Harper's Nursery School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are enthusiastic and highly motivated to learn. They settle very quickly, behave very well and receive exceptionally warm and nurturing care. Children are treated with the upmost respect and as unique individuals. Children demonstrate that they feel very safe in the care of the staff. This supports children's emotional well-being extremely well and enables them to flourish. All children display curiosity and are given countless opportunities to thrive and explore their extremely well-resourced environment, including extensive outdoor areas. Children demonstrate immense pride in their achievements.

Babies, guided by nurturing staff, confidently explore and thoroughly enjoy the extensive range of sensory play opportunities provided. Babies handle three dimensional shapes, feel smooth pebbles and use their fingers to scrunch autumn leaves. Children smile with delight and enthusiastically bang wooden spoons on metal pans. They are encouraged to differentiate between loud and quiet sounds. Younger children become totally engrossed as they mould and manipulate dough and confidently use language to express their ideas. They demonstrate great precision and control as they very carefully use toy tweezers to pick up grains of dry rice. Older children immerse themselves in their play. They use sticks and cold charcoals from the forest as mark-making tools. Older children successfully form recognisable letters and can write their name. They confidently solve simple calculation problems, count exceptionally well and learn to count up in twos.

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

• The experienced and extremely knowledgeable manager is passionate about the care and learning opportunities provided for the children. Her motivational approach has enthused the highly effective, dedicated and professional staff team to take ownership and pride in its work. This positive attitude has cascaded across the nursery.
• Staff have an excellent range of qualifications, experience and skills. They receive close monitoring, supportive intervention and role modelling. This rigorous monitoring of teaching ensures that training needs are accurately identified and used to improve staff expertise. This includes recently appointing a mental health first aider.
• Staff know the children exceptionally well and ensure their individual needs and interests are prioritised. They very skilfully structure and sequence their high-quality curriculum and adapt their teaching accordingly. Staff become enthusiastically involved in the children's play. They skilfully challenge children to think and problem-solve for themselves. Staff are positive role models. They communicate superbly to the children and are very skilled at strengthening children's developing vocabulary as they play.
• The outdoor environment provides children with an abundance of learning opportunities and is used to facilitate many hands-on experiences and forest-school activities. Children learn to take risks in the natural environment. However, they are fully aware of, and respect, the boundaries in place. Children demonstrate curiosity and wonder as they eagerly search for minibeasts. They know the names of creatures, confidently describe their differences and handle them with utmost care. Children develop their confidence, strength and physical skills as they carefully balance on elevated wooden planks. They enthusiastically run and slide down the mound, smiling and having endless fun.
• Staff effectively support children who receive early years pupil premium. Additional funding has been used to purchase a wide range of additional resources to develop children's mathematical confidence and skills. Additionally, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high levels of support. Staff work very closely with the child's family and other professionals. Achievable targets are immediately set and swift adaptations are made to activities. This enables every child to take part and become fully engaged during their time at the nursery.
• Staff are highly focused in developing children's communication and language skills. Older children confidently use language to express their thoughts and feelings. They are introduced to a breadth of vocabulary as they play, such as 'cocoon', 'chrysalises', 'nocturnal' and 'ginormous'. Staff continually talk to the babies as they play, and respond warmly to their gestures, sounds and first words. They skilfully introduce language and associated actions to familiar rhymes and songs. Babies move their bodies and arms in response, broadly smiling to demonstrate their enjoyment. Additionally, children's enjoyment of books is fostered extremely well across the nursery.
• Staff provide children with rich and varied opportunities to broaden their knowledge and to contribute to the local community. Children learn about rubbish and the importance of protecting the environment by helping to remove litter from the local area. Children decorate the community tree and contribute to church displays. Their knowledge of the roles of others is enhanced through visitors to the nursery, such as the local post lady. Staff fully support children to appreciate and respect the diversity of others. Children decorate clay pots in celebration of Diwali, and commemorate Christian celebrations.
• Partnerships with parents are particularly strong. Staff remained in constant contact with parents during the COVID-19 restrictions and provided learning packs to support children's ongoing learning at home. Staff gain in-depth information from parents about their child's early experiences and home routines, which ensures continuity in their care and development. There is an excellent two-way flow of information, and parents are also able to access a wide selection of books and magazines relating to child development. Parents are extremely positive in their praise of the nursery and the significant progress children make.