Staffordshire University Woodlands Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff put children at the heart of what they do at this nursery. They are passionate about the care and education they provide, and they offer an extensive range of learning opportunities for all children, which helps them to make good progress. Staff understand the importance of building secure relationships with children and are attentive to their emotional needs. They stay close to young children when they appear unsure and provide comfort to them when needed.

The outdoor space is uniquely designed to provide opportunities for children to learn how to take risks and develop their physical skills in a range of ways. Staff support children to navigate different levels of surface and teach them to climb safely over purpose-built equipment. An outdoor corridor provides children with further opportunities to learn outdoors. Staff read stories to children in this space and organise various other resources for children to play with. Children play in sand and use a range of tools to develop their mark-making skills. The indoor environment is well organised to enable children to be calm and engage fully in the learning opportunities on offer. Children show positive attitudes and are motivated to learn. They display high levels of confidence and are curious to find out more information as they play.

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

• Children become good communicators. Staff prioritise the teaching of communication and language skills. They ask children questions about the activities they engage with to extend their knowledge of language further. For example, when children discover that material sticks to their clothes, staff talk to them about the concept of static. This helps children to learn about new concepts and broaden their knowledge of language.
• Children are independent. They learn to do things for themselves and gain a sense of responsibility. They tidy up when they finish playing and take it upon themselves to clean up water from the floor when they spill it.
• Children learn to be respectful of one another. They are reminded of behaviour rules and respond appropriately to instructions from staff. They learn to play together and share resources. Even very young children find toys to share with their friends. Staff are good role models, and they praise children for showing kindness.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff work closely with other professionals and families to ensure that children receive the support they need to make good progress. They consider the individual needs of children and offer play opportunities that all children can engage with. Staff are proactive in finding strategies to support children's learning while waiting for advice from external services. This ensures that children receive the right support at the time when they need it.
• Parents speak highly of the care their children receive. They comment that staff are friendly and their children are excited to attend nursery. They appreciate the experiences their children are offered and say they make really good progress as a result of attending the nursery. Leaders value the families they work with. They arrange workshops for parents to attend, which helps them to support their children's learning at home. However, feedback from parents is not always gathered to ensure a better understanding of the improvements needed to strengthen parent partnerships even further.
• Leaders have a good oversight of the nursery. They take a hands-on approach to developing practice. They are creative and innovative in their approach to supporting staff's knowledge and skills. As soon as staff begin their employment, managers implement an induction programme that is practical and secures knowledge. Leaders make strong links with other settings to ensure that when children are ready to transition to their next stage of learning this process is smooth and fully supports children to manage this change. They constantly reflect on the experiences children have and make improvements that enhance the opportunities they offer.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways to gather more feedback from parents to further strengthen partnerships and gain more knowledge of what can be improved.