Edenfield Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are immersed in a rich array of challenging and stimulating learning experiences that intentionally build on what they know and can do. They are surrounded by highly qualified, skilled staff who love to chat with them and explore the things they are interested in. Children and staff have great fun together in nursery. Expectations of behaviour are consistently high. Children calmly and respectfully access the wonderful array of resources that are available at every turn, each with a clear purpose for learning. They use the resources well and become fully engrossed in developing new ideas.

Children are extremely confident in their surroundings and in social situations. They talk about how special their friends are to them and really look forward to seeing each other. Children are kind to one another. They wait patiently by the door at the start of a session to greet their friends who may need their support to take off their coat or choose a place to play. Children have developed warm bonds with the nurturing staff who care for them so expertly and keep them safe. Staff let children know how important they are. When children have been absent, staff let them know that they have been thought about while they were away.

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

• Leaders have a clear vision, professional ethos and sharp focus on what needs to be done to continually maintain excellence across the setting. This level of commitment and dedication is shared by the whole team, which works tirelessly with real attention to detail. Targets for improvement are aspirational, pertinent and based on maximising learning. Expectations of practice are consistently high and children benefit from a well-planned curriculum.
• Every resource, activity and experience offered to children is meticulously planned, so everything has a clear learning intention. This is further enhanced by highly skilled and knowledgeable staff modelling and interacting with children at every opportunity. Progression across all areas of learning and development is exceptional as experiences are skilfully built upon as children move through nursery. For example, toddlers practise hammering golf tees into foam blocks. This is extended for pre-school children, who practise with real tools to make a wooden toy.
• Leaders identified that children have limited opportunities to play outdoors at home. They quickly set about securing funding, utilising the caretaker's skills and detailed planning to develop an exciting outdoor area where children can learn and explore. Children are empowered to take safe risks and physically challenge themselves as they use the steps and rope ladder in the climbing tree. They enjoy exploring the giant sandpit, going on listening walks to identify the sounds in their environment and growing plants and vegetables. These opportunities have significantly helped to narrow gaps in children's learning and development.
• Staff understand the importance of developing children's literacy skills and provide for this extremely well. Reading areas are beautifully resourced with attractive, well-maintained books, drapes, seating, cushions and cosy lighting. These areas are constantly used by children on their own taking time out to look at a book, or for quiet stories, chats and focused activities with staff. Children are developing a love of stories, rhymes and songs.
• Parents are deeply passionate in their praise for the way the staff take time to listen to them and find out about their children. They talk about how staff really care and go that extra mile to help them and their children. Staff readily help parents to access services and appointments with professionals so they get all the support they need for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Children make exceptional progress in their communication and language. This view is supported by parents. Staff consistently model language and encourage children to practise new words at every opportunity throughout their play. Staff speak most of the seven home languages currently used in the nursery. They take great care to speak with children in their home language as well as English to maximise learning. If a child's language is new to staff, they take time to learn some words and purchase effective resources. Staff and children are currently learning some Spanish words together.
• Children's emotional well-being is highly valued. When children arrive they find their named object and carefully consider if they are feeling sad, happy or angry. They then put their name into the corresponding emotion jar. Children are sensitively supported to talk about their emotions and express their feelings, either through the special conversations on arrival or at group times.
• Staff's well-being is a high priority. Staff feel extremely well supported. Supervisions are focused on their professional development and leaders prioritise regular team building events together. Staff show pride and joy in what they are doing and effortlessly make learning enjoyable. This leads to very happy children who clearly enjoy every minute they spend in nursery.