The Barn Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have an exceptionally wonderful time at this nursery. The expert team of dedicated staff supports children to explore, create and learn. They give children time and space to solve problems in their activities while quickly providing support when needed. For example, older children are confident in finding and using sand timers to negotiate sharing toys with others. In similar situations, staff promptly guide younger children to reflect on how they can take turns and share.

Children enjoy a highly commendable learning experience in a happy and nurturing learning environment. Interactions between staff and children are of a very high quality, and children know that staff really value their opinions. They hold conversations with staff that enrich their vocabulary and learning. For example, while exploring the letter 'P' in their 'silly soup' phonics game, older children reflect that the 'pants' would taste 'very disgusting'.

Outdoors, children have access to many exciting activities, including a mathematics wall where children enjoy learning about 'quantity' and 'number'. They develop physical skills on slides and a climbing wall. Children relax as they listen to sounds and touch different textures in the well-designed sensory garden. Pre-school children lead a group game of 'hot lava', signalling with coloured cards when the ground is safe to stand on and when players need to find a raised platform to escape the imaginary 'hot lava'. Staff eagerly join in and add extra elements. For example, they support children to count how many places they can escape to. Children have amazing fun and develop leadership and team-building skills along with extending their imagination and creativity.

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

• The nursery has created an ambitious curriculum that is embedded securely and consistently across the provision. Leaders and staff have a firm and confident knowledge of the curriculum and what they want children to learn and why. Children's experiences are consistently arranged to support them to build their knowledge and skills. For example, babies have lots of interesting outdoor experiences. Staff support children to crawl and walk. They guide them to develop skills, such as by walking over little bridges and ramps and climbing over obstacles. These skills build over time and enable older children to use the outdoor area more fully as they further develop their balance and core skills.
• Staff consistently support children to develop a rich and varied vocabulary, introducing new words throughout the day. For example, staff support toddlers to explore different words to explain when they feel unwell, such as 'sick', 'poorly', 'better' and 'recovered'. Staff in the baby room talk in gentle and engaging voices, naming and explaining the activities babies engage with.
• Children speak with increasing fluency. For example, pre-school children speak using up to 11-word sentences and are very confident communicators. They have many opportunities to listen to books being read during the day and develop strong, secure foundations for future learning.
• The nursery goes above and beyond what is expected to ensure children enjoy a rich set of learning experiences. Managers arrange sessions with specialist teachers. For example, physical education teachers visit and help children develop their sports skills. Staff take children on weekly forest school days, and all children, including babies, go on trips out. For example, the nursery has created a 'beach project', and children regularly enjoy educationally rich visits to the beach. Activities, learning experiences and trips out are planned in a coherent way that positively influences what children do. Children enjoy weekly classes that help them learn about the Cornish language.
• The nursery has an exemplary provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The nursery ensures that children have the best level of support that they need. For example, one staff member is studying for a speech and language therapy course to support children while they wait for an assessment and therapy from outside agencies. Children with SEND make excellent progress. The nursery has strong links with local agencies, and parents of children with SEND report that they feel superbly supported and praise the excellent progress their children make.
• Leaders ensure that managers and staff follow a focused and highly effective professional development programme. Staff take relevant early years courses on a monthly basis. Their progress is monitored and supported by managers. Staff's knowledge consistently builds over time. This is evident in the teaching of the curriculum. Teaching is confident, and staff really enjoy working at the nursery. Managers feel well supported.