Nursery Days

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are at the heart of this unique setting. Staff plan an excellent range of experiences that children thoroughly enjoy. For example, older children delight in going to the orchard to see how their crops have grown and to investigate if the chickens have laid eggs. They use knowledge they have gained over time to talk excitedly about making jam when the fruits are ripe. This successfully supports their knowledge and understanding of nature and the world around them. Staff prioritise children's imagination and curiosity very effectively. They encourage children to explore and investigate. For example, children sustain high levels of engagement and concentration when exploring woodwork resources and clay to make models. This supports their physical and problem-solving skills very well.

Staff celebrate when children keep on trying to finish tasks, offering praise and encouragement. Staff skilfully motivate children to sample various foods, while demonstrating patience and care. Younger children take pleasure in creating their own dips for snacks. This fosters their positive attitudes and self-reliance. Children learn to behave well. Older children confidently help to prepare tables for lunchtime, inviting their friends to assist and engaging in lively discussions about what they are going to have. This nurtures their social abilities and friendships effectively. All children make considerable progress.

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

• Leaders and managers are passionate, inspirational and proactive. They seek out an excellent range of opportunities to widen children's experiences. For example, they have exciting plans to develop a beach school. They have excellent relationships within the local community to support children's learning and development. Children's transitions to school are very well managed and smooth.
• Managers provide all staff with regular supervision and support them in pursuing further training and qualifications. However, the support for some staff is not as fully effective, resulting in some inconsistencies in the quality of the activities and interactions experienced by some of the youngest children. Despite this, all staff feel appreciated and express a love for their jobs.
• Staff successfully build on children's interests in 'all things nature' to promote their understanding of responsibility and sustainability. For instance, older children enthusiastically discuss their involvement in their farming and cooking clubs. They describe the process of watering their vegetables in the allotment and cultivating them in the polytunnel.
• Children develop their physical skills effectively as they take part in the rich range of activities on offer. Staff encourage them to engage in safe risk-taking to build their resilience, for example when they climb on large logs and use a tree swing. Younger children show great interest in making 'fizzy' cupcakes, focusing intently as they decorate them with paint. Older children develop coordination as they meticulously use pipettes to mix colours in water.
• Staff prioritise nurturing children's confidence and emotional well-being effectively. They successfully promote children's understanding of personal safety. Older children promptly help fetch high-visibility jackets for adults who accompany them on walks. They remind their friends to 'hold on' while walking along the road and about the rules when in the orchard to keep them safe.
• Children's speech and language development is prioritised well by staff. They introduce vocabulary such as 'ginormous' when talking to children. Younger children benefit from a wide range of rhymes and songs. Older children become confident communicators.
• There are good arrangements to involve children in making choices and decisions about their experiences in the setting. This encourages children to become independent learners. Children take part in the 'nursery council', making choices about activities and what they want to learn. For instance, children have plans to care for donkeys and to further enhance their rewilding project.
• Staff are dedicated to the well-being of children and want the best for them. They work hard to share information robustly to ensure the safety of the children. For example, staff recently reviewed their processes and procedures for children with dietary needs to ensure all children's needs are met.
• Staff provide parents with a warm welcome and ensure information is shared regularly with them about their children's learning. Staff create personalised plans to help children settle in. Parents appreciate the range of opportunities they have to come into the setting. There is effective support in place for families to access funding.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen consistency in staff practice to further support the youngest children in their learning and development.