The Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely settled, happy and ready to learn at this very warm and welcoming nursery. Staff are very respectful, gentle and caring. They build strong bonds with children and create a very calm, relaxed and positive environment in which children flourish. Children are curious, highly engaged and enthusiastic as they help to make bread, explore with fruit and herbs and blow soap bubbles in the nursery's enclosed garden.

Support for children's personal, social and emotional development is outstanding. Staff are excellent role models. They model manners and provide clear praise and encouragement. This helps children to recognise their achievements and builds their confidence and self-esteem. Children's behaviour is excellent. They take turns with props that are designed to help them to express their feelings and emotions at circle time. Staff encourage children to use timers to help them to understand how to wait and to share. They encourage breathing techniques to help children to feel calm. Staff praise children for their teamwork and for being kind to others.

Support for children's learning is outstanding. Staff have a deep understanding about what they want children to achieve to prepare them very well for school or the next stage of their learning. They encourage children to zip their coats, wipe their noses, wash their hands and listen carefully to stories and instructions. Procedures for helping new children to settle are extremely flexible and tailored to meet each child's individual needs. Staff ensure that children get to experience each part of the daily routine to help reassure them and make them feel secure. Children move on to the next room in terms of their development in small cohorts so that they are able to stay with familiar friends.

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

• Staff see every part of the daily routine as an opportunity for learning. They use mealtimes and baking activities to encourage children to explore textures, learn language and socialise. Children learn important skills, such as how to pour drinks and use cutlery safely.
• Children are comfortable and confident learners. Staff create a home-from-home environment to help children to feel a strong sense of belonging. This includes photo booklets of each child's family and displays of children's pets.
• Children take part in exciting activities that broaden their knowledge and horizons at this farm-based nursery. For example, staff teach children how to sensitively handle living things, as they help to care for chicks that are hatching. Children take part in regular walks to greet the farm animals and explore the nursery's woodland garden.
• There is outstanding support for children to develop their language. Staff introduce new words such as 'recipe', 'ingredients', 'instruction' and 'sachet' as children help to make bread. They use words to describe babies' actions as they play, such as 'twist', 'stretch' and 'squeeze'. This helps children to extend their knowledge of vocabulary.
• Staff plan for children's physical development extremely well. They encourage children to stretch and dance before sitting, in order to help them to improve their focus. Children take part in dedicated music and movement sessions to help build their coordination and strength.
• Staff reflect thoughtfully on children's experiences. For example, they carefully plan the layout of spaces for babies, so they have plenty of room to explore. Staff strategically plan the position and height of furniture to help children to learn how to pull themselves up, balance and practise early walking.
• Support for children's mathematical skills is excellent. Staff encourage children to measure themselves to see who is the tallest. Children experiment with coloured film to see what happens when they layer one colour on top of another. Children estimate which toy car will be the fastest and compare shapes as they make ovals and rectangles with dough.
• Children learn about the wider world around them, such as through trips to the library, cafes and opticians. Staff support parents and carers to extend their children's activities and learning at home. For example, they encourage children to take sunflower seeds home to plant and ideas on how to make scented play dough.
• Children learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They take part in first-aid training to become 'mini first-aiders'. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious hot meals that are prepared by the nursery cook.
• Staff work closely with professionals in education and health who are involved with children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Partnerships with parents are excellent. Leaders arrange for experts in weaning, dummy use and toileting to visit the nursery to offer parents guidance and advice.
• Leaders are inspirational. They provide outstanding support to staff for their professional development and well-being. There are excellent opportunities for career progression.
• The nursery's staff are highly qualified or working towards qualifications. They are experienced and professional, and they work extremely well together as a team. Leaders and staff share their expertise throughout the nursery and to other settings.