Sandfield Natural Play Centre

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff work closely with families to understand their children's needs from the start and put support in place quickly. Staff know the children very well. Robust assessment, observations and close partnerships with parents and professionals ensure that early help is swiftly identified. Individualised tailored support plans are in place to support those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning. Parents are highly complimentary of the advice, guidance and support they receive to help their children at home. This helps children to make rapid progress from their starting points.

Leaders use additional funding children may receive effectively to reduce barriers to their learning and development. Staff support children with small-group and one-to-one sessions to help develop their confidence and communications skills. Staff undergo special training to care for those children with special medical conditions. This provides additional reassurance to parents.

Leaders and staff adapt their practice and environment to ensure that all children have access to their curriculum offer. This helps children to feel included and have positive learning experiences. This helps children to make excellent progress from their starting points, especially those who may face barriers to their learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders and staff plan and deliver an ambitious, exciting curriculum for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning. Accurate and timely assessments ensure that children make progress from their starting points ready for their next steps in learning.

Staff make good use of all play areas to promote all aspects of children's learning. They have set out areas for plenty of exploratory, physical and creative play in which children immerse themselves. Staff deploy themselves well, following children's interests. They teach children how to play safely outdoors, where children expertly risk assess their own play. For example, when outside, they work together to navigate and organise who will go down the ramp first on the bike. In their risk assessment they make sure that there is sufficient time and space before the next person takes their turn and that no one is in their path. Children demonstrate that they understand that this keeps everyone safe.

Staff interactions with children are positive and engaging. Mathematics is woven into daily play activities. For instance, when in the allotment area children measure the growing plants and make a record in their logbook. Additionally, when they play in the sand pit, staff narrate their play and ask thought-provoking questions, such as to explore cause and effect when the sand does not flow through the equipment. Such activities support children's early mathematical skills. Children are making rapid progress in their learning and development.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children approach their learning with enthusiasm and curiosity, showing confidence as they explore the range of resources and activities available to them. Children use the natural environment to create their own games and learning activities. For example, children make many trips across the challenging outdoor space carefully carrying cups of water to successfully make their own pretend fishpond.

Children have secure attachments with staff who know them and their families well. Staff understand each child's starting point, which ensures that they identify children's needs and interests quickly. Siblings have many opportunities throughout their day to spend time together. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to their learning and development benefit from specific support that helps them make rapid progress from their starting points. Children know what is expected of them. They follow routines and care for their environment. For example, they know that they need to wash their hands and put their indoor shoes on when coming in from outside. These skills help children prepare for the next stage in their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a learning environment that is fully inclusive. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and consistently model expected behaviour. Consequently, children's behaviour is exemplary. Children are highly respectful of each other and their environment. For example, when finding insects, they handle them carefully, making sure that they are returned to their home. Older children show care and consideration for their younger friends as they sit together and chat at lunchtime.

Leaders and staff help children to follow and understand key routines for the day. This, together with their effective key-person system, helps children to gain confidence in the setting and to form a sense of belonging. Staff teach children in small mixed-age groups, providing opportunities for siblings to spend long periods of time together. This helps to provide a sense of emotional security and mirrors a natural family environment.

Leaders and staff promote the importance of children's regular attendance from the very beginning. This ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning, access their learning entitlement.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff support children to consistently make healthy choices and embed high-quality teaching and learning practice. For example, staff teach children where their food comes from. Children take an active part in growing fruit and vegetables in the allotment area and observe the changes in the fruit-bearing trees. At lunchtime, staff ask questions about the healthy food on their plate, and children make links to the growing vegetables in their allotment. Children follow staff's instructions about how to wash their hands and apply their sun cream, and they know why this is important to keep themselves safe.

Leaders and staff build secure attachments with children. Individual settling-in sessions are flexible and unrushed to meet the needs of children and families. This helps children to settle and feel secure in their environment. When children are ready to move to their next steps, staff create tailored plans with colleagues and parents. This helps children to make smooth transitions into their next stage in learning.

Children are extremely confident and independent in their play environment. They initiate their own games using the natural world around them, delegating tasks and responsibilities to others. They play collaboratively and get along well with others, seeking out staff for guidance only when needed. Staff have created warm and trusting relationships with children, where cuddles and reassurance are in abundance.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate and enthusiastic to drive excellence and high-quality learning experiences for all children, families and other providers. Staff morale is high, and they engage in regular supervision sessions to share their interests and seek professional training opportunities. Staff report they feel well respected and valued in their roles.

Leaders support staff to nurture their strengths and identify professional support opportunities to enhance teaching further. For example, staff have attended training on developing children's critical thinking. They have applied this new knowledge in their practice to further extend their questions and discussions with children. This is helping to extend children's vocabulary.

Parents are highly complimentary of the setting. They enjoy home learning activities and the additional stay-and-play sessions, which help them to see their child in their play environment. They comment on the highly effective settling-in process, which provides them with reassurance that their children are safe and secure.

Leaders and staff are proactive to ensure that all children receive the support they deserve and are entitled to in order to make progress in their learning. They work effectively with other professionals and take swift action to make appropriate referrals. Leaders and staff implement robust procedures to ensure that children learn about and can manage risks in their challenging outdoor play spaces. This helps children to feel safe in a positive and nurturing environment.