Much Woolton Old School Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this unique nursery happy and ready to learn. Children's personal, social and emotional development is a real focus of the nursery. Children play together in mixed age groups and can choose where they play. For example, older children help younger ones to get onto a swing outside. Others play together in the home corner as they 'feed the baby' and 'cook the tea'. Children learn from one another and, as a result, develop a sense of self and belonging. Younger children grow in confidence as the older children support them.

Children's physical skills are developing extremely well. Children enjoy running, jumping, swinging and climbing in the large outdoor area. They pour coloured water through funnels and jugs and paint pebbles using different-sized brushes. Others use more precise skills to draw or build towers. Skilled staff use words such as 'taller' and 'shorter' to help support children's learning. As a result, children's mathematical language is supported well and children are ready for school.

Children are engaged and focused in their learning. Staff follow the interests of children extremely well and design activities around their emerging interests and needs. For example, children use shaving foam and sprinkles to make their own ice-cream. As a result, children are settled and behaviour is good at this home-from-home nursery.

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

• Routines are embedded well. For example, children know to register themselves when they arrive each day. Younger children find their photo and older children have a go at writing their name. Lunchtime routines are very effective. Children enjoy sitting together and wait patiently for the food to be served. They select their own cutlery and pour their own drinks. This helps to develop independence, confidence and self-esteem.
• Staff have carefully designed the large outdoor area to meet children's interests and needs. Children enjoy balancing on low beams or climbing over wooden frames. Others run and kick a ball outside or use the different swings with their friends. Children enjoy moving their bodies to music. This helps to develop their coordination and confidence.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported extremely well. This is a real strength of the nursery. Staff work well with external agencies and funding is spent wisely. Children are happy and their needs are met. They make good progress from their starting points.
• Children listen well to instructions given by staff and enjoy joining in with familiar stories and songs. They learn new vocabulary such as 'scooping' and 'attitude'. Children repeat words and actions to help them learn. This helps children to develop their communication and language skills.
• Settling-in arrangements are effective and tailored around the needs of each individual child. When children first start, staff gather key information from parents. They offer plenty of settling-in sessions. This helps children to feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Staff ensure that children are placed down to sleep safely in line with the latest government safety advice.
• Staff share lovely relationships with all children. However, staff are not always clear on children's individual next steps for learning. This means children do not always make as much progress as they could.
• Children's knowledge and understanding of the world are developing well. They learn about life cycles and how things grow. They watch as chicks hatch from eggs and learn how to look after chickens. Children grow their own food in the vegetable patch from seeds and harvest them to enjoy in their meals and snacks. This helps them develop an understanding of where food comes from and helps them to care for living things.
• Parents are extremely complimentary of the setting. They speak highly of the caring and friendly staff. They say staff 'bring the best' out of their children and know them 'inside out'. They feel their children are understood and their needs are met. Parents are kept informed of their child's progress and next steps in learning. This allows children to be supported at home, which provides consistency in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop existing systems further to ensure that staff are precisely aware of all children's individual next steps in their learning.