Muddy Boots Nursery Poppleton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show high levels of happiness and enjoyment in the nursery. The atmosphere in each room is nurturing, busy, exciting and filled with laughter and chatter from the children. Children enjoy experiences inside and outside. They learn about rainbows, spring and flowers and mix colours, while staff extend their language skills and boost their personal, social and emotional skills. Staff are excellent role models for children. They are kind, compassionate and caring towards them. They offer specific praise to children, so they understand the things they have done well. Children's behaviour is very positive and they are keen to try new things to develop their skills. Staff know babies' individual routines well and swiftly meet their needs. This helps them to feel safe and promotes continuity.

Since the pandemic, leaders and staff have recognised the need to focus on developing children's communication skills. Staff sing songs, use Makaton signs and read to children regularly. Children listen intently and develop a love of books and stories. They develop an extensive vocabulary and potential gaps in their development are minimised. Staff provide parents with a nursery bear to take home and record their adventures. They use this to start conversations with children and celebrate their home lives and backgrounds.

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

• The leadership team are inspirational. They are dedicated and committed to proving the best possible standards of care and learning for children and families. Leaders and managers prioritise staff's emotional well-being. They have regular one-to-one time with them and use weekly surveys to ensure that staff are happy and feel valued. Leaders have embedded an ambitious, exciting curriculum for all children and have high expectations.
• Staff are passionate and share leaders' high expectations. They are keen to continually improve their practice and the nursery, with children at the heart of every decision. For instance, staff have recently sought feedback and enhanced spaces in the rooms, to develop the way they focus on children's language skills. This has had a positive impact on children's levels of engagement.
• Children thrive in the nursery and make exceptional progress. They build secure foundations for future learning and are exceptionally well-prepared for the next stages, such as starting school and moving rooms. Staff have high expectations for every child and tailor activities and the environment to meet children's individual needs.
• Babies and young children explore the environment with excitement. Interactions between staff and children are of high quality. Staff model new words to children as they explore the ice in the tray. Babies benefit from reassurance as they use their senses to smell the flowers and experience the cold feeling from the ice cubes. Other children listen to the noises of foil as they move their hands in the paint tray.
• Toddlers develop excellent physical skills outdoors. Staff support them to walk, run and climb up the hill. Others move around on the bicycles and thoroughly enjoy the fresh air. Staff ensure that there are a wide range of experiences available. Toddlers demonstrate high levels of focus and concentration, beyond the typical expectations of their age. They extend and develop their own play and staff add challenge, when appropriate.
• Pre-school children have an exceptional understanding of their own feelings and behaviours. They use stories to identify how they feel and what colour this could be. Staff ask them to talk to their friends about the rules in the pre-school. Children show pride as they remind the group about having 'kind words' and 'gentle hands'. They show a deep understanding of how their actions can impact others and are consistently well-behaved.
• Children demonstrate high levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. Staff are aware of children who need reassurance and ensure that they are supported effectively. This helps them to participate and join in with different groups. Children are independent and take an active part in their self-care. Young toddlers blow their own noses and show pride as staff praise them. They try a range of healthy meals and different fruits at snack times and lunchtime.
• A key strength of the nursery is the secure relationships staff have with children and their families. They know children exceptionally well and provide the highest standards of care for them. Staff gather detailed information from parents and families on a regular basis. This helps them to maintain highly effective partnership working and promotes continuity for children.
• Parents leave highly complimentary feedback for the inspection. They say, 'Staff are dedicated to nurturing children, they deserve so much recognition.' Others describe the nursery as, 'Outstanding provision and care for our son, since he started.' They say it is a 'superbly well-run nursery' and they are 'thrilled with the level of care and education'.