Croft Corner Forest School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are motivated to learn. Due to the skilled staff team, children are encouraged to keep on trying when they encounter difficulties in their play. They are also successfully supported to find their own solutions to their problems. For example, when making musical instruments, skilful questioning by staff encourages children to find ways of covering their instruments. Supporting children's personal and social skills is a key curriculum intention. Effective role modelling by staff helps children to learn to behave well and to develop positive attitudes to learning. Children remain focused in their play for extended periods of time. When playing with play dough, children chat about what they are making. They respond to their peers' explanations, interacting and building on their own ideas.

Exceptionally skilled pre-school staff encourage children to identify a range of emotions. As the staff member holds up each emotion card, children identify which emotion is displayed. The staff member asks them why they think this, exploring their thoughts, feelings and understanding of emotions. For example, when children explain that the person feels left out, the staff member explains that they may feel lonely. Children continue to reflect on this and confirm the person feels lonely, as they have no friends. The staff member moves on to explore how the children are feeling. She allows them time to answer and explain why they feel this way. The activity successfully challenges children, supporting their listening and communication skills as well as their personal and emotional development.

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

• Children enjoy looking at books independently and with staff. Two-year-olds request staff read their favourite stories using words and signs. Staff support their speaking skills as they encourage children to discuss what they can see in the book. Pre-school staff hold conversations with children. They ask relevant questions, supporting two-way conversations. Staff also introduce new words into older children's growing vocabulary.
• Staff working with the youngest children continually talk to them about what they are doing. However, they do not consistently listen to and build on what toddlers are saying. They also sometimes explain the meaning of the word to the toddler, which is not developmentally appropriate for these young children.
• Forest school sessions provide pre-school children with opportunities to learn about the world around us. They explore their natural environment and learn to take calculated risks under the close supervision of staff.
• The forest school ethos is carried on during outdoor play at the nursery. At the start of term, staff support pre-school children to learn how to safely use hammers. They provide children with bottle tops and lollipop sticks to hammer into large pieces of wood. As children's skills, control, and coordination progress, they begin using smaller nails and pieces of wood. Pre-school children show imagination as they carefully hammer the nails and fit elastic bands to them. They explain how they are making electric guitars.
• The outdoor environment is carefully planned for two-year-olds and babies. Two-year-olds learn how to carefully navigate the slope and climb up and down stairs. Toddlers are encouraged to develop their balance and coordination as they learn to negotiate the different textured flooring on different levels.
• Staff work closely with parents and carers to ensure children's individual needs are met from the outset. Staff continue to review and monitor children's progress, responding to their interests as they build on each child's prior knowledge and skills. Staff also plan activities based on cultural and yearly events to broaden children's experiences and knowledge.
• Children's awareness of safety and being healthy is supported through some planned activities. They learn about road safety and how to be assertive and to respect the word 'no'. However, the manager has yet to consider how to explore children's awareness of online safety.
• Parents are extremely happy with the care and learning provided at the nursery. They especially like the freedom where their children benefit from indoor and outdoor play and forest school sessions. They explain how their children have been supported to learn some letter sounds and they feel this prepares them well for starting school.
• Children with possible special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure all children, including those with more complex needs, are included, valued, and supported. Staff help children to learn about their similarities and differences. This helps children to respect each other as unique individuals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff who work with children under two years to more consistently build on what children say to support their growing vocabulary
• consider how to support children's awareness of how to stay safe when using the internet and digital technology.