Kids Love Nature (Lymington) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from excellent opportunities and experiences at the nursery. Staff use every opportunity to stimulate children's learning through extremely high-quality interactions that build on what children can already do.

Children are exceptionally independent. They demonstrate they can take care of their personal needs. For example, confidently changing out of wet clothes. Children offer each other suggestions, such as using a bag to take their clothes home in. They offer one another plenty of encouragement and celebrate their successes. Younger children very quickly pick up the routines of the pre-school room with exceptional support from their older friends. Babies learn to wash up after lunch, laughing with delight and playing with the bubbles. Staff are highly supportive and sensitive to the children they care for.

Children thrive at the nursery. Staff empower children to manage their own feelings and behaviour. They teach children strategies and model words to use. Staff are excellent role models and children's behaviour is exemplary.

Children enjoy extensive periods of uninterrupted play, with many children choosing to learn outdoors. They lead their own learning, such as moving from the gentle slope of the door ramp to the slide to make their vehicles travel faster. Children are highly motivated and engaged in their play and learning.

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

• Leaders and managers have embraced revisions to the early year foundation stage. They have used the opportunity to thoroughly embed their own curriculum, ensuring a very well-thought-out and sequenced approach to children's learning. Staff are fully involved and share the vision to offer all children an exceptional start to their educational journey.
• Children's emotional well-being is at the very centre of the nursery curriculum. Staff notice that the impact of COVID-19 restrictions has had a negative effect on many children's emotional development. They are highly reflective of this and take additional care and time to form highly nurturing relationships with children. As a result, children feel safe and secure and are ready to learn.
• Staff know the children they care for extremely well and understand how they learn. Activities and resources are meticulously planned to take account of individual children's learning styles and interests. Children have ample time, space and opportunity to get deeply engrossed, as they explore the extensive resources staff provide. Staff are exceptionally 'tuned into' children's learning. They know when to stand back or to challenge them further to deeply explore their chosen topics. All children make superb progress in their learning.
• Children's communication is excellent. They hold mature conversations, using vocabulary that exceeds the general expectations for their age. Staff use every possible opportunity to teach children an abundance of real-life words as they play. Children learn the names of birds and plants. For instance, as they play and explore in the outdoor learning spaces. Babies learn to use sign language, communicating very effectively before they can speak.
• Staff form excellent partnerships with parents. They ensure parents are fully informed about their children's time at the nursery, using an online app and through extensive verbal handovers. Innovative boards outside the nursery entrance give parents further ideas to continue their children's learning at home. Parents comment they are in awe of all the nursery does to support their children's learning.
• Leaders and managers recruit staff who share their vision of exceptionally high-quality childcare and education. Specialist staff, such as artists and gardeners, complement the staff team to offer children further amazing experiences at the nursery. Children delight in the opportunities being at the farm offers them. They enthusiastically take part in preparing the soil for growing vegetables, showing they know how to use tools competently. Children learn about 'soil to plate' as they grow their own vegetables. These are used in the nursery kitchen to prepare nutritious meals and children make their own bread.
• Leaders and managers ensure all staff receive the very best opportunities for professional development. All staff are continually developing their skills and knowledge to maintain an outstanding level of practice. Staff comment they feel valued and their opinions matter. Their well-being is supported excellently.