Shepherds Spring Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place a very strong focus on children's happiness and well-being. They know the children and families extremely well. Staff successfully plan enriching activities that build on children's interests and developmental needs. They have very high expectations and children understand the rules and the boundaries. Children behave extremely well.

Staff use the vast outdoor space incredibly well. They create learning experiences for children to develop their skills at every opportunity. Older children spend most of their time outside and benefit from the fresh air and exercise this brings. Staff commit to giving children experiences they may not have had before. Children's independence is integral to everything they do. For example, at lunchtime, staff give children pretend coins to exchange for fish and chips, wrapped in paper, like they would get from the shop. Children use their language to place their orders for lunch. In return for their 'money', staff give them fish and chips, complete with a wooden fish fork. Children sit and eat with their friends at the wooden benches. They enjoy the social experience in the outdoors.

Children flourish in a language-rich environment, inside and out. Staff develop children's communication skills consistently in every age group. They spontaneously sing with the children, or read stories. Children later repeat the songs as they go about their play. Small, focussed groups and targeted plans help children to develop at their own pace. As a result, all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make exceptional progress from their starting points.

The experienced staff expertly extend children's learning. They use skilled interventions, including relevant questioning at every opportunity to help children to think for themselves. For example, before lunch staff sit with children and encourage their imagination, recall and communication. Staff pretend to catch a creature in their hands. They describe this to the children and ask them to think about what it can be that they have caught. Children excitedly respond with answers such as ladybird and butterfly. Staff use continuous praise when children correctly guess from the description they have provided. This creates a sense of well-being and security.

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

• The inspirational leadership team constantly strives to make improvements to the nursery. Leaders continually encourage staff to develop their knowledge and skills to provide the best opportunities for children. As a result, the nursery continues to grow and evolve. Since the last inspection, the leadership team have purchased two yurts to provide outdoor classrooms to enhance the facilities further. They use funding incredibly effectively to meet the needs of the children. The leadership team purchased gardening tools, maths, and language games to support individuals' needs.
• The qualified special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) attend regular training to update their skills and knowledge. They share this information with the team. This helps to ensure all staff are as skilled as possible to meet the needs of the children. The SENCOs conduct comprehensive assessments shortly after the children start at the nursery. This enables them to take swift and prompt action so that children receive support at the earliest possible opportunity. They work extremely effectively with all other agencies to ensure children receive targeted support. The SENCOs observe children and work with key persons to fully implement action plans. They review these regularly to ensure they continue to meet the children's needs.
• The leadership team and staff devised three aspirations for the nursery to give the children valuable life skills. They use these to sequence the curriculum, building on the children's prior experiences. As a result, children make excellent progress in their development. In addition, babies and toddlers demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. For example, babies focus intently as they stack cups inside each other and thread beads on the activity centre. Professional development is another key to the nursery's success. All staff complete regular training to develop their skills, qualifications, and knowledge. The leadership team place a strong focus on staff's well-being. They reward staff for work well done and offer 'impact' awards to show their appreciation for their effort.
• The determined team are keen to meet the children's needs. They take time to get to know the families, children and the community in which they live. As a result, they provide a broad curriculum predominately based in the outdoors which enhances the children's experiences. Rich and varied activities provide children with opportunities to extend their learning in all areas and make the best possible progress in their learning.
• Partnership with parents is exemplary. Families receive the support they need at the time they need it. Staff involve parents in their children's learning and encourage them to share their experiences from home. They ask parents to think about what makes them proud of their children and to share this with others. Parents say the staff are amazing and the support they receive from them is incredible. This includes visiting them when their children are poorly and physical hand holding to get them through the day.
• Practitioners support children's personal development extremely well which includes constant access to fresh air and exercise. Staff encourage children to blow their own noses and wash their hands afterwards. Staff act as good role models as they adopt this practice themselves. Children understand the need to wash their hands after using the toilet and before meals. Older children confidently say that they need to wash their hands to remove the germs. They are kind and helpful with their friends, as they pass them paper towels to dry their hands. This helps children to develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles.