Finkley Down Farm Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have created an extremely unique, child-centred learning environment. As such, children bound into the nursery, bubbling with anticipation and eager to start their adventure each day. Leaders and managers are crystal clear on the skills and knowledge they want children to learn during their time at nursery. Staff know their families extremely well and understand their unique starting points. For example, leaders identified the importance of reintroducing home visits following the COVID- 19 pandemic prior to children starting. This enables staff to accurately plan for children's settling in and precisely support any identified gaps in their learning and development at the earliest opportunity.

Managers have identified communication and language, and children's physical independence, as priority areas in which children need more focused support following the pandemic. The highly ambitious curriculum is built around the prime areas of learning, then expertly enriched to extend, challenge and stretch children's knowledge and understanding of the world. Staff utilise every opportunity to build children's resilience. They teach them to manage their safety and assess risks throughout the day. For instance, children are clear about the rules that they must follow when walking to the farm. They understand the care they must take of one another and the animals when they are petting the rabbits or grooming the ponies.

Staff understand their role in promoting children's independence and encouraging their creativity and critical thinking. They provide exciting and enticing learning experiences for children to explore and investigate. This sparks children's sense of adventure, wonder and awe. Children learn about the life cycles of ecosystems, climates, habitats, plants, animals and people. Staff develop children's confidence, tolerance and respect. For example, children use resources that contain positive images of diversity, including photographs, recipes, music, pictures, books and authentic food from around the world.

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

• Leaders ensure the curriculum is closely aligned to the needs of the children in the nursery. Staff use their knowledge of the children and families to precisely plan for their learning and development. All children make rapid progress.
• Leaders and managers ensure the curriculum offers children a broad range of experiences, based on strong, solid foundations, that prepare them for life in modern Britain. Children's rights, wishes and feelings are prioritised, and strategies are used to ensure that every child is included. For instance, staff consistently support children's communication and language using Makaton. This not only supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, but it also promotes understanding for children who speak English as an additional language. Children access additional enrichment activities, such as ballet, fitness, and cooking sessions, to build upon their previous experiences.
• Staff provide children with an abundance of opportunities to be physically active. Children explore gravity and force as they enjoy rolling tyres down the mound in the garden. They plant and dig for vegetables, which staff then teach them to cut safely, in preparation for activities or snacks. Children meticulously clean dough from model dentures with toothbrushes and dental tools. They reflect on the pictures they can see in the reference books staff have provided. This helps them to understand the importance of good oral hygiene. Children develop a deep understanding of being healthy and the impact of their choices on their health.
• Children benefit from additional experiences on a daily basis to support their developing skills. For example, the farm and yurt are used effectively to provide children with unique opportunities to experiment with natural resources. Children can explore blacksmith tools from the past used to make animal harnesses and farm machinery. Children learn the specific conditions required to ensure that rare species of reptiles survive and thrive. They are taught how heat and moisture are used to recreate natural habitats. This supports children's awareness of environmental issues and instils in them the knowledge and skills to become socially responsible by, for example, taking care of themselves and the environment.
• Staff have established clear strategies to support children to learn about the rules, boundaries and expected levels of behaviour. For example, children with allergies or dietary requirements instinctively ask for their high-visibility wristband when they arrive each morning. Staff consistently reinforce the golden rules during activities. They give children opportunities to identify potential hazards and recall safety measures before starting regular activities or walks. Consequently, children's behaviour is exemplary. They demonstrate kindness, compassion, tolerance and respect for each other. Children remain highly engaged in their learning for significant periods of time.
• Parents and carers know the content of the curriculum. They are frequently provided with details of specific activities that they can do to support and extend their child's learning at home. The vast majority of parents express how confident they are in the quality of care and education that their children receive. Parents share how 'excellent' and 'experienced' staff, particularly their children's key person, are at keeping them informed about their child's progress. This demonstrates effective parent partnership.