Forest Friends Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider is absolutely committed to the service which the nursery provides. Staff are well qualified and highly knowledgeable, and implement an ambitious curriculum successfully. Children flourish and thrive in the inspiring and enabling learning environment, which staff provide for them. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are highly motivated and demonstrate excellent levels of self-control. Children show high levels of care and compassion towards their friends. For example, they happily give up a toy to make a friend happy. This is because staff are wonderful role models for children. They communicate extremely well and are consistent in the way they gently manage children's behaviour. Staff consistently support children to have consideration for others' feelings and regularly provide children with positive praise. This helps to raise children's confidence and self-esteem extremely successfully.

Staff have an excellent understanding that all children need physical strength to engage in activities and to attempt new skills. Children and babies learn to use their bodies very effectively during their play. Toddlers investigate how they can move planks to safely climb and balance. Older children develop small muscles in their hands as they pinch pipettes in water to make a pretend cup of tea. Staff carefully organise the indoor and outdoor spaces, so children are free to access a very wide and exciting range of toys and experiences.

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

• Staff are extremely skilled and enthusiastic as they expertly guide children's learning. They use skilful questioning to support children's thinking, and to help them to make connections and solve problems. This helps children to concentrate for exceptional periods of time as they develop their play. For instance, children persevere well when they find it tricky to use a hammer to tap nails into different-sized pumpkins and vegetables.
• All staff, including new members of the team, demonstrate a deep understanding of how to build on children's growing independence and social skills. For example, they help children to practise and extend their developing language with high-quality, back-and-forth interactions and sign language during circle and story times. Children make excellent progress in their speaking, listening and attention skills.
• The provider and staff carefully observe and consult as a team to ensure that they meet each child's needs successfully. They work very closely with parents and any professionals involved with children. This excellent commitment to inclusion ensures that staff shape the educational programmes and environment with all children's needs in mind. This helps all children to make the best possible progress.
• There is an excellent key-person system, which supports the development of strong relationships at all levels. Children and babies receive great levels of care. Staff create a very caring and nurturing learning environment for children. This helps children to feel safe and secure within the early days of attending or when moving rooms. This fully supports children's emotional well-being.
• Staff work hard to ensure that children develop the fundamental British values needed to help them to become effective future citizens and work together. Staff actively embed golden rules, such as 'kindness' and 'sharing is caring', in their practice. They are very focused on supporting children to recognise and communicate their feelings, such as voicing their opinions and using voting to help to make decisions. As a result, children demonstrate very high levels of respect for others.
• Staff consistently promote healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from nutritious meals. They learn about the vitamins and minerals their bodies need to stay healthy. Children know to drink fresh water when they feel thirsty. Staff nurture children's independence from a very early age. Children develop a strong sense of responsibility, such as when they help to prepare the table for meals and manage their self-care needs extremely well.
• Children and their families are at the heart of this exemplary nursery. Staff are very aware of the need to support parents, particularly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic climate. Parents are highly appreciative of the substantial support they receive. They say that staff are amazing and share details of enjoyable learning activities that they can do at home with their children, to help to continue their children's rapid progress.
• The provider and management team accurately evaluate the nursery to help to identify specific aspects they would like to enhance. For example, they have added an allotment and a separate sensory room to improve outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Additionally, the provider and management team have swiftly reviewed policies and increased the security measurements in place inside the building. This followed an incident where a child was able to leave their room and play in the secure reception area. Staff use a biometric access-control system to ensure that only parents or invited visitors have access into the building.