Charnwood Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children really enjoy attending this fantastic setting. They are extremely happy and settle very quickly. Key persons greet children warmly and skilfully put children at ease. Children are eager to find their friends and engage in activities immediately. Staff have very high expectations of children and are positive role models for them. They are respectful, nurturing and form secure, loving relationships with children. Children are exceedingly kind to one another. They selflessly share toys and are happy to wait their turn. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They manage their own behaviour incredibly well.

Children are very independent. Babies eagerly take small risks by climbing low-level apparatus by themselves. They are excited to feed themselves at lunchtime. Toddlers expertly use cutlery to eat and are keen to serve their own portions. Children learn life skills and resilience. For example, toddlers work together to help to move furniture. They understand how to move it carefully to keep each other safe. Pre-school children persevere as they try to light a fire outside in the forest-school classroom. They carefully kneel, safely hold a fire steel and continually strike it to set fire to cotton wool balls. They beam with pride once this is achieved.

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

• Managers are extremely passionate and experienced. They have an informed and clear vision of their curriculum and how they want children to learn. Managers have a strong drive to educate all staff to a high level, choosing meaningful training which reflects the needs of the children. Staff say they enjoy training enormously. It supports them to adapt learning to promote the best possible outcomes for every child. Children are exceptionally well prepared for school.
• Learning is expertly sequenced and consistently delivered by the highly enthusiastic and skilled staff. For example, children enjoy using their small-muscle skills, such as cutting up fresh vegetables safely and competently. Children really enjoy learning outside due to the strong focus on forest school throughout the setting. Children are given time to practise and consolidate what they learn. As a result, children make excellent progress in their learning and development.
• All children explore books from a young age. Staff promote a love of reading by placing books everywhere, including the garden and forest-school area. Staff capture children's attention and ignite their imagination when they read stories and share books. They help children learn about the stages of a story. Children proudly share the beginning, middle and end of the stories they have creatively and independently drawn.
• Staff artfully model a wide range of words and sentences to extend and build on children's vocabulary and communication skills. Babies quickly learn how to communicate their needs. They respond positively to staff facial expressions and clearly spoken words and sounds. Staff help toddlers to pronounce words correctly and quickly expand on their rich vocabulary. Pre-school children are very articulate. They use words such as 'crustaceans' as they talk about sea creatures with staff.
• Staff know their key children very well and value their home experiences. They go to great lengths to meticulously plan activities and new experiences for every child. For example, staff are devoted to ensuring children who speak English as an additional language develop their communication in English. They expertly tailor activities to children's interests to introduce new words and phrases. These children also develop their use of the English language rapidly.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and parents speak highly of the setting. They are confident that their children make excellent progress. Staff engage very well with parents and help them to support children's learning in the setting and at home. For example, the nursery offers workshops for parents to access. These workshops include information and ideas to help parents provide activities that they can do at home with their children. Staff also encourage parents to share the book of the month at home with their children to support children's ongoing love of books. This excellent relationship between parents and the setting benefits children's learning and development enormously.