Nurtured @ Northfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this extremely warm and welcoming environment. Staff are quick to greet children as they arrive and take a genuine interest in their news. Staff ensure all children's emotional needs are extremely well met. Children's self-esteem is enhanced as staff take all opportunities to positively praise children, regardless of how small their achievement may be. Children have an excellent understanding of how their actions affect others. Children problem solve, think critically and are highly independent. They listen very well, follow instructions and concentrate for long periods of time. For example, children are highly motivated to learn as they make their own play dough.

The nursery provides home-cooked, healthy and nutritionally balanced meals and snacks. Superb opportunities are provided for children to develop their physical skills and take risks in their play. For instance, they learn how to safely balance on beams, climb on outdoor equipment and negotiate space in the garden. Staff focus on children's oral health daily. This contributes excellently towards children developing an understanding of the importance of good health.

Children develop an array of skills to support their independence. Children help to prepare the fruit for snack. They show skill in handling knives and cutting the snack into small pieces. Older children dress themselves and fasten their coats with the highest of confidence. Adults provide children with unlimited opportunities to try things for themselves. As a result, children demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude towards their play and learning.

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

• The management of the nursery are inspirational. They are highly committed to reflecting on the service offered and continually strive for excellence. The manager leads her team extremely well, coaching them to reflect on their practice and develop their excellent knowledge even further. Staff supervision meetings precisely identify their training needs, which are promptly sourced. For example, staff now have a deeper understanding of supporting older children's phonics skills in readiness for reading and writing.
• Support for the most disadvantaged children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is incredibly well targeted. Very strong links with other professionals are in place. This includes links with inclusion support officers and professionals from the local authority. Management use funding to provide children with additional experiences, such as rugby and movement sessions. Gaps in children's knowledge and skills are closing rapidly.
• Teaching is first rate. All children make excellent progress and thoroughly enjoy learning. Staff plan inspirational experiences for children, which they delight in.
• For example, children make their own paints by mixing grated chalks with other products. They explore fruit and flowers in water play and dig for treasure in sand. Children have vivid imaginations as they pretend to make pumpkin pies.
• Leaders, managers and the whole staff team work exceptionally hard to continuously develop ways to engage with all parents. For example, parents are invited to stay-and-play sessions and sports days. They are sent updates about their child's development via an online system. Management arrange regular events to help raise money for charities, which parents are invited to attend, such as coffee mornings.
• Staff support older children's mathematical development exceptionally well. They introduce language to increase children's awareness of shapes, colours, numbers and size during daily activities. Throughout their play, children are engaged in conversations where they share their ideas and findings. Staff introduce challenging new vocabulary in their play. For example, when playing with dinosaurs, staff encourage children to use books to research the different names.
• Next steps in learning are identified and implemented to ensure children are continuously challenged, supporting them to become highly motivated learners. Staff and environments provide children with a wealth of opportunities to develop their vocabulary and conversational skills. For example, adults deliver superb storytelling sessions that encourage children to listen, take turns and contribute ideas. They expertly question and talk to children, encouraging them to think for themselves. Children make exceptional progress with their communication and language.
• Management place an exceptionally high emphasis on promoting staff and children's emotional well-being. Staff are highly appreciated, and children are warmly encouraged to talk about their feelings and emotions. Staff are skilled in supporting children during settling-in times and prepare children excellently for their moves between rooms, and to school. As a result, children's self-esteem in the nursery is very high.