Sunflowers at Grafton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children progress well at this friendly, rural nursery. They form close bonds, not only with their key worker but with all of the staff, giving them a strong sense of belonging. The staff offer continual encouragement and praise to the children, enabling them to grow in confidence as they explore their environment. The children's interests are woven into the setting's curriculum, and care is taken by the staff to enhance these experiences. For example, the children in the toddler room have become interested in bug hunting. The staff have created an area with logs, provided magnifying glasses and some pictures of common bugs. The children learn new words as they identify ants and worms.

The nursery has an extensive outdoor space for the children to explore. Each room benefits from a smaller enclosed garden with access onto a larger area. In the smaller gardens, the children are able to access water and sand trays, as well as dens and ride-on-toys. In the larger garden, children have opportunity to climb, explore and run around in a natural wooded space. They care for the chickens and look for signs of wildlife. This gives children the opportunity to be physically active throughout their day.

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

• The manager and staff have high aspirations for all of the children at their setting and have developed a curriculum that is clearly understood by all staff. The staff are able to identify why they are doing an activity and what it is the children are learning. For example, in the baby room, the staff sing and read books to the children throughout the day. They understand that this helps the children to develop their speech and vocabulary. During story time in the pre-school room, children join in with familiar phrases while a member of staff reads the story.
• The children have many opportunities to be physically active. In the baby room, there is low climbing equipment for the children to explore. They can pull themselves to standing and smiled when they received praise and claps from the staff. The pre-school children engaged the inspector in discussions about yoga and dancing. They notice that their hearts are beating quickly after dancing and comment, 'Our hearts beat fast when we dance fast.'
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They make use of additional funding to support the children. For example, staff have purchased a dark den with sensory toys to provide a calm space for children who may become overwhelmed at times in the day. The staff are quick to identify any children who may have additional needs and engage the help and support of professional agencies in a timely manner.
• The managers hold staff development and well-being in high regard. They encourage all staff to engage in gaining nationally recognised qualifications. The staff feel valued and supported by their managers.
• Staff approach children's personal routines gently and with respect. They ask the younger children if they need help to wipe a nose and talk to them while changing a nappy, explaining what they are doing. The older children confidently take care of their personal hygiene but ask for support, if needed. This helps to promote the children's feeling of security, their independence and confidence.
• Staff talk continually with the children, providing a dialogue to their play. They encourage children to problem-solve and consider the outcomes to actions by asking open-ended questions. However, during some group activities, staff do not always respond in a timely manner to those children who are less vocal compared to others. At times, this hinders some quieter children from building on what they know and can already do.
• The children show high levels of respect for one another. For example, the pre-school children wait quietly for their turn to talk during circle time. In the pre-school, the children sing a 'Good Morning' song once they have settled in and say 'good morning' to one another. During this time, staff encourage them to 'talk with their hands', and the children explain they do this 'because some people are deaf and cannot hear them'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff working with younger children to ensure all interactions enable children to build on what they know.