Out There Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this setting. They engage highly enthusiastically in the rich learning experiences that staff carefully plan indoors and outdoors. Staff relate very well to the children. They instinctively extend children's learning as they go about their play, asking questions to promote their language and thinking. For example, they talk to children about the life cycle of frogs as they explore the 'pond' staff have recreated. Staff encourage children to use reference cards and models to sequence growth from frogspawn to frogs.

Staff provide very good support to encourage children to gain independence and help to prepare them for school. During group time, key persons provide focused activities tailored to their children's learning needs. For example, they help children to value diversity and teach them about different cultural and religious beliefs. Children show great interest as they learn about Ramadan.

Children enthusiastically chat to one another and to staff and visitors as they walk to familiar woodland. They recall spotting a woodpecker and beat sticks on stones to replicate their call. They have excellent opportunities to develop their agility and understanding of the natural world. They search for minibeasts and examine them closely with magnifying glasses. Staff show them how to use reference books to learn more about nature. Children climb among the trees and role play looking for 'treasure'. They learn to balance and traverse confidently across the slack line that they help staff to set up between trees. Children receive high praise and encouragement from staff to try new things and persevere with tasks, fostering their self-esteem.

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

• The staff team successfully implements a curriculum that takes account of what children need to learn while incorporating chosen learning approaches to make the very best use of the outdoor natural environment. Staff are highly enthusiastic in their roles. They have an in-depth understanding of children's needs, interests and abilities, and they identify what children need to learn next. For example, they want children to develop their early writing skills. They encourage children to mould and manipulate clay to strengthen their muscles and help older children to learn to form letters and numerals. They instinctively offer encouragement and support to foster children's all-round development. Staff know when to play an active role in children's learning and when to stand back and let them play freely.
• Staff enable children to take risks in their play while actively teaching them how to keep safe. For example, when they arrive in the woods, staff recap the rules of keeping within the coned area and not to run with sticks. Staff point out specific plants and fungi to children that they must not touch. Children recall prior knowledge and say 'no picky, no licky'. Children spot and name poisonous plants, showing their understanding of the world. Children thoroughly enjoy cooking outdoors. For example, they recently prepared and cooked Welsh cakes safely over a fire as part of St David's Day celebrations.
• Staff instinctively foster children's language development. Children communicate with confidence and staff introduce new words, such as 'pendulum' and 'ratchet', to add to children's impressive vocabularies. Staff provide some bilingual support and introduce children to different languages. They use group times, stories and games to develop children's listening skills. For example, the youngest children listen intently to noises of hidden objects and name them correctly, describing the sounds.
• Staff instinctively broaden children's mathematical awareness. Children count with great confidence. They learn to recognise numerals, for example as they play a group game of hopscotch. Children understand mathematical concepts of size and shape, do simple calculations and solve problems.
• The management team has a very good overview of the effectiveness of the planned curriculum and staff practice. Managers provide good training opportunities to enhance staff skills. For example, staff complete forest school training and use what they learn to maximise children's learning outdoors. The management team understands its responsibility to meet statutory requirements, but due to an oversight, it has not notified Ofsted of changes to the hours of operation and of the new manager. However, there is no impact on children and swift action was taken to rectify the situation.
• Staff work highly effectively with outside professionals to seek extra support for children who need it to maximise their learning. They liaise well with some early years settings who share children's care, but they do not develop partnerships with all settings children attend to ensure a consistent approach to children's learning.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. Parents report that their children are very happy at the setting. They value how well the staff share information about children's progress and ideas they can do with children at home. They praise staff highly for the support given to families.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop partnerships with other settings children attend to provide a consistent approach to their learning.