Little Woodland Tribe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy spending all of their time playing outdoors in the fresh air. They show great interest in learning more about aspects of the natural world and are keen to take care of living things. For example, children understand that insects are attracted to certain plants and can identify different butterflies by colour and size. Children settle well and remain engaged in their chosen activities for long periods of time. They feel valued and their self-esteem is boosted by the staff, who give them plenty of praise and encouragement.

Children's behaviour is extremely positive. They are highly reassured by the clear guidance they receive from the staff. Children show that they feel very safe and are highly confident when making decisions and facing new experiences. They quickly learn the importance of following safety instructions when moving around the woodland spaces and using different tools. For example, children know to pause and listen immediately when staff call out a familiar word to the group. Their resilience is fostered well and children need very little encouragement to keep trying with challenging tasks. For instance, they show excellent determination to do up small buttons on their clothing, persevering until they master it.

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

• From a young age, children are encouraged to be independent and manage tasks for themselves. For example, they operate a dispenser to fill bowls with water before carrying them carefully back to add to their 'mud pies'. When a spillage occurs, staff offer reassurance and encourage children to think about how they can clean it up themselves. Older children often manage these situations with little need for support from staff.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They introduce new words and encourage children to use their newly acquired words in conversations. Children often use language accurately to express their ideas and find out more about the things that interest them. However, when older children ask more complex questions, staff do not consistently help them to gain new information to build on what they already know.
• Managers monitor the curriculum and assess children's learning effectively. This helps them to identify where children may need additional support to prevent them from falling behind. For example, when gaps in children's mathematical development arise, staff make better use of incidental moments to explore shapes, counting and simple addition with children.
• There are safe and hygienic arrangements to meet children's personal care needs. Staff make good use of the indoor space when supporting children to use the toilet or have their nappy changed. They speak to children and sing songs with them during nappy changing routines, while ensuring children are comfortable and have appropriate privacy.
• Staff make sure that all children feel valued. They create opportunities for children to talk about their feelings and emotions, and the experiences they have outside of the setting. This helps to strengthen children's respect for others and widens their awareness of the similarities and differences in themselves and their families.
• Parents speak very highly of the setting and how their children's safety is prioritised by the staff. They value the opportunities their children have to learn outdoors and connect with nature. Parents receive regular and detailed communication which helps to keep them fully up to date with their children's progress.
• Managers observe the quality of staff's interactions with children and provide regular supervision. This helps managers to develop a secure understanding of individual strengths within the staff team and supports the monitoring of their well-being. Staff's morale is high. They clearly share a passion for the outdoors which helps to inspire children to embrace their learning in all weathers.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's understanding of what they want children to learn, to help the oldest children to acquire new knowledge and skills more rapidly.