Jack in the Box at Yewtree

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this exciting nursery and pre-school. Throughout their time at the setting, children remain deeply engaged in a wealth of wonderful learning opportunities that are centred around their interests. For example, children who enjoy playing with vehicles become mechanics for the day. They learn about the correct safety equipment to wear and develop language skills by exploring the names of the different car parts in books. Leaders and staff work exceptionally hard to develop a suitably ambitious curriculum. Their precise knowledge of children's abilities enables them to adapt their strong teaching to meet the needs of all children. As a result, children make exceptional progress from their starting points.

Children form incredibly close bonds with the nurturing staff, who are attentive to their emotional and learning needs. Leaders consider the importance of these relationships when establishing a highly effective key-person system. This is particularly evident when supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These children benefit from exceptional one-to-one support from staff who are highly experienced and knowledgeable about children's early experiences and individual needs. These close relationships support children to settle well, feel safe and thrive in this learning environment.

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

• Partnerships with parents and carers are of an exceptionally high standard. Parents deeply appreciate the immense support they receive from leaders and staff and the additional services they provide. For example, families can access medical and dental services via the nursery and pre-school. Parents comment on how staff ensure they feel involved in children's learning. They attend regular consultation sessions and are supported to continue children's learning at home with activity packs and a nursery library system.
• Children's learning is exceptionally well sequenced and builds on what they already know and what they need to learn. For example, children are learning to focus in adult-led group sessions. Staff support children in smaller song and story groups. They gradually extend the amount of time children participate before joining their friends in extended circle-time sessions.
• Leaders and staff engage exceptionally well with other professionals. This is particularly well demonstrated when supporting children with SEND. Key staff liaise closely with professionals to develop highly effective teaching strategies. These strategies are well implemented and support children's language development, enabling them to regulate their emotions and resulting behaviours. Leaders establish mutually supportive links with other settings children attend. Staff observe children in these learning environments and share appropriate information with carers. This highly effective, collaborative working provides a consistent approach to children's learning.
• Staff embrace every opportunity to support children's development. Simple routines become a wonderful focus for children's learning. For example, when putting on boots to play in the garden, staff encourage children to explore their different sizes and colours. They introduce new vocabulary when discussing their 'length' and 'width' and the 'sparkly' and 'swirly' patterns on them.
• Leaders and staff are passionate about providing exceptional care for all children. Their continuous and robust evaluation enables them to have a precise understanding of children's changing needs. They use this knowledge to create a flexible learning environment that constantly evolves to meet these needs. For example, following rigorous analysis of the current cohort of children, staff identified a need to further support children's emotional development. As a result, they have developed a specific area that focuses on enabling children to identify their emotions and regulate their behaviour more effectively.
• Morale is high within this well-established team. Leaders are committed to developing staff knowledge and practice to an exceptionally high standard. They conduct robust appraisals and supervisions to support staff development and well-being. Staff regularly undertake additional training to support their practice. They embrace opportunities to develop areas of expertise, which they share with colleagues at frequent training sessions. This shared passion for supporting children's development helps to create a happy and vibrant learning environment.