The Garden at Kingswood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are safe and secure in this calming, nurturing nursery. Staff welcome children happily. They settle quickly and engage with learning on offer. Children form strong attachments with staff and confidently seek them for support and reassurance where needed. Staff know all children very well and are tuned into their needs and interests.

The provider and the staff work closely together to construct and deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum. They create exciting learning opportunities that are meaningful and tailored to children's individual needs. Staff create opportunities for babies to pull to standing at low-level, table-top activities to develop their core strength ready for walking. Older children develop their early listening and attention skills when staff excitedly engage them in an activity of 'What's in the box?' Children are eager to join in and keen to identify pictures and items from the box. They beam with pride when staff praise them for having a go.

Staff imbed the importance of healthy living from a young age. Babies have daily access to fresh air and exercise. They explore the local green areas and observe the changes in seasons. Specially trained staff provide older children with weekly forest school sessions, where they develop their physical skills and learn how to assess risks in a safe, supportive environment. Children receive balanced meals that are freshly prepared on site. Children learn the impact of positive health and well-being from a young age.

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

• The provider prides themselves on supporting staff's well-being and providing opportunities for professional development. Staff speak highly of the support they receive daily, in addition to termly supervision meetings, where they can discuss their roles and any training needs. Staff are offered two non-contact days a year where they can develop an area of their choosing. Some have previously visited outdoor settings locally to share practice and deliver these ideas to staff to implement in the nursery. Staff also have an 'extra-curricular' role, which is of interest to them. Some have taken on the role of baking classes with the children while others have created a 'lending library' to promote parents to read with their children at home. Staff and children are happy, and they thrive in the nursery environment.
• The provider and the staff create exceptional partnerships with parents. Staff know all families well and work closely with them to ensure that there is a collaborative approach to their children's care. Parents report there is excellent communication from staff. Staff are very flexible for working parents and arrange meetings outside of working hours or online if needed. Parents speak highly of organised events for all the family to attend, such as grandparents gardening mornings and afternoon tea parties. Families are valued and well supported.
• Staff know all children well, and children make good progress from their starting points. They use their knowledge of the children to create achievable and meaningful next steps for them. Staff are aware of those children that require extra help and provide activities to help close the gaps in learning. Where needed, staff refer to external professionals to seek support and guidance to help best meet children's needs.
• The provider exposes children to a wide range of opportunities and experiences. For example, children attend weekly Spanish lessons, drama classes and music sessions. Children build their confidence and resilience from a young age when they participate in new experiences, with different adults, and learn new skills some of which are on the school grounds, outside of the nursery environment.
• Staff support children's communication skills to teach them the value of language and give them confidence to communicate their needs. Staff use songs and rhymes with babies and talk to them throughout self-care routines. Staff introduce new vocabulary to older children, such as 'alligator', when they explore animals in the water tray. Staff encourage children to use language when they say 'ready, steady' and wait for children to fill in the gaps. Children say 'splash' with joy, and staff mimic their words. Children learn the value of communication.
• Staff begin to support children to understand the routines and expectations of the nursery. Children learn independent self-care skills when they wipe their faces after meals and return their plates to the trolley. However, at times, staff do not use effective strategies to ensure that all children are able to engage and take part in learning. For example, some children rely on their comforters for reassurance. Staff are not consistent at helping children to lessen their reliance on these during play and to help them understand why this is important. At times, this impacts on children's ability to fully participate with the learning on offer.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use consistent strategies to help all children to understand the expectations and to learn from all experiences.