Swan Meadow Cottage Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children excel in learning and play with wonder and awe in this impeccable nursery setting. Staff use their passion to provide children with a breadth of experiences. Children's lives are enriched from the start. Babies gaze and reach up for bubbles during their daily 'wondrous session'. They babble and giggle, showing their true happiness and contentment in the Swan Meadow family. Children spend large amounts of time in the natural environment, where they climb, explore and investigate. Pre-school children work with the Wildlife Trust to help them learn how to care for the animals. Children's health and physical well-being are promoted consistently. They take part in yoga and breathing sessions to help regulate their body movement and promote a sense of calm. Additionally, pre-school children take part in dance shows in the outdoor amphitheatre. This helps to significantly increase their confidence. Children beam with pride as they perform the actions in time to the music.

All children are highly valued by staff, who know them exceptionally well. As a result, activities and resources planned for children to engage with are purposeful. Each child shows a positive learning attitude, and they are excited to explore the nursery as soon as they arrive. Children's behaviour and manners are exceptional. Staff help children to understand instructions and make independent choices. Daily routines are seamless. As a result, children remain consistently happy and confident in their surroundings. Children show high levels of respect for each other and understand other people's differences and needs. For example, they know that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may need a little longer to join in with a circle time session. As a result, children are patient and wait for their friends to join the session.

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

• Leaders have immense pride and ambition for the nursery and all children who step through their doors. They implement a well-sequenced curriculum, which progressively helps children to learn and thrive from the start. Leaders, staff and parents are fully involved in this process. All children make exceptional progress. Through close tracking of children, any gaps in development are swiftly addressed.
• Children's learning experiences do not stop in the nursery. Leaders have established a range of links with the local community to help broaden children's knowledge even further. For example, children make their own musical instruments to march in the local 'Whit Walks' parade. Additionally, on inspection, a brass band visited the nursery. Babies enjoyed the new sounds the instruments made and bopped along to the tune. Older children joined in with songs and later discussed different parts of the instruments, such as 'valves'.
• This helps children to learn new words in the correct context.
• Parents comment on the outstanding provision and the 'first-rate support' they receive from staff and leaders. Families are invited into the nursery to take part in social events and stay-and-play sessions, such as 'chill and grill' for Father's Day. This helps parents feel valued. It also gives them an insight into their children's day at nursery. Additionally, staff share information with parents to help continue their children's learning and new interests at home.
• Children are supported to move through the nursery with the help of the nursery's 'ambitions for transitions' strategy. This focuses on building children's independence and emotional security, as well as the key skills required for their next stage in learning. Consequently, children are extremely happy, assured and know how to negotiate a range of social and educational situations.
• Communication and language are securely embedded throughout the nursery. Babies are exposed to a wide range of songs, sounds and words modelled by the highly skilled staff team. During outdoor play, children create their own bug hunt. They use descriptive words remembered from past stories, such as 'sharp claws'. Pre-school children chatter and hold meaningful conversations. Staff narrate, question and tailor their teaching exceptionally well. They ambitiously extend each child's learning. This helps to enhance children's imagination and vocabulary.
• Opportunities for children with SEND are seamlessly tailored to accommodate their pace and ability. This helps to ensure that children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of the nursery. Leaders and staff work with external professionals and families to closely monitor children's progress and implement effective support techniques. Consequently, children with SEND are extremely happy and acquire lots of new skills.
• Due to the exceptional leadership and management at this nursery, local training providers and apprentices come to visit. Leaders and staff model outstanding practice to help broaden the skills and knowledge of students and tutors. This partnership working supports the local childcare workforce and helps to promote better education for even more children.