Rocking Horse Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery full of joy to start their day. Staff nurture children in a way that makes them feel loved and cared for. Children sign themselves in when they arrive. For example, they place a mini figure of themselves next to their key person's figure. They have a sense of belonging in a place where they feel very safe and secure.

Children are happy, energetic and eager to explore the environment that staff have prepared. They flourish as they explore, investigate and create during play. For example, children use binoculars to investigate in the garden, moving through long bamboo to look for fairies and treasure, laughing excitedly as they do so. Indoors, staff teach children how to measure ingredients when baking. Children carefully tip flour into a bowl as they strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Babies sing with staff enthusiastically. They know the actions and excitedly clap, signalling for more at the end of the song. Children learn and progress quickly through a highly ambitious curriculum.

Staff have extremely high expectations for all children's learning and well-being. They role model kindness, care and respect, and, as a consequence, all children are exceptionally well behaved. They listen to and follow instructions, tidy away their toys and help their friends. Younger babies learn to self-soothe safely, while staff teach older children to manage any conflict with their friends by talking it through and finding a solution.

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

• Leaders and managers create a positive and warm environment for staff to work in. They support staff in managing their workload and well-being. Staff are celebrated and acknowledged for the hard work they do. The manager does his absolute best to motivate and inspire staff to plan and deliver an experience for families and children that is first class. The team works together seamlessly. Communication is extremely effective and this supports staff to feel secure in their role with an understanding of exactly what is expected of them. The manager works tirelessly with the team to create environments that spark awe and wonder for children and ignite their imagination.
• The leadership team has developed a curriculum that focuses intently on each child's learning and development. Staff use this to meticulously plan for children's development, providing challenge and repetition to build on core skills and help children learn new ones. They understand that children need to build communication and language skills to support all other areas of development. They communicate in a way that role models language and promotes new vocabulary. Children become expert communicators with sophisticated vocabulary.
• Staff go above and beyond to ensure that all children have the opportunity to experience events that they might not access at home. For example, they visit the shop to buy gardening materials and they pay using real money. They go to the local pumpkin patch in the autumn and visit the local care home for the elderly on alternate weeks. Children are beginning to build an understanding of their world and those in it. They make relationships with different generations and experience life outside of nursery and home. This supports children to build sense of the world around them, through a rich set of experiences.
• All staff make sure that children feel valued and heard. For example, they listen intently to children talking, then act on what they have agreed. Staff promote children's understanding of democracy through voting systems. For example, children vote on their favourite animal after the mobile farm visited. Children are learning that they have a choice and that they can use that choice to make an impact.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is extremely knowledgeable. She uses her training and knowledge to plan expertly for children's learning. She networks with other professionals to provide a team around the child approach. She works swiftly to support parents and close any gaps in learning quickly. When children are preparing to move on to school, she makes time to visit the school and partner teachers, handing over in detail about the children's needs, well-being and development so that she can be sure she has given them the absolute best start in their next setting.
• Parents feel extremely lucky that their child can attend the nursery. They are very happy with all aspects of their children's care and education. They mention in particular the menu, the kind and caring team and the rapid progress their children make. Parents are very thankful for the support and advice they receive from the nursery team. The deep-rooted relationships they have made with the team allow them to feel reassured and confident when they leave their child. They know their child is receiving the very best experience at the nursery.