Foxes Bridge Farm Nursery & Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, and they show high levels of engagement in this exciting and unique learning environment. As they arrive at the nursery, they receive warm and welcoming interactions from staff, who engage in conversations with them about their personal experiences. Children form strong emotional attachments with staff, who get to know them very well. This helps children settle quickly and feel safe and secure.

Staff model positive behaviours to support children in developing respectful relationships with others. When children build with wooden blocks, staff ask permission to add additional blocks to the structures that children have spent time creating. They thank children for being kind when they agree to others joining their play. Staff celebrate positive behaviours and are consistent in supporting children to reduce any unwanted behaviours. They implement clear rules and routines across the nursery, and this helps children understand what is expected of them. As a result, children behave well.

Staff have high aspirations for children. Well-planned activities enable children to learn about nature, life cycles and their own physical health. During time in the garden, children learn how to care for the nursery's pets, developing a sense of responsibility. They observe unique experiences on the farm, such as lambing season and watching the combine harvester in the nearby field. The nursery chef teaches children about the food they eat and where it comes from. Rich experiences such as these contribute to children making good progress in their learning.

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

• The nursery is led by a committed leadership team who are passionate about what they do. They have a clear vision for the nursery, and they work with the staff to implement a fun and challenging curriculum for children. In addition, the team invests heavily in staff's well-being. Staff report that they feel very well supported.
• Staff place a high priority on promoting children's personal, social and emotional development. They validate children's emotions and encourage them to think about how their words and actions could make others feel. Younger children enjoy playing games where they their find their nose, eyes and tummy. Older children are praised as they work harmoniously together to collect hay for the toy tractor. Children develop a strong sense of self and build on the skills that are needed to support social interactions.
• Staff generally support babies' communication and language well. They talk to them clearly and with excitement, using some Makaton signs to support their early communication skills. As children explore the sensory tray, staff introduce new words to describe the texture of the resources, and they narrate children's actions, building on their understanding of language. At times, staff leave background music on, playing loudly, and they have not considered how this affects babies' ability to hear speech sounds clearly. This reduces babies opportunities to fully develop their growing vocabulary.
• Children learn to be independent from a young age. Babies learn to use a spoon at mealtimes and practise wiping their hands and face afterwards. In the toddler room, children wash their hands and see to their own toileting needs. Older children help to serve their own meals and learn to put on and take off their coats. This helps prepare children for their transition into the next room or as they move on to school.
• Children immerse themselves in activities. Older children use their gross motor skills to transport heavy equipment around the garden. Younger children make play dough with flour and water and build their fine motor skills as they squeeze and squash the mixture. They add natural resources, which have been collected from the farm early that day, discussing the smell of the herbs and colour of the leaves. Overall, staff use opportunities in children's play to extend children's learning. However, at times, staff answer questions for children and solve problems for them, rather than encouraging them to do this themselves to extend their thinking skills.
• The nursery works closely with a range of other professionals to enhance the outcomes for children. When they attend other settings, staff build partnerships quickly to provide children with effective continuity of care. Pre-school staff work together with school staff to support children's transitions as they move on to the next stage in their educational journey. They work alongside other professionals to provide tailored learning plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, all children, including those with SEND, make the best possible progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in recognising the effect background noise has on young children's communication and language development
• help staff in understanding how to extend and challenge children's curiosity and thinking skills even further.