My Little Barn Owls Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have numerous opportunities to follow their own ideas and create their own play and learning. They enjoy their time at this vibrant nursery immensely and show this through their positive engagement and concentration in their play. Staff have high expectations for children's learning.

Older children scream with delight as they sit on skateboards and roll down the small slope. They shout, 'This is so exciting, this is so fun'. Older children laugh out loud when they 'crash' into the tyre or come to a controlled stop. They show their core strength, stability, and balance skills. Older children get on to their side and roll down the hill in the forest school. They explain that they are in search of fairies. Older children use their hands and feet to climb a ladder that rests on an upturned boat in the outdoor area. Children are extremely self-assured and friendly. They ask visitors their name and then introduce themselves and their friends. Children are extremely happy, safe and show high levels of respect for others. Their behaviour is exceptional.

Staff are highly aware of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on parents and children. They know that some babies have never experienced time with other children. Staff acknowledge parents' anxiety at leaving their children for the first time, due to the pandemic. They provide parents with their own care bag to help them feel at ease at home, while their child settles into the nursery. Staff provide emotional support to the whole family exceptionally well.

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

• Staff provide a curriculum that has an extremely positive impact on helping children to progress through the stages of learning. They embrace children's interests and provide learning that is highly engaging. Across all parts of the nursery, staff's interactions with children are of a high quality and contribute well to the excellent progress children make.
• Babies enjoy tummy time, crawling and movement through songs and rhymes. Toddlers manipulate play dough and use a range of tools to make marks. Older children walk up and across wooden planks and pallets, and go down the other side. Staff know the importance of physical activity for children's all-round development. They plan experiences over time to ensure that children have the essential skills they need for their move on to school.
• Older children have excellent opportunities to explore in the forest school. They climb trees independently and show how they have learned to take appropriate risks. For example, older children stamp on the tree branch before standing on this with their whole-body weight. They use adult tools safely, such as a hammer to place small twigs into the ground. Older children explain how they are 'building a new home for the fairies as the dragon's whiskers broke the other one'. Staff create exciting storylines that highly support children's imaginary development.
• Staff provide a calm and nurturing home-from home experience for babies. They call themselves 'nursery mums' and give love and affection to each child, as if they were their own. Staff know babies' individual care needs exceptionally well. They place some babies on their chest to rest and some they rock to sleep in their arms. This is because they follow all routines from home so that babies feel emotionally secure in their care.
• Older children demonstrate their natural curiosity when they test whether their object sinks or floats in the water. They work with staff to twist the 'plug' in the water tray to see what will happen. Older children identify that when the 'plug' is loosened, the water spills out. When it is tightened, water stays in the tray. Staff expertly support children's spontaneous interests in mathematics through their highly effective engagement in their play.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive excellent support. Parents describe the SEND coordinator as 'exceptional' and write how they 'cherish' their child's one-to-one key worker. Staff work with a range of professionals to offer targeted support to children. They also extend these experiences to children in receipt of additional funding. Children get the support they need to achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Parents receive home activity packs, such as seeds to plant for Mother's Day. Staff give them opportunity to contribute to their child's next steps in learning. Parents write how their children's social, language and vocabulary development 'has come on so much since being at the nursery'. Staff build excellent relationships with parents to support children's continuity of learning and emotional well-being.
• Leadership and management are extremely strong. Staff consistently report high levels of support for their well-being, which includes appreciation days and 'employee of the month' awards. There is also effective engagement with staff through team meetings, training days, supervision meetings, and focused actions for professional development. Strong shared values between leaders and staff mean children receive the highest quality of education.