The Butterfly Patch, Lower Morden

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive eager to start their day. All ages of children thoroughly enjoy forest school sessions. Staff have recently adapted their 'spare eye' policy for forest school outings. They are now supernumerary and observe activities to help to keep children safe. They are quick to shield children when dogs come over, and they undertake regular head counts to ensure all children are present.

Toddlers excitedly roll on the floor pretending to be worms. Staff roll with them, using descriptive words, such as 'wiggle', 'stretch' and 'scrunch'. This helps the children to learn new words. They learn about worm casts and how they are made, extending their knowledge of the wider world around them. Children work together to dig up worms and look at them to see how they move. Staff match children's excitement with the insects they find. This further builds on children's personal and social development.

Pre-school children practise their emerging literacy development while out at forest school. They work together to make chalk drawings on the paths. Children lie down and staff and their peers draw around each other. Staff use words such as go 'along' your foot, then 'alongside' your leg and 'up' to your body. This helps to support children's emerging mathematical and language development.

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

• Leaders have worked hard to make changes to children's safety and have met the welfare requirement notice set at the previous inspection. All children now wear high-visibility hats so they can be seen by staff. New head count procedures are in place whereby staff double count children and record during forest school how many children are present. Staff are not allowed to carry out forest school sessions until they have completed a specialist induction. This all helps to keep children safe.
• Leaders support staff's well-being well. They are alert to staff's mental well-being, making sure they have time out to talk through any concerns. Mental health first aiders work with leaders to ensure the workload does not have an impact on staff.
• During forest school activities, some quieter children miss out on staff's interactions, as the more confident children take staff's attention.
• All staff teach children the importance of not picking the plants and berries. They use the mantra 'do not pick, do not lick'. Children are extremely careful when looking at plants, and they explained to the inspector that the small leaves are called 'buds'. Children expertly recall what they have been taught.
• During some forest school sessions, staff do not always extend the activities beyond the actual learning intentions. They do not consistently pick up on children's natural curiosity with regards to creativity.
• All staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management. They remind children when climbing trees to look out below to make sure they do not hurt their friends as they start to climb. Children behave well.
• Babies enjoy their mini forest school sessions. They have their own scheduled area to learn and explore in. Babies take great delight in exploring the feel and texture of leaves. Staff support children's emerging language development using descriptive words to describe textures.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff are empathetic towards the individual needs of children. They understand how children feel when trying to settle and how it can be a difficult time for them. They re-evaluate the impact that staff who keep walking around has on children and change routines to help these children. This greatly helps children to build a strong bond with staff.
• All ages of children are skilled in reminding staff if they need soap on their hands before they have their snack in forest school. Children talk through with the staff what they need in order to wash their hands. This embeds the skills they have been taught.
• Staff are skilled at changing activities when they can see children are starting to wander during forest school. This helps to keep children's concentration, supporting their learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify the quieter children during large-group activities and to engage them further in activities
• work with staff when on forest school activities to support areas of learning outside of learning intentions to help extend creative development.