Foxcubs Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this inspirational learning environment highly motivated and with a positive attitude to their learning. They are immensely curious and remain deeply absorbed in play throughout the day. Staff encourage and celebrate these characteristics by expertly creating a flexible environment. This enables children to fully explore their ever-changing interests and learning needs. For example, children use magnifying glasses to explore the features of insects. When it rains heavily, staff encourage them to take photos and print pictures. This enables children to continue their exploration using books and electronic devices indoors.

The management team works exceptionally hard to establish a well-considered and highly effective key-person system. Children develop incredibly close bonds with the well-qualified staff who demonstrate a deep understanding of their individual circumstances. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) develop particularly nurturing relationships with highly knowledgeable one-to-one staff. This enables all children to settle swiftly and make excellent progress from their starting points.

Children's behaviour is impeccable. They are polite and considerate towards their friends, staff and visitors. Staff reinforce these behaviours superbly by implementing clear and consistent strategies. They take every opportunity to remind children of the 'golden rules' that children take immense pride in following. For example, children independently use timers to monitor the time they spend at popular activities. They confidently explain how this ensures that everyone gets to have a turn.

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

• Staff support children's language and communication development exceptionally well. Within each activity and during free play, staff role model key words to support children to develop a wide vocabulary. They routinely ask open-ended questions, creating opportunities for children to develop their conversational skills. A high proportion of children attending speak English as an additional language. Staff use their knowledge of a variety of languages to support children to settle and feel secure in the environment. They expertly deliver various local communication strategies during targeted, small-group sessions. This enables children to develop their language skills at an appropriate pace to their needs.
• Children are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of learning. They are highly independent and confident, and relish in completing age-appropriate tasks. Children delight at serving themselves food from the snack bar and pouring their own drinks. After meals and snacks, children confidently wash up equipment and help wipe down tables. At the end of play sessions, they rush to collect brooms and dustpans, working cooperatively with others to tidy up.
• Staff take every opportunity to ensure their high-quality teaching is embedded in children's knowledge. Children regularly discuss past activities. For example, when washing up after lunch, children recall a recent experiment they conducted to explore how quickly germs multiply and spread. They explain how it is essential to wash their plates thoroughly so that germs do not get in their tummies and make them sick. Staff conduct daily, small-group sessions. They encourage children to recall what they have learned and what they would like to explore further.
• Managers and staff develop deeply respectful relationships with all parents. Parents display high levels of emotion when discussing the exceptional support staff and managers offer to children and the entire family. Staff provide wonderful opportunities for parents to support children's learning. For example, children take home reading books and learning activity packs. These are targeted to children's specific learning needs. Furthermore, learning aims of these resources are shared in a variety of languages. This enables the entire family to fully engage in children's learning and development.
• Staff morale is exceptionally high. Members of the long-standing team report that they feel valued and that their ideas and opinions are well considered in the nursery. The inspirational manager is swift to identify areas for development. She introduces well-considered strategies to support staff practice and well-being. Her infectious enthusiasm for supporting children and families ensures that her staff demonstrate equal passion within their roles. They are routinely observed identifying good practice during sessions and feeding this back to colleagues.
• The management team works hard to establish excellent partnerships with other professionals. Parents and carers are routinely signposted to additional on-site services to support children's development and well-being. Children with SEND and their families benefit from highly effective multi-agency partnerships that focus on supporting their specific needs.