The Butterfly Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this outstanding nursery excited and ready to begin their learning straight away. They choose an activity from the very well-organised resources. Staff teach children about planets. Children draw the Earth, add in water and draw a sun. They share this with staff and talk about what they have drawn, feeling very proud of their pictures. These quality interactions with staff help children to thrive. Children learn life skills, such as putting on their own coats and how long to brush their teeth for and how often. They eat a healthy lunch that is cooked fresh from the cafe next door.

Children as young as two years old can link an author of a story they are reading to other books written by the same author. They sing songs and rhymes frequently and during times of transitions, which help them to understand what is happening. Children share their learning with their friends following activities, such as when they learned about their senses. For example, when children pretend to make a cake in the mud kitchen, they tell their friends that it is a 'salty' cake. Children reply by asking if it is a 'sour' cake like 'lemon'.

All staff have an in-depth understanding of children, what makes them unique, and their individual interests. They use this knowledge carefully when planning each child's daily experiences. Staff use visual prompts when teaching children about their feelings. Children link their feelings to colours, and those who struggle to use words, point to colours to say how they are feeling. Staff use these systems to develop children's emotional literacy very well. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They talk to their friends and staff with respect and using manners.

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

• Staff place a great emphasis on supporting all children to develop their confidence and social and communication skills. For instance, they encourage children to stand up in front of their friends to share what they did at the weekend. Their friends listen intently and wait their turn to speak. Children are highly in tune with their feelings and emotions. They understand the boundaries and rules in the nursery. This helps children to feel safe and secure.
• Staff plan an ambitious curriculum. Children join the setting at two years old and learn how to be independent and look after themselves. Staff carefully sequence their teaching of life skills to children, such as wiping their nose and using the toilet. Staff teach children physical skills, such as cutting and threading, in preparation for the next step of their learning, such as early writing. Older children develop their focus by taking turns to name exciting objects that come out of a bucket.
• Staff know their key children and all the children in the nursery extremely well.
• They make sure that each child is working towards carefully planned goals. This ensures that all children make huge amounts of progress. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make huge strides in their learning. They help to close any gaps in children's development with successful strategies. For example, they use visual prompts and short, simple sentences to gently remind children how to sit, watch, and behave before story time begins.
• Staff support children to gain a deep respect and awareness of others. For example, children learn about different languages, such as by singing and listening to stories. Children know which languages their friends and teachers speak. They learn to sing songs in different languages.
• Staff work in partnership with external agencies and future schools so that children are well equipped with the skills they need to be successful when they go to school. Staff work together with families to make children's transitions seamless.
• Staff support children to have an excellent understanding of their behaviour and how it affects others. They talk to children about making a 'green' choice and a 'red' choice. Children are very proud of making a 'green' choice and this prompts a conversation about what choice they have made with their friends.
• Parents praise the strong channels of communication in this nursery. They feel supported in many aspects of their children's development, such as through the provision of parents' meetings, receiving reports, and support from staff with managing their children's behaviour at home.
• Parents say that the nursery is very nurturing when their children are settling in. They comment that staff take care to learn about their children's home lives and this creates a strong link with the family.
• The owner of the nursery is highly ambitious. She places a strong emphasis on staff's morale and their development professionally and personally. She believes in investing in her staff, and staff feel very supported in their roles. Some staff are studying towards further qualifications with the support and help of the owner and their colleagues. This helps staff to be well equipped for their roles to educate children to a very high standard. They feel empowered to do their jobs, and the open culture of the nursery helps them to feel supported.
• The owner is passionate about early years and early education, which is evident in how her nursery is run. The support that she provides to her staff around their well-being and the opportunities for their professional development are exemplary and worthy of being shared with others.