Buttercups at Chalfont

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish and succeed in this exceptional nursery. They are eager to come in and greet their friends and practitioners. Children are ready and excited to start their day and are incredibly independent. Practitioners provide the time and space children need to explore and engage in well-established routines. Children are familiar and confident in these and initiate their own learning from their chosen activities.

Children become highly engrossed in activities. They benefit from excellent support to learn through exploration and discovery, recalling and applying what they have previously learned in the nursery. For example, children independently choose mathematical resources and persevere for long periods of time to create and work out simple sums. This child-centred learning very successfully promotes high levels of self-esteem. In addition, children are fascinated by the expertly planned and implemented adult-led activities. For example, they speak with tremendous confidence about their local community and their place in the wider world.

Behaviour is exemplary, and the leadership team promotes positive relationships among the children, parents and practitioners that reflect a mutually respectful culture within the nursery. Practitioners are highly skilled and trained in providing opportunities that promote children's curiosity. They support and guide children, offering challenging questions that successfully provoke children's interests.

Aims for young children are equally ambitious. They use various equipment with increasing confidence as they learn to balance, climb and cruise, using their bodies to explore activities in the room. They enjoy sharing 'family' books that hold photos and information about their family and important people in their lives. They proudly share these books with practitioners and their friends, pointing to those in the pictures and using simple vocabulary to describe who they are.

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

• Leaders have a comprehensive vision of the challenging curriculum they offer. They share this well with practitioners, using effective assessment to plan activities that build on what children already know and can do and skilfully extend learning. Practitioners introduce new and exciting vocabulary and many lively discussions to promote communication and language skills. For example, children learn about water, soil and air and that these make up the earth. Practitioners teach children about where they live and the wider context. Children confidently name the town, country and continent they live in. They are proud to announce that there are seven continents altogether.
• Practitioners have in depth-knowledge and understanding of how children learn and the sequence in which they learn. They know the children exceptionally well, which enables them to plan learning opportunities that are meaningful and engaging. Practitioners instinctively know when to intervene to support children's learning and when to stand back to allow self-directed learning. When practitioners interact with children, they are skilled at doing so without stopping their play. Practitioners actively observe and listen to children, offering new ideas to extend and challenge their thinking.
• Practitioners ensure that children are more than ready for each transition as they move through the nursery and on to school. Children are equipped with the skills and resilience they need for each transition. They learn what is expected of them when they start school. All children are confident to make their own choices about their learning and care for their own personal needs, such as dressing themselves. This supports their growing confidence and self-esteem.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are especially well supported by highly motivated and skilled practitioners. Their opportunities at the nursery are thoughtfully planned to ensure all children feel safe and secure. Practitioners take time to provide individual targeted support that promotes communication and engagement in chosen activities based on the individual interests and needs of the children.
• Highly effective partnership with parents has a significant impact on children's emotional well-being and the progress that they make in their learning and development. Practitioners develop detailed plans, alongside parents and other agencies, to ensure that all children make the best possible progress. Staff identify areas of interest and development and share these effectively with parents to support further learning at home. Parents value this guidance and positively comment on the progress their children make during their time at the nursery.
• Leaders are incredibly supportive of their team. They strive to continuously review practice through supervisions. These are used to drive improvements and ongoing professional development. Practitioners feel valued and embrace opportunities to learn new skills. These skills are shared across the team to embed into everyday practice. Staff morale is high, creating a very happy and positive learning environment for children.