The Aunties' Old School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are captivated and enthralled as they arrive at this inspirational nursery. They enter the outdoor space through a sea of bubbles with enchanting music playing. Children beam with joy as they are greeted with open arms by the loving and nurturing staff. They separate from their parents with ease. Children pop the bubbles and smile and laugh together as they delight in expressing themselves through dance and movement. They are exceptionally confident and secure. Children have an extremely strong sense of belonging and achieve the best possible outcomes. They thrive and flourish in this nursery where staff celebrate and allow their unique personalities and strengths to blossom.

All children make remarkable progress and excel in their development. They access a curriculum that is highly ambitious, sparks their creativity and deepens their understanding. Children demonstrate high levels of concentration and focus on the highly stimulating and challenging activities they access. For instance, they relish the opportunity to solve the problem of getting up and down a steep slope in the woodland. Children learn to take calculated risks and build their resilience as they persevere to use their strength to climb to the top. They demonstrate impeccable levels of kindness and consideration towards each other as they encourage and help their friends achieve the challenge. Children then squeal with excitement as they enjoy the thrilling experience of abseiling back down to the bottom.

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

• Staff are playful and animated in their delivery of the curriculum. They dress up and act out a play for the children to watch about a tooth being cleaned. Children roar with laughter at the enthusiastic performance. They are then able to accurately recount the information they have acquired. Children explain their understanding of 'plaque' and 'cavities' and can talk about the importance of making healthy food choices and keeping their teeth clean.
• Staff expertly provide children with an in-depth knowledge and detailed understanding of the areas they explore. For example, children are immersed in the experience of hunting around the woodland with their binoculars and magnifying glasses. They name the flowers, such as 'dandelions' and 'cows parsley', and talk about their properties, comparing the shapes and sizes of the leaves. Staff encourage the children to find out more by looking at factual books together. They ignite children's curiosity and thirst for learning.
• Parents express an overwhelming level of praise for the nursery. They value the extensive lengths leaders go to, to ensure they are supported to the highest level. Leaders go above and beyond to give parents individual help and advice around a wealth of parenting topics. For example, they spend time having detailed discussion with parents on how to support children to cope with the arrival of a new sibling. Leaders understand the impact that excellent partnerships with parents have on accomplishing the best outcomes for children.
• Staff are passionate about encouraging children's awareness of art and culture. They expose children to a vast variety of different music, such as jazz, pop songs, rhymes and a range of classical music. Staff bring in their own instruments to give children the real-life experience of viewing and hearing how these work. Children learn about different composers and artists from around the world. They recreate giant sculptures and paintings, and delight in learning about the different techniques and materials that artists use.
• Staff expertly create calm and peaceful moments throughout the day for children to rest and reset. They recognise the immense benefit this has on their well-being and sense of self-worth. Children make their own nests under trees to have a 'mindful moment' as they listen to the sound of birds singing and observe clouds and trees. Younger toddlers sleep peacefully outside in the fresh air during nap times. Children return to their learning recharged and refreshed.
• The members of the highly experienced leadership team place the utmost importance on investing in the well-being and continuous professional development of their staff. Highly effective supervision, mentoring and extensive amounts of training and shared research all contribute to creating a highly skilled and knowledgeable team. Leaders motivate their staff to deliver the best possible practice. As a whole team, they are passionate about reflecting, evaluating and continually improving the already outstanding quality of care and education they provide.