Inn Farm Private Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive and flourish at this outstanding nursery. Children have exceptional access to a wide range of experiences and rural opportunities provided by the knowledgeable staff. Carefully planned activities ensure that children gain an excellent understanding of difference and what makes them unique. All staff value every child in the nursery and they promote equality and diversity through stories, songs and conversation.

All children benefit from rich and meaningful learning across the well-thought-out curriculum. Children jump and cheer as they work as a team to get a parachute into the air, learning that working together is important for success. Staff present information clearly to children, promoting in-depth discussion. For example, children look at different plants and flowers that are growing, treading carefully and showing respect for the environment. They discuss with the staff the difference between the types of flowers.

Babies are extremely well cared for and nurtured. For example, staff gently massage babies to help soothe them in readiness for sleep while listening to relaxing chime music. This embeds strong sleep routines and makes sleep time a calm and smooth experience. Staff promote excellent manners, encouraging younger children to say 'please', 'thank you' and 'you're welcome'. Older children demonstrate excellent manners to each other and to all staff.

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

• Parents speak highly of all the staff at the nursery. They comment that staff are friendly, warm and go beyond all expectations. Their children love coming to the nursery.
• A strong, well-established and effective key-person system is in place, which helps children form positive relationships with staff. The way in which staff support children emotionally is exemplary and worth sharing with others.
• The baby room is a clean environment that is calm and nurturing. Babies benefit from the surrounding environment through going on daily walks in the countryside, safely secured in a pram and carefully attended to by their key person.
• Staff always listen attentively and respond appropriately to children. For example, when a baby puts their hand out to interact and wave, a member of staff notices immediately and waves, saying, 'Hello'. This encourages children's early language and communication and makes them feel loved and valued from an early age.
• Babies are extremely happy and very comfortable. They babble, giggle and smile as they explore the engaging, age-appropriate resources in the baby room, while carefully supervised by the attentive staff.
• Children are highly motivated and eager to join in. Toddlers share and cooperate with one another to wash the baby dolls, carefully trying not to splash the water.
• Healthy eating is very well promoted and children enjoy nutritious and balanced meals served at lunchtime. Children relish the opportunity to grow their own herbs and pick fruit from the trees.
• Staff's interactions with children in the nursery are of high quality and contribute to delivering the ambitious curriculum. Staff have high expectations of the children and use every opportunity to introduce new words. Children are exceptionally confident speakers and are developing an impressive vocabulary.
• Lunchtime is a social part of the day. Babies happily sit facing one another, while eating carefully prepared food with spoons. Toddlers enjoy their food and are gently encouraged to use their spoon and fork, while pre-school children confidently use a knife and fork. The nursery adheres carefully to children's dietary requirements.
• The highly engaging curriculum is embedded securely and consistently across the nursery. The impact of the curriculum is clearly evident in the pre-school room, where children confidently share what they know and can remember. For example, they competently describe the process of how water turns to ice through freezing it to make an ice lolly.
• Leaders ensure that highly effective and meaningful engagement takes place with staff at all levels. Regular supervision meetings ensure that staff are able to discuss the important work that they do and how leaders support them. Rigorous induction processes ensure that staff are aware of what is expected of them.
• The nursery focuses on staff's well-being and has a well-being champion. Staff report high levels of support and comment that the nursery is 'a lovely place to work'. Leaders work collaboratively with all staff and are very accessible if staff have any concerns at all. This means that staff enjoy coming to work and are enthusiastic about helping children to thrive.