Greenglade Day Nursery and Forest School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery eager to start their day. They are greeted by staff, who know children very well. This helps children to settle into their routines quickly. Children spend lots of time outdoors in the nursery garden or at the nursery's forest school. Children explore their environment confidently and are creative with the resources and nature around them.

Children understand the boundaries that are in place to keep them safe. This is evident at the forest school, where children recall the rules and boundaries as they move into different areas. For example, as children move to the fairy path, they demonstrate excellent risk assessment skills. They discuss where they can freely explore and point out which trees which they are able to climb. Children show lovely consideration to their friends as they move out of their way and remove obstacles in their path while transporting soil. Children learn to manage their safety with the support of experience staff members.

Children demonstrate their knowledge of creating repetitive patterns. They use coloured animals to repeat a red and yellow pattern with animals. Children recognise numbers and are confident to count out the corresponding number of animals. Children learn good mathematical knowledge and skills.

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

• The nursery's curriculum builds on what children already know and can do from their starting points in learning. For example, babies learn to hold a spoon at lunchtime, toddlers learn to use a knife and fork, while older children serve their own food and pour their own drinks. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Babies explore their senses as they scrunch a foil blanket and shake instruments. They thoroughly enjoy the nursery rhymes that caring and enthusiastic staff sing to them. Babies start to join in with the actions, such as 'Wind the Bobbin up'. However, sometimes, such as lunchtime, babies are sat down too early, resulting in them waiting too long for their meals and they become restless.
• Children of all ages enjoy stories. Knowledgeable staff engage children's interest in the stories, using props or changing their voices. Children call out in anticipation of what is to come as they know the stories well. Staff repeat words often and recall what children have said or asked, to ensure that children develop good speech and language skills.
• Experienced staff teach children to understand cause and effect. For example, children use tubes and pipes to move water outdoors. They look what happens to the flow of the water when the pipes are moved higher and lower. Children who are making play dough consider if they need more water or flour when the dough becomes sticky. Children are critical thinkers in their play and learning.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable about her role and how best to support the children in her care. She works tirelessly to ensure that children's needs are met. The SENCo supports parents in any way she can. She ensures that children's targets are in place. This means that children with SEND have the reasonable adjustments that they need so that they can thrive.
• Children develop good health and care skills, such as washing hands before eating and after personal care routines. However, when staff are checking to ensure food is at a suitable temperature to serve to children, they do not always use the correct food hygiene procedure.
• Staff use additional funding effectively to ensure that children make better progress in their learning and development. For example, they have purchased additional resources to build on children's interest or needs to encourage their participation.
• Overall, parents are very happy with the care and support which their children receive from the nursery's staff and management. Parents are kept informed of their child's routines, personal care and activities that they enjoy doing through an electronic app. They have access to information about their children's development on the app and can speak to their child's key person at any time.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the time that babies have when sitting waiting, especially at lunchtimes, to ensure that they are engaged and happy
• ensure that staff follow food hygiene procedures to check the temperature of the food before serving to children.