Roadend Farm Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are settled, confident and very happy during their time at the welcoming and inviting nursery. All staff have a good understanding of their interesting curriculum, which helps motivate all children to learn. For example, younger children explore making marks in interesting ways, such as using different types of building bricks and paint to explore patterns. When children have an interest in winter, staff teach children about animals and things associated with the season. For example, children learn about penguins and go on to create their own. Children explore items, such as sticks and buttons, and go on to create their own model snowmen using real objects. Children learn to be creative and use their imaginations with confidence.

Staff teach children about the importance of following good hygiene routines and the benefits of healthy eating. For example, children enjoy picking blackberries and apples and make fruit crumbles with their harvest. Staff provide children with good opportunities to develop good physical skills. This is demonstrated when they confidently and safely negotiate challenging equipment. This includes using ladders and climbing trees. Staff are positive role models. Children are polite and behave well. They are empathetic and kind. For example, when their friends are momentarily upset, they comfort them and get them a tissue to wipe their tears away.

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

• All staff successfully establish positive relationships with all children. They fully understand children's needs, abilities and what makes them unique. This helps staff plan activities that support children to make progress. Staff have high expectations of children. As a result, all children, including the youngest, have a positive attitude towards their learning.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They liaise closely with outside agencies and professionals. Staff implement helpful and consistent strategies that support all children. For example, they introduce using visual prompts to build on their confidence to communicate.
• Overall, staff ensure that all children remain in learning and thoroughly enjoy all activities. Children know the routine and follow the changes with good levels of maturity. For example, they swiftly tidy up when hearing their 'tidy up song'. However, the organisation of the changes in routines does not allow children to return to their unfinished play and creations. Therefore, staff do not make the most out of ways to minimise interruptions in children's learning.
• All staff support children to develop confident communication skills. Children sit together and read books and are confident to share their ideas. Children use a wide range of vocabulary, and this is enhanced by staff. For example, at lunchtime, children are excited to share their thoughts on the morning, and some confidently tell each other jokes.
• Overall, staff support children to develop skills to support their future learning. For instance, children are confident to choose what activities they wish to participate in. However, at times, staff are too quick to step in and complete tasks that children can complete themselves. Therefore, children do not have consistent opportunities to gain more independence to prepare themselves for their future learning even further.
• Parents are happy and speak very highly of the setting. For example, they comment that staff go above and beyond and help children develop an eagerness to learn. Staff share helpful information to support parents, such as healthy eating tips. Staff regularly share information with parents about what children are learning and what their next steps are.
• All staff closely monitor the quality of care and experiences they provide children with. They evaluate together as a team and reflect on what went well and what can be done differently.
• Staff carry out regular training. This includes learning about how to fully support younger children. As a result, staff have implemented activities that they know will engage the younger children and help them to develop and learn.
• All staff teach children about other peoples' traditions and cultures from around the world. This includes talking about other countries traditions and languages.
• Staff teach children about the natural world. For example, children are excited to watch the horses have their shoes replaced and are intrigued to observe the sheep being sheared. Children learn about processes. This includes visiting the farms grain shed and learning about how it is made into flour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the organisation of routines to minimise interruption to children's learning
• support staff to provide children with consistent opportunities to complete tasks themselves and further develop their skills to support their future learning.