Charley Barley's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from an exceptional start to their learning in this homely, nurturing nursery. Staff enable children to feel emotionally secure from the moment they join the nursery. Home visits carried out before babies start mean that strong, trusting relationships are established immediately between children, parents and staff.

Leaders have worked extremely hard to train staff in helping to build children's emotional resilience. Staff are highly skilled in using extensive strategies to help children explain how they are feeling. Staff gently guide and support children, and use creative methods, such as visual prompts and stories, to help children understand their different emotions. For example, toddlers confidently explain what makes them sad or angry and understand how this feels. Older children are competent in finding ways to help them feel calmer, and manage this well with gentle support from staff. This strong focus on supporting children's emotional development contributes fully towards the exemplary levels of behaviour seen throughout the nursery. Children are exceptionally kind, courteous and highly respectful of others. This results in an extremely harmonious environment where children play, learn and explore happily together.

Leaders and staff ensure every child is valued, respected and included. If children need additional help, this is provided instantly. Staff's engagement with children is excellent. Babies develop the confidence to explore freely and snuggle into their key persons when they need some extra reassurance. Older babies develop exceptional levels of independence for their age. They listen to instructions and follow them carefully. For example, when staff ask them to find their shoes, or to wash their hands before snack time, children respond positively and manage these routines extremely well. Older children develop a wealth of skills and knowledge to equip them well for future learning and starting school.

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

• The leadership team members work exceedingly hard to deliver the highest quality standards. They have a clear vision for delivering the best possible provision for children, and this is reflected in all they set out to do. They are incisive in their monitoring of the provision and continually identify further ways to improve. Staff value the support they receive from leaders and the concern shown towards meeting their well-being needs. Staff training is given the highest priority. This enables staff to frequently develop and enhance their knowledge through further qualifications and professional training. The range of expertise, experience and skills among the staff team contributes fully towards the outstanding levels of practice in all rooms.
• Teaching is exemplary across the nursery. Staff know the children exceptionally well and plan for their learning and development meticulously. The nursery curriculum is fully understood and extremely well embedded. Children benefit from an extensive level of learning opportunities that challenge them appropriately and build on what they already know. Staff work closely alongside parents to fully understand children's changing needs and interests. This carefully structured approach means that children's learning is seamlessly sequenced from one room to the next.
• The curriculum for language and literacy fully supports children's development of a broad vocabulary. Staff engage closely with children and encourage the development of early language. From a young age, children learn and use an extensive range of words in their play. For example, babies repeat the word 'bear' as they pretend to have a teddy bears' picnic. Pre-school children correctly use the word 'receipt' as they play imaginatively in a role-play shop. During play, staff sensitively ask questions and encourage children to use words to describe what is happening and how they might be feeling. For example, in 'Teenies', older babies correctly explain they would like more 'avocado' at snack time, using words confidently and clearly to convey their wishes.
• The nursery curriculum offers a wealth of opportunities for children to learn about themselves and the wider world. Staff empower children to become confident, articulate and competent learners. Children's thirst for gaining knowledge is evident in the way they interact with staff, retain new information and confidently ask questions to find out more. Staff encourage this interest well. For example, they arrange regular outings to visit older residents in a local care home. Children have raised donations and visited a nearby shelter for the homeless. Staff planned for this sensitively and enabled older children to develop compassion and empathy in understanding the needs of other people.
• Staff enable children to develop responsibility and an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, pre-school children carry out a simple health and safety check on the nursery garden each day. They are confident in recognising possible dangers, and report their findings to staff. Children enjoy the responsibility of letting the younger children know the garden is safe for them to play in. Staff sensitively teach children about possible dangers around them. For example, they use relevant stories to teach children about online safety. Children speak knowledgeably about the possible risks involved as staff have explained these clearly. For example, children demonstrate that they fully understand they must never share their name or address with anyone they do not know.
• All children, including those who may need extra help, make exceptional levels of progress in their learning and development. Staff quickly identify when a child needs some extra help, and specialist support is sought immediately, when needed. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress in their learning and development. Staff have completed specific training in helping to promote children's speaking and listening skills, as leaders know this has been a key learning area for some children. Any gaps in children's learning close rapidly. Children are exceptionally well prepared for starting school.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Parents are unanimous in their support and commendation for leaders and staff, who have implemented an extensive range of opportunities for parents to be fully involved in their children's learning. Leaders have created excellent strategies to support learning at home. For example, staff have prepared 'learning bags' to cover simple concepts, such as counting or writing, for parents to enjoy carefully planned activities and games with children. 'Lucy Bear' is used well to extend links between the nursery and children's homes as children delight in sharing their individual experiences. Parent workshops, information boards, social events and frequent meetings with staff contribute fully towards the exemplary levels of partnership working.