I Learn Education Crowle

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very kind and considerate towards each other and the friendly staff. Children learn how to share and work together as a team, for example when they build forest dens, hunt for bugs or treat patients in their role play hospital. They develop high levels of independence and make confident choices in all their play.

Children feel safe and know they are well cared for in the nursery. Babies enjoy the warmth and comfort of the staff's observant and gentle approach. Babies form strong bonds with staff, helping establish positive social skills. Children learn to keep themselves safe when, for example, they are near the camp fires or playing in the trees. They find out how germs spread as they shake hands covered in red paint and learn how to thoroughly wash their hands. This contributes to their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, respond well to staff's consistently high expectations. They make excellent progress through staff's careful planning for their development. For example, children develop their hand and muscle control from activities such as threading pipe cleaners through colanders and everyday objects, or carefully controlled painted tree silhouettes and letter writing.

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

• The experienced and well-qualified manager provides exceptionally clear and passionate leadership. She is strongly supported by her senior staff. All staff work as a team and have clear roles and responsibilities. New initiatives, to develop babies' communication skills and enhance staff's planning, are thoroughly researched and systematically evaluated. The nursery provides training opportunities to other early years providers within the local authority.
• Staff skilfully plan for children's learning across all areas of their development. Thoroughly well-planned and considered induction procedures provide a secure baseline for children to grow from. Staff plan a curriculum that ensures learning is consistently built on and reinforced using the children's own interests and enthusiasms. For example, staff support babies and young children's counting skills through many action songs and rhymes. Staff reinforce this in creative and imaginative play as children place five little ducks or speckled frogs in the glimmering pond scenes they have made.
• Staff positively promote children's communication skills. Staff are excellent role models to children with their clear, engaging speech, skilfully aimed at extending children's vocabulary. Babies develop a sense of the rhythm of speech when, for example, they accompany the nursery rhymes and songs they choose for themselves with musical instruments. Older children love to experiment and use new and exciting words staff introduce them to. For example, children know the names of many dinosaurs or use and understand words such as 'nutrients' and 'hydrating' as they care for the plants they have grown.
• Children are encouraged to develop a love of reading. High-quality children's books, rhymes and stories are at the heart of many activities and in the parent library. Children follow the plot and anticipate what will happen next in well-told stories. They dress up as their favourite fictional characters and use puppets to perform stories and create their own. Staff carefully plan for children's developing mark-making and early writing skills. Children hunt for the letters in their names, hidden in jungle or autumnal play trays, and read the recipes together for making real ice cream.
• Children's well-being and personal development are excellent. They very politely and patiently serve themselves at lunchtime from the nutritious, well-prepared nursery meals. Meals often include herbs and vegetables children have grown themselves. Children experiment with giant toothbrushes and teeth to learn the importance of good dental health. They learn to be organised and efficient. For example, they give each other different tasks when making a complex track for their toy cars and make their own rota for turn taking.
• Parents thoroughly recommend the nursery. They comment on the excellent communication they receive. They welcomed the steps to ensure children's safety during COVID-19, such as maintaining social distance on entry and the online activities for children. Parents contribute to the life of the nursery by helping children appreciate different occupations and cultural traditions.