Loxley Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy a wide range of exciting adventures in the nearby on-site woodland. These experiences enhance their well-being significantly. Children explore natural materials using all of their senses. For example, children help to prepare a fire in an open space among the trees. They delight in arranging sticks in a 'waffle' shape and placing cotton wool balls into the spaces in between. Staff explain how this will help the flames to take hold. Children are eager to help light the fire safely with firelighters. They listen to the wind blowing through the leaves and smell the vegetable soup that they helped to make earlier.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They ensure that children are kept from harm while having plenty of fun. For instance, children remember and take pride in following the rules carefully. These include taking up the 'respect' position on one knee to prevent them falling forwards. Children learn to take risks safely. These experiences help to build children's self-esteem. Children of all ages answer questions confidently about the forest learning.

The new management team is embedding a curriculum that is planned to follow children's interests and curiosity about the world. Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to investigate their surroundings, as well as a range of stimulating resources, with awe and wonder. Children contribute enthusiastically to daily routines, such as helping to unpack grocery deliveries. This helps children to develop their independence skills in preparation for future learning.

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

• Managers and staff are dedicated and passionate about their provision. They share a clear and ambitious vision and values. All staff are eager for children to fulfil their potential. New staff feel welcome and appreciate support from managers for their development and well-being. Managers provide staff with ongoing supervision, and there is an open-door policy for staff to interact with managers.
• Overall, staff adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of children well, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All children make good progress from their starting points in development. However, managers do not always ensure that staff consistently use all available information in their planning. Very occasionally, staff do not build specifically on what individual children know and can do across all areas of learning.
• Managers establish effective links with the different schools that children move on to across the area. They work in partnership with the local authority advisor and other professionals to support good outcomes for children.
• Parents are very happy with the care provided at the nursery. They appreciate staff's flexible approach to their children's needs. Parents praise staff for their commitment, support and good communication. They feel fully informed about their children's progress through, for example, daily updates, a private social media group, parents' evenings, visits to the nursery and newsletters.
• Children learn to make healthy choices and to look after themselves independently. They benefit from daily exercise and fresh air. For instance, children climb a steep slope to reach the woodland and talk about how this makes them feel. Children help to prepare healthy snacks of fruits and vegetables, and they drink water and milk. They follow good hygiene procedures, including washing their hands after outdoor play. Children learn about looking after their teeth.
• Staff read stories to children throughout the day, which helps to support the development of children's good communication and language skills. Children borrow books from the lending library at the entrance to the nursery. This is one example of how staff help parents to continue learning at home. Children join in with their favourite songs and rhymes at group times. They use mark-making resources, such as clipboards, in all areas of the nursery. This supports children to practise their early literacy skills.
• Children behave well. Staff are positive role models. They offer children plenty of praise and encouragement and demonstrate good manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff support children to form firm friendships. They help children to recognise and understand their emotions. For instance, children can access a 'calm box' and spend quiet time in a specially designed cosy area. Children welcome cuddles and reassurance from staff when needed.
• Children experience an expansive range of activities and engagement in their local community. They regularly go for walks around the area, which staff see as a wonderful resource. Staff take children to care homes, where they sing with the residents. Children frequently visit shops and the post office. This helps them to understand about the world around them and about similarities and differences between themselves and others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen support for staff to help them to plan even more precisely to build on what children know and can do.