Orchard Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in the care of welcoming practitioners at this inclusive, home-from-home nursery. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thrive due to the team's strong commitment of putting children at the heart of everything they do. They have a clear drive and ambition for every child to receive the best possible start in life. All practitioners talk to children with great warmth, and subsequently children develop strong attachments with every staff member, particularly their own key person. Children display a strong sense of belonging throughout the nursery.

Experienced leaders and highly skilled practitioners have developed an ambitious curriculum designed to give children the cultural capital they need in life. Practitioners fully consider the differing experiences children bring with them, and build on these experiences to enhance their learning and development. They talk to children and their families about their home lives and plan opportunities to extend children's knowledge through carefully planned activities. Children delight as they take part in a special camping day, where they snuggle and share stories in tents, explore inside a campervan and pick ice cream to eat from the local ice-cream van.

Children are extremely well behaved. Clear rules and routines help children know what is expected of them. Practitioners continually reflect on the learning spaces within the nursery and organise each area with a clear intent for all children's learning. Leaders have an excellent overview of children's progress and are highly confident in practitioners' ability to deliver what children need to know next.

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

• Leadership in the nursery is inspirational. The highly qualified and experienced managers have a clear focus on supporting children in the prime areas of learning. The leader's strong vision and ethos is threaded throughout the nursery. Practitioners have an excellent understanding of how children learn. As a result, they plan well-sequenced activities that successfully build on what children know and can do.
• Practitioners benefit from the excellent training and support they receive through coaching, mentoring and additional training. This enables them to provide high-quality care and learning. For example, all practitioners have completed baby-room training, safer sleep training and a four-week course to enhance teaching and learning for children with SEND.
• Communication and language are promoted exceptionally well. Practitioners take part in back-and-forth communications with babies at lunchtime, listening to their babbles and responding with spoken words. During water play, they introduce words such as 'tip' and 'pour', 'full' and 'empty' as younger children experiment with different-sized vessels. As pre-school children explore play dough and flowers, practitioners encourage them to think critically through their skilful questioning. Children confidently engage in conversations during all aspects of their play. They continually recall past events linked to their play, such as a recent nursery trip to the garden centre. These strong foundations in communication and language help children to progress exceedingly well in all areas of learning.
• Children have many opportunities to connect with the natural world, both in the nursery's large, outdoor garden and in the forest-school area. They develop a deep sense of curiosity as practitioners engage in meaningful conversations about minibeasts and plants. Practitioners challenge children to take appropriate risks in their play. Older children learn to climb trees in a safe way and learn how to use tools, such as a drill, appropriately. Children confidently talk about how to keep safe while using a hammer to bang flowers, commenting that they need a hat to 'protect their head'. The use of the forest school area helps to expand children's physical well-being and self-esteem.
• Children are provided with a wealth of rich experiences and they have made strong links with the local community. They explore the local area regularly. For example, they visit shops to buy ingredients for cooking activities, and take walks along the brook to watch tadpoles turn to frogs. Practitioners value the importance of teaching children acts of kindness. Children help each other to build vehicles, and practitioners praise their behaviour. They go out and about to give flowers to people in the community, such as staff in local shops or people they pass as they walk around the village. Children are genuinely kind and show consideration to others. As a result, they are emotionally well-developed.
• Parents describe the nursery as an 'exceptional' setting with a real 'home-from-home' feel. They give the highest of praise to practitioners. They comment that key persons truly listen and value their input, describing practitioners as 'dedicated' and 'passionate'. Parents comment that communication is outstanding and they feel like 'part of a large family'.