Pathways Day Nursery Warwick

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive and flourish at this outstanding nursery. Staff support children to gain confidence and independence and make free choices about their learning. Children feel exceptionally safe and secure. Staff are kind, nurturing and extremely attentive to children's needs. For example, babies who are new and settling are spoken to in a calm, soothing manner. An abundance of cuddles are given. This reassures children and gives them the confidence to explore their new surroundings. Children's personal and emotional development is given the highest priority. Children have extensive opportunities to mix with their peers and form secure friendships. After sleep time in the afternoon, babies join toddlers for snack. The toddlers relish the opportunity to mix with the babies. They lie down on the floor and hand them toys to explore. They hold their hands and smile as babies gurgle and babble away happily.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are so kind and considerate to each other and recognise if their friends need a hug or support. They know how to share and take turns. Staff support children to develop their emotional resilience. This helps to build children's self-esteem. They readily take on challenges because they know if they do not get things right the first time, they are supported to persevere and keep trying.

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

• The provider, manager and the staff team are inspirational. They are passionate and dedicated to the children and their families. Everything they do has the children's individual needs placed at the forefront.
• The curriculum is highly ambitious. It builds securely on what children know and can do and continually enhances and extends children's learning experiences. Children's knowledge is securely embedded. Pre-school children already know what seeds need in order to grow. They independently access an activity to grow their own sunflowers. They scoop and pour soil into their pots. Children open the packets of seeds themselves and plant them. This is promptly followed by children writing their names on sticks to identify which pot is theirs.
• Children's communication and language skills are superb. The nursery is a hive of activity and conversation. Children are continually exposed to rich vocabulary as staff skilfully interact alongside them in their play. They have lots of opportunities to practise words and build more complex sentences. Even the youngest children are making exceptional progress in their abilities to communicate their needs.
• Support for children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is astounding. The manager and staff have high expectations for all children and work tirelessly to support them and close any gaps in learning. For any children who may have extended periods of time away from nursery, staff ensure that information and ideas are shared with parents for them to continue with their child's learning at home. On return, a plan of targeted support is put in place to swiftly close any gaps in learning. Staff make a real difference to children and the outcomes for them. Consequently, all children make good, and at times exceptional, progress in their learning.
• Children develop a deep love for literacy. Staff bring stories alive as they use animated voices and encourage children to join in. This learning continues as children hunt for 'superworm' in the garden. They look under stones and the artificial grass. They are delighted when they find worms and exclaim it is 'superworm'.
• Parents say staff are amazing, and they value the support they receive. They say their children are exceptionally well cared for and are safe. They receive detailed progress reports with children's next steps for learning. This helps them to support their children's learning at home.
• Staff know all the children extremely well. Detailed information is gathered from parents, and staff take time to get to know the children as individuals. They use their exceptional knowledge of children's development along with the likes and dislikes of the children, to precisely plan activities to ignite a thirst and curiosity for learning. Consequently, children spend sustain periods of time at their chosen activities.
• A highly focused professional development programme ensures that staff access and receive training that helps them to continually provide outstanding care. Recently, staff have attended training to help support children with SEND. This helps to provide more targeted support for children. Staff supervisions and regular observations of their practice allow management to ensure the quality of teaching is of a consistently high level.
• The nursery is located on a school site. Extremely strong working relationships with the school mean that pre-school children are exposed to daily school life. For example, pre-school children and Reception children share the same toilets. They attend celebrations, such as Christmas plays. Children are exceptionally ready and have the skills required to move to their next stage of learning and school.
• Children enjoy lots of fresh air outdoors. They independently find their own coats and shoes and put these on. Children who prefer to learn outdoors can do so. The provider's curriculum is delivered to the highest standard outdoors as well as indoors.