Orchidale Children's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have built exceptional bonds with staff and flourish in their care. They arrive happy and are excited to learn at this nurturing home-from-home setting. Children benefit from highly stimulating and exciting activities. They take part in daily yoga sessions to help support well-being and build on their physical skills. Children express their interests with confidence and decide what they would like to play with each day. They are inquisitive learners and actively explore the wide range of resources and learning opportunities that are available to them. For instance, children use measuring tapes to measure themselves and the equipment in the nursery. This supports children's growing interest in early mathematics.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They ensure the quality of teaching and care are maintained at the highest level throughout the nursery. Therefore, children make excellent progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children show strong levels of respect for others and understand the importance of being kind. They can be heard using phrases such as 'kind hands' and 'use your kind words'. Children develop an exceptional understanding of the natural world through exploration and inspirational teaching from staff. They attend daily forest school classes and learn about fungi growing on the logs and how to keep themselves safe.

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

• Children have outstanding levels of independence from an early age. Babies instinctively know the handwashing routines to follow before they sit down to eat their lunch. They skilfully use cutlery to cut up their lunch and pour their own drinks. Pre-school children help to prepare sandwiches for their tea. They confidently butter their bread and use scissors to cut leaves off their lettuce plant in their growing garden. They wash their lettuce and then place this into their sandwiches.
• The setting has an excellent attitude towards working with the local community. Children regularly visit a local home for the elderly and have formed special caring friendships with the residents. They bake them cakes and engage in meaningful conversations. For example, they recently discussed the Queen's jubilee and how they would be celebrating it.
• Staff carry out robust observations and assessments of children's learning and promptly identify any gaps in their development. They have an exceptional understanding of what children know and can do and what their next steps are. Staff can explain clearly why they are doing activities and what they want children to achieve from these. For example, children dig in the garden using shovels and spades. Staff explain that this helps children to build resilience and supports their physical skills as well as their social skills by working together and learning how to turn take.
• Management and staff have developed fantastic parent partnerships. Parents comment that the staff are friendly and welcoming and have great communication. They feel well informed about where their children are within their development. Parents discuss that their children have made excellent progress in their care and are ready for the next step of their education in starting school.
• Staff skilfully support children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are encouraged to understand their feelings and emotions. Staff praise children's efforts and achievements, and they learn how to effectively manage their behaviour. As a result, children show high levels of confidence and willingness to have a go.
• Staff deliver high-quality interactions and build on children's speech and language effectively. They ensure that children are immersed in opportunities to extend their communication and language skills throughout the day. For example, when creating their own play dough, children discuss with staff the different textures they can feel. They understand that they might need to add more flour if it is sticky and more water if it is dry.
• The manager shares her vision and passion with staff and families of providing a high-quality education to all. She places a high priority on supporting staff's professional development to maintain the quality of education available to children. Staff report that they feel well supported and enjoy working at the nursery.