Home-Grown At The Wyche Institute

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are invited daily into a safe space where staff diligently ensure each activity is planned to help children build on what they can do and know. This results in all children making excellent progress across all areas of learning. Children eagerly use new words from the storybook and chosen word of the day. This clear focus on increasing children's vocabulary and language results in children using a range of descriptive words during their deep conversations. Children confidently consider how many syllables are in words and discuss which vehicles travel by land, air and water as they sort them into groups. Children display exemplary behaviour. They are fully at ease in their environment and have an excellent understanding of the daily routine. Children are highly motivated during all activities. For example, after listening to a story they eagerly create their own elaborate monsters using dough. They confidently make links to the story as they use words, such as 'horns, spikes' and 'slimy', and independently count. Teaching is rooted in an expert knowledge and the outdoor environment is used equally well to ignite children's curiosity. Children confidently use mathematical language as they sort and match wet socks and peg them on the line. They problem solve and work exceptionally well in groups, as they wash their wheeled toys in the pretend car wash and consider how best to dry them.

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

• This small team share the manager and owner's ambitious vision of providing high-quality education and care for all children. They deliver a curriculum which is expertly designed and embedded, to help children communicate, speak and prepare them for future reading. Staff skilfully combine children's interests, the changing seasons and books to offer creative learning experiences across the curriculum. Children make excellent progress in all areas and many children excel in their speaking, listening and attention, writing and reading ability.
• The highly motivated manager, who works alongside the staff, rigorously monitors quality and is an excellent role model. She astutely identifies areas for further development and ensures teaching is consistently of the highest quality. Staff are extremely complimentary about the support they receive and the targeted programme of professional development.
• Staff have the highest expectations for all children. They place an excellent focus on providing a wealth of experiences with a clear learning intention to help all children make the very best possible progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive in this environment because staff are ambitious and creative in their approach. Staff work extremely closely with parents and other professionals to help close any gaps in learning rapidly.
• The small nature of the nursery results in staff forming extremely close relationships with all children and their families. They use an inclusive approach and swiftly identify each child's uniqueness. They learn about their home circumstances and preferred learning style. This information is used exceptionally well to motivate children and help them to progress. Parents speak extremely highly of the support their children receive to help close gaps in their learning. They are particularly impressed by the curriculum on offer and how staff develop their children's positive attitude for learning.
• Promoting children's personal, social and emotional development is at the centre of the educational programme. The highly knowledgeable staff help children to develop high levels of resilience and increase their language skills to help them talk about their feelings. Staff skilfully help children learn about their differences and teach them about the wider world. For example, staff teach children about the habitats in the Antarctic, the rainforest and Africa and the people and animals who live there.
• All meals are freshly prepared, healthy and nutritious. Staff plan and sequence activities over time to reinforce to children the importance of keeping their teeth and bodies healthy. Children thoroughly enjoy being active as they take controlled risks as they play on the wheeled toys down the slopes. Staff also use a weekly dance and movement session and yoga postures to help further challenge children's physical development.