Parkfield Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff cherish each and every child. They place children at the very heart of everything that they do. Bespoke settling-in sessions are carefully tailored to children's specific needs. Children benefit immensely from the personalised one- to-one support they receive from their key person on arrival. This contributes towards the very special bonds that are formed between children and staff. Children are incredibly happy and settled. They enjoy every minute of their time at this wonderful nursery. Children's behaviour is impeccable. They use polite phrases, such as 'excuse me', when trying to move past others.

Leaders and staff have high aspirations for every child. They strive 'to ensure that all children are continually challenged and have oodles of fun'. Children are extremely motivated learners. Babies babble continuously during play. They show immense trust in their key person and confidently let go of one of their hands when learning to walk. Younger children actively reflect on their home-life experiences during pretend play. They use tools carefully and competently, when cutting up vegetables to make their very own 'carrot pasta'. Older children ride a bike with precision and skill outdoors. They negotiate a safe pathway when travelling at speed along platforms, up and down ramps and around cones. Children who speak English as an additional language enjoy creating puddles and learn new methods to transport water. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) strive to become even more independent. At snack time, they willingly challenge themselves and successfully climb up and onto their chair without support.

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

• Leaders are truly inspirational. They hold meaningful professional discussions with staff, which focus intently on driving forwards the excellent standards of teaching practice across the nursery. Staff well-being is deeply prioritised. Staff are given time during the day to complete highly relevant training, to promote a successful home and work life balance. This leads to the admirable energy and enthusiasm that staff show, and benefits children's personal experiences greatly.
• Staff are highly skilled in supporting children's early language development. They continually model words and phrases for babies to hear and say, and introduce more complex language, such as 'xylophone', to build on their splendid range of vocabulary. Staff place photographs of children's experiences around the nursery, to help to spark conversations. This inspires children who speak English as an additional language to engage in conversations. They successfully identify and say the initial sounds in words. Children are fluent communicators.
• All staff have a superb understanding of every child. They take account of children's backgrounds and interests and use this knowledge, together with any additional funding, to broaden their life experiences. Children thoroughly enjoy helping to take care of the new resident guinea pigs alongside their friends. They display their increasing confidence and communication skills when sharing their expert knowledge of the need to feed the animals, 'to help them to grow'.
• Teaching across the nursery is superb. Staff skilfully intervene during play, to challenge children to make decisions about what they will do next. This inspires children to lead their own learning. For instance, when playing outdoors, younger children initiate building a house with large construction materials. They respond quickly to the purposeful questions that staff ask and use descriptive language to talk through each room and any special features. Children are highly motivated learners. They remain engrossed in their play for prolonged periods.
• Support for children with SEND is exceptional. Staff liaise very closely with parents and other professionals to target and support children's learning and progress most successfully. Inventive ideas, such as mark making under the table, are supporting children to reach upwards in order to help to strengthen their core muscles. This is contributing towards the rapid and substantial progress that children are making across their physical development. Parents positively report that 'staff are amazing in everything that they do'. They add that they receive 'great feedback about how their children are getting on'.
• Children receive consistent messages about what is acceptable behaviour. They learn that 'teamwork makes the dream work', and willingly work together with others to achieve a common goal. Children gain an excellent awareness of the impact that their actions have on others. For instance, when baking and delivering a cake to a local elderly resident, children quickly learn that their kind and thoughtful actions help others to feel happy.
• The energetic staff actively encourage children to take part in regular exercise. They set exciting challenges for children to 'do something different each day', to build on their advancing physical skills. Children enjoy sharing pictures of family events, such as visiting the park, going for a walk and riding a bike. They actively participate in new experiences within the nursery, such as 'zumbini' classes. Children combine music with dance and gain a sense of rhythm.