Cedars @ Boot Farm Day Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop confidence, independence and good communication skills at this well-organised and welcoming nursery. Staff get to know children well from the very start. They form caring bonds and readily provide effective emotional support to children. This helps children settle quickly and feel safe.

Leaders and staff provide a stimulating environment of rich learning experiences, where all children can follow their own interests. Children's natural curiosity is greatly enhanced as they explore, investigate and lead their own learning. They also initiate and happily engage with staff in their play, such as designing and making crowns together out of willow branches. This shows that staff readily value all children's ideas.

All staff show consistent expectations for children's behaviour and children regularly follow the positive examples set by staff. For example, younger children happily share song props with their friends and respond with smiles to staff's praise. Staff, across the nursery, support all children to recognise, understand and manage their emotions in an age appropriate way. They check on children's well-being throughout the day and frequently respond with cuddles and reassurance. For instance, at the start of the day pre-school staff ask older children how they feel. If some say they feel sad, staff consult the other children to consider ways to make their friends feel happier.

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

• The company's experienced and competent senior leaders support the manager and her staff well. They guide the manager to accurately identify and address areas for development. For example, they recognise that keeping parents fully informed of their children's progress is key in providing a shared approach to children's development. Staff share detailed information with photographs about their child's day in a variety of ways, such as through an online application. Parents state how excited their children are to talk about the photographs of them once they get home. This helps children to recall their previous learning with their parents.
• Senior leaders help the manager and staff design an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum across the nursery. Staff use their ongoing observations and assessments of children to help inform their individual next steps in learning. They plan and implement a variety of activities which build on children's development. The capable manager supports staff to develop a clear understanding of how children learn language and how to extend their speech further. For instance, staff model key words as children plant seeds in the garden, such as 'soil', 'stone' and 'bumpy'. Older children talk proudly about their home experiences, competently taking turns to listen and then respond appropriately. Staff give children opportunities throughout the day to practise and learn mathematical language, such as when they help older children correctly count their jumps during exercise.
• Staff effectively support all children's physical development. They provide ample opportunities for children to enjoy and explore being active outdoors. For example, babies hold a member of staff's hand and try hard to balance on slightly raised wooden planks. Older children build on staff's help and confidently adjust equipment to make an obstacle course. They balance on wooden ramps with impressive control, without adult support. These activities help to build children's core strength and stamina, as well as raising children's understanding of their own capabilities.
• The manager shows a clear vision and a keenness to drive improvement, such as working to raise staff's teaching to the highest quality. She observes staff's practice and provides constructive feedback to improve their knowledge and skills further. These details help to inform personalised programmes of professional development for each member of staff. Overall, this is effective. However, on occasions, some staff interrupt children's independent play unnecessarily and do not always allow them the opportunity to work through their ideas themselves. At these times, children's concentration and their ability to critically think is reduced.
• Leaders and staff help children follow a healthy lifestyle, such as managing their own hygiene routines. This includes, washing hands before mealtimes or when they cough or sneeze into them. All children thoroughly enjoy the home-cooked, nutritious meals on offer. However, staff do not consistently use opportunities to teach children about the importance of exercise, good hygiene practices and healthy food choices. This does not help children fully understand the positive impact these important activities have on their bodies.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to recognise when to allow children to continue with their play without interruption, and when to intervene with more purpose
• help staff further to provide consistent messages to help children learn about the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle.