to fill with water and transport them to water their plants.
• Older children confidently use a wide range of vocabulary, such as 'nocturnal' and 'hibernation'. Babies are introduced to new words such as 'squishy' and 'shiny' as they explore the sensory box. This helps the children to hear new words to describe what they are seeing and doing.
• Staff have introduced new strategies to support children's acquisition of language and develop their communication skills. However, this is not yet fully embedded across the setting. This means that, on occasion, children are not given sufficient time to respond to a question and questions are not always pitched at the right level for the child.
• Children develop early mathematical skills and an awareness of mathematical language such as 'more' and 'less than'. Older children confidently count to 10 and recognised numbers and shapes in the environment. Staff use counting songs well to introduce younger children to numbers.
• Parents are very complimentary about the setting. They comment on the progress that their children are making and the excellent communication from the staff. They are fully informed of their child's progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children ample time to think and respond to questions in order to support their critical thinking skills
• encourage staff to share their good skills and best practice with each other to build on the quality of education throughout the nursery.