Into The Woods Outdoor Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide bespoke and gradual introductions into forest school life for each new child, which are thoughtfully led by their key person. Key persons closely shadow individual children as they build on new experiences until they feel confident in the new setting. Children settle exceptionally well. Staff build very strong bonds with all children, not just their key children. All staff know and value each child very highly. Children are supremely confident and deeply engaged in their learning despite some having only recently started in this exhilarating forest school setting. Staff have high expectations of each child and manage their behaviour in thoughtful and highly effective ways. Children display very positive behaviour, and older children remind younger ones how to behave well.

The curriculum is enthralling and innovative. It helps all children to make excellent progress. Staff make excellent use of the natural environment as an exceptional foundation for children's learning. They support children's creative development in highly successful ways. For example, staff encourage children to use natural pigments to paint on cloth attached to trees. Children use their own initiative and decide to use cinnamon powder to make dry paintings on cloth. Children observe the different effects and proudly call staff over to show them their artwork. They take great delight in their work and gain excellent creative skills. Staff teach children mathematics very well. They collect stones with children, who then match the correct number of stones to the written numeral. Children count confidently to 20 while playing hide and seek and demonstrate excellent mathematical skills.

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

• Children gain an exceptional understanding of the world. For example, staff take children on walks around the forest to find evidence of animals hibernating in winter. Children spot a robin in a tree, and staff teach them how the robin is looking for somewhere safe to stay in winter. Children have an excellent knowledge of a variety of tree names, including oak, hornbeam and holly.
• Children are very articulate and use expressive language exceptionally well. For example, they comment that leaves are 'very delicate' as they handle them on the forest floor. Staff have daily small-group focused language sessions where they use a recording box for children to practise their speaking and listening skills. They provide lively storytelling and song sessions, and children have access to a very wide range of books to support their language and literacy skills.
• Children are extremely confident and very independent. They assess for themselves how high they can climb and balance on low-lying trees while under staff's supervision. Children take on different helper roles in the forest, such as handing out paper towels to children. They learn to put on their forest school kit each day. Children learn excellent sharing skills, such as taking turns to make up a group story together.
• Staff work exceptionally well with parents and carers. Parents' written comments during the inspection describe the setting as 'magical and inspiring'. Staff use highly effective and flexible ways to keep parents up to date on children's progress. They invite parents into the setting to read stories to children in different languages to support their learning.
• Leaders monitor and support staff in excellent ways. They spend time observing staff's practice and give precise feedback to enhance their skills. Leaders take every opportunity to model best practice to staff and have regular individual meetings with staff to offer support. They enable staff to attend a wide range of courses to enhance their knowledge and practice. For example, staff have attended a course on supporting children's language skills, which has led to better outcomes for children.
• Leaders review all aspects of the setting precisely and set aspirational goals to build ongoing improvement. For example, they plan to continue to enhance their knowledge of the best ways to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Children develop excellent physical skills. They confidently mount rope swings and propel themselves backward and forwards. Children glide securely along low slacklines. They develop strong core muscle strength as they learn to negotiate the uneven terrain of the forest.
• Staff have a very robust approach to children's safety. They carry out daily and rigorous risk assessments of the forest, including upward checks to see if anything has become dislodged in trees. Hygiene standards are high, and children have an excellent awareness of safety. For example, they remind each other not to go outside of the 'blue cone zone' and know how to handle tools with great care and caution. All children wear high-visibility vests, and staff are deployed well with a high staff-to-child ratio at all times.