Partou Bumpkins Day Nursery & Forest School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish and succeed in this exceptional nursery. They eagerly greet staff when they arrive and are excited to begin their day. Children are remarkably independent. They have the time they need to practise well-established routines and swiftly become familiar and comfortable with these. Excellent and varied opportunities ensure that children's independence and self-esteem are promoted to the highest level. Behaviour is superb. Highly trained and knowledgeable staff nurture children's inquisitiveness by providing guidance and additional information. They use topics and interweave the children's interests to help them build and embed their existing knowledge and skills. Children's next steps for learning are supported extremely well by staff, who carefully consider sequential teaching that ensures children continue building on what they know and can do.

During outdoor play, children initiate their investigations, such as learning how their bodies can move in different ways. Very young children use various equipment with ever increasing confidence. They crawl and pull themselves onto see-saws and into ride-in cars. Using their bodies, they begin rocking gently, and quickly realise that by doing this they can move forwards. After some thinking time, they rock backwards, much to their delight. Staff ensure that learning opportunities are maximised. At lunchtime they encourage children to think about the taste and texture of the foods they are eating. Staff extend children's vocabulary, as they name the dish and the various ingredients used. Children are encouraged to practise their table manners and show care and consideration for each other.

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

• Children are highly confident as they move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments. From a very young age they are taught how to keep safe. For example, toddlers navigate steps to the outdoor area with precision. They demonstrate kind and respectful behaviour for each other by sharing and saying 'sorry' if they bump into one another.
• Children listen attentively and respond with comprehension to familiar stories, rhymes and songs. The youngest children show their understanding that books carry meaning, as they select board books, turn pages correctly and point to pictures with excitement. Children enjoy selecting books independently but also snuggle with staff, listening to stories with their friends.
• Staff utilise the farm on which the nursery is situated. Children see first hand the changing seasons of the year and what their local community looks like, but also what it feels like as they meet the people within it.
• Staff explain information clearly to children, promoting appropriate discussions and subsequent learning. They check children's understanding as they go along to ensure that there are no misunderstandings. More experienced staff support their new colleagues very well indeed. More recently qualified staff speak highly of their room leaders, colleagues and the management team. All staff agree it is an exceptional place to work.
• Leaders have a clear vision for their well-structured curriculum. They lead by example and provide all staff with expert guidance, coaching and training. Leaders consult with staff and parents to ensure that children's learning experiences are tailor made to suit their needs. This gives children exceptional and personalised learning opportunities. Staff expectations of the children are high regardless of their age and stage of development. Children are taught to share their ideas to extend their thinking skills and bloom with confidence.
• Moves to primary school are of high importance and extremely well managed. Children are equipped with a wealth of skills and knowledge to prepare them for their transfer to school. Meticulous planning helps children to be ready and confident for the next stage in their learning journey.
• Leaders support staff whole heartedly in their professional development. All staff are highly motivated to deliver an outstanding level of care and education to the children. For example, staff are very aware of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's speech and language and behaviour. They have expertly included what they have observed into children's next steps to ensure that these gaps are securely closed.
• While there are currently no children on roll with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), there is a clear track record of recent support provided for children and families. In addition, there are well targeted plans for future admissions. The extremely enthusiastic and experienced special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator works in partnership with parents and specialist outside agencies. This ensures that children receive the highest standard of teaching adapted to their unique learning needs. As a result, they make excellent progress.
• Parents feel very well informed about their children's learning and enjoy the opportunities to share learning that happens at home. Parents are delighted that they can actively share their ideas through the parent forum, which resulted in some recent changes, such as reusable nappy sacks for soiled clothes.