Oak Tree Nursery School Garstang

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff know children very well at the small and friendly nursery. They use children's existing interests to support their sense of belonging and to harness their enthusiasm for learning. Outings and outdoor learning are integral to the broad and ambitious curriculum which is designed with thought and purpose. Regular use of nearby parks and riverside areas spark children's interest in nature and the environment. Staff skilfully link and extend children's learning. For instance, children notice a carving of a woodpecker while on a walk. Staff extend this by helping children find out more about the bird when they return to nursery. Staff support children to make good progress in their learning across the curriculum.

Staff offer children a wide vocabulary and start interesting discussions to promote their speech and language skills. Children are confident in their communications, chatting to visitors and people they pass on their outings. Staff help children to begin to manage risk. They know to hold hands or the pushchair as they walk across roads and to stay a safe distance from the edge of the riverbank, for example. Children listen carefully to staff and understand expectations, behaving well. Staff offer praise for children's efforts and achievements, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. Staff prepare children well for their move on to school and for their future learning.

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

• Staff promote children's sense of their community well. They use charity shops to restock their dressing-up box and visit local shops and cafes to learn key life skills. Children listen to songs in other languages and learn about religious and cultural celebrations such as Easter. They begin to learn more about life in modern Britain.
• Children learn to become independent and to manage their own self-care needs. They learn that they should apply sun cream to protect their skin in the sun, for instance. Staff teach children about hygiene routines and about healthy eating. They form healthy habits and learn skills for life.
• Children enjoy songs and stories. Staff support their enthusiasm and their language skills as they make up songs together. Children listen carefully as staff read to them, helping to promote a love of books and reading. Children gleefully dance and sing to familiar songs as they learn about letters and sounds. Children's language skills are well supported and they make good progress, helping to form a strong basis for their future learning.
• Staff promote children's mathematical and number skills in interesting ways. They look at the numbers on houses and on busses during outings, for instance. Staff count money with children as they pay in a shop. Children learn to order and group items. They develop competence in their early number skills.
• Regular outings, walks and outdoor play help to promote children's overall well-being and stamina. They learn to walk, scramble and climb on different terrain, promoting their physical skills well. They learn specific skills, such as to kick a ball, promoting their understanding of rules and boundaries too as they play.
• Staff apply robust systems to monitor and assess children's progress. They focus on each child regularly, ensuring that emerging gaps are identified and closed swiftly. Staff work closely with other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. All children are well supported to make good progress from their individual starting points.
• Collaborative working extends to other settings that children attend and the schools they will move on to. Communication diaries between settings help children's key staff to maintain consistency in their care and learning. Parents are involved and included in their children's learning. Staff support home learning and parents praise staff for their excellent communication about children's day and progress.
• Staff enjoy their roles, and their contributions are valued. Supervision sessions are supportive, and leaders value the individual strengths of staff. Staff training is in place but is not yet robustly embedded as a comprehensive programme to fully enhance each member of staff's practice in the areas where they need it most.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• target staff training incisively to further improve the already good standard of teaching to promote children's learning to the highest possible level.