Chiddingstone Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely confident and comfortable in their play environment. They adapt the environment to extend and enhance their play. They develop very close relationships with their friends and the staff. The consistent staff team allows children to build close bonds to openly share their excitement, their experiences and their fears in confidence. The skills that children learn helps them in preparation for the next stage in their education.

Children show curiosity and inquisitiveness. They explore and experiment in their play, particularly outside. Staff evaluate the outdoor play environment and change this according to the children's interests. For example, adding additional water to a natural puddle area using tubes and guttering. Children extend their exploration using their interests and the particular way they like to learn. They transport their resources to areas of interests. For example, bikes with trailers and wheelbarrows on top to carrying their toolkits.

Children behave impeccably. They receive plentiful recognition for positive interactions with their friends. They openly show care and compassion towards their friends when they are upset or frustrated. For example, when an imaginative activity does not meet a child's satisfaction, other children comfort their friends with kind words and hugs. Staff are very positive role models for children, supporting each other in all their work.

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

• Children think carefully when staff effectively question their play. This helps to develop children's critical thinking and problem-solving. They have time to absorb the information and questions, think about their knowledge and respond with expressions, gestures and verbal responses. Children use complex language, continuously expanding their vocabulary. Staff introduce new words into children's play constantly and use these repetitively, using subtle references to them, until children start to naturally use these words in their play. Children's positive confidence to express themselves is increasing by the day.
• Children experience sensual and malleable play to help develop effective physical skills. This helps to supports skills in readiness for school. Children pour, scoop, and squirt at the 'potions lab', helping them to develop the muscles that are required to make purposeful marks when labelling their drawings.
• Children thoroughly enjoy playing with their peers. Most of their learning takes place during child-led play where staff expertly use their knowledge of the children to extend their thinking and play experiences. Most group, adult-led activities are carefully carried out, providing appropriate challenges according to children's abilities. However, on some occasions this is not always successful and the purpose of learning is directed at the older children. For example, older children understand the sounds and letters discussed in group times but this is too complex for younger children who, therefore, do not fully benefit from these activities.
• Staff have a very positive attitude towards their professional development. They are eager to improve their practice for the children who are currently attending. They show a proactive approach to their work ethic and want to know the best way to support children's learning, development and welfare.
• Parents make very positive comments about the care and learning their children receive. They gain information about their child's development through online platforms, verbal information, displays and websites. They are actively involved in their children's learning through advice and support from all the staff.
• Staff work with other professionals and within the local community to give children an opportunity to develop a sense of belonging. Their transition to other places of learning is supported well. There are clear communications with schools. Children learn about the environment around them, are introduced to staff at school and visit regularly to help this transition.
• Staff know children extremely well and know their interests, their characters and how they learn best. They plan for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very effectively, providing challenges to support their individual needs.
• Children learn to take risks safely. They question their own capabilities to enable them to stay safe. They confidently explore resources and adapt their use to further explore movement. For example, adapting the use of equipment to make stilts, balancing and moving around the outdoor play area.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen the delivery of activities and ensure that they are suitable for the ages and stages of development of the children participating.