Buttercups Chiswick Lane

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly await the opening of the gate, talking to their carers, predicting what exciting things they will learn. The children separate confidently from their parents and rush inside and say good morning to their friends and teachers with the biggest smiles. The environment in this well-equipped centre continually brings surprises to keep children engaged and enthused, from the home-grown vegetables and herbs to the discovery overnight that resident slugs and snails had laid eggs.

Highly skilled staff continue to extend children's learning as they discover together. The joy is clearly seen on the faces of both adults and children. The engagement in their environment is contagious and, as a result, children's behaviour is exceptional. They are competent at resolving conflict, as staff are excellent role models and support them to think about the situation and agree an outcome peaceably. Children show real care and empathy towards their friends, learning how to be sociable and inclusive. Nurturing relationships with staff provide children with secure emotional bonds that make them feel safe and valued.

The teaching staff provide a rich, ambitious and innovative curriculum where children are put at the heart of the teaching programme. Children learn because they are highly motivated to explore and test out their theories, such as when climbing trees in 'The Burrow' and using real tools. Children feel safe to take risks in their environment, as they are encouraged to consider how to make risks more manageable through understanding how things work and what might need to be considered to make it safer. This gives them a greater understanding of the world around them and their role in it.

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

• A clear curriculum intent informed by evidence-based practice and bespoke training is implemented extremely well by all staff who have a very clear understanding of the nursery vision. This ensures that the teaching programme at the nursery is exceptional and the impact is widespread. Everyday tasks such as making beds and managing the laundry are completed by adults and children using every opportunity to develop important life skills.
• The very individualised approach to transitions supports children to settle quickly, as their introduction to nursery life is tailored to their unique circumstances. Key persons ensure that children make exceptional progress from their starting points. This is because they get to know them very well and have highly effective assessment procedures in place to identify children's individual learning needs.
• Leaders are aspirational and have high expectations for both staff and children.
• They confidently report that the sky is the limit for children and adults at the nursery. As a result, both staff and children excel in this rich learning environment which includes a range of planned and spontaneous learning experiences that engage both staff and children alike. A continual focus on quality improvement ensures that the highest level of care and education are provided.
• The curriculum provides children with opportunities to think, plan and design their own learning, such as building balancing 'machines' from pallets and logs in the garden. Children's attitudes to learning are strong. They confidently use enquiry, curiosity and their own theories to predict situations. They can clearly recall previous learning that might help them extend their knowledge further, such as the principles of growth applied to a range of contexts like vegetable growing and the life cycles of animals.
• Parents speak extremely highly of the nursery and the outstanding experiences that children receive. Parents identify that the outings that staff take children on provide valuable learning about the world around them. Parents value the support they receive from staff, such as advice around toilet training and oral hygiene. This provides the children with consistency, as the staff and parents work collaboratively to support children's development.
• Leaders have identified the impact of the pandemic on children's communication and language development and have introduced a range of communication models, including hand gestures, visual supports and an increase in singing and storytelling. Children are developing an extensive vocabulary with words introduced to challenge and broaden their understanding of the world around them. They are regularly asked prompting questions during story time to encourage them to recall, predict endings or suggest new alternatives, allowing their knowledge and understanding to thrive.