The Pheasant Nest

Inclusion: Exceptional

Highly effective leaders and staff put the children and families at the heart of everything they do. Before the children start at the nursery, parents receive a comprehensive telephone call to discuss their individual circumstances. This helps to ensure that the experienced staff consistently meet children's needs from the beginning.

All children, including those facing barriers to their learning making incredible progress from their starting points and thrive in this inclusive nurturing nursery. Leaders and highly qualified, experienced staff have the same high expectations. Children make tremendous progress at the nursery, from having no language or not eating on arrival, to becoming fully conversational and sitting with their friends for mealtimes. Staff have weekly discussions about children's individual progress. This helps to ensure children continue to receive the support they need at the right time. Leaders and staff go above and beyond to meet the needs of the children and are passionate about consistently providing all children with the best opportunities to always make the most progress.

Leaders ensure they operate with higher than statutory ratios every day, employing extra staff at every session. This gives children the time to develop the skills they need in an inclusive stimulating environment. Staff know all the children and recognise their uniqueness. They operate sessions at a slow pace to ensure every child has the time, space and opportunity to fulfil their needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders ensure quality of the curriculum and teaching is incredible through consistent monitoring and oversight. The qualified staff weave mathematical language and new vocabulary into every opportunity, from snack time to story time. Questioning techniques are consistently thought provoking. Experienced staff show a genuine interest in the responses that children give and extend their learning further still with expert probing. For example, children talk confidently about Vitamin D being in the fruit they have at snack time and staff encourage the discussion, questioning their knowledge and imparting further information about other vitamins that are present in the fruit children eat.

Children develop a love of books from an early age and regular group story telling is integral. Children also have individual time to look at books after lunch and whilst waiting for the shuttle bus at the end of the day. Story time is a great learning experience. Skilled staff introduce new vocabulary to the children such as 'whoosh' and then explain that the word is an 'onomatopoeia'. During another story, children talk about the animals. They share that they know that the lion is a mummy and when questioned as to why they think that is so, they respond because it is asleep. This leads onto further discussions about the other animals and gender. Staff instinctively know when to step in to support children's learning further and when to stand back and observe, allowing the children to develop their own curiosity and wonder.

Children's natural curiosity and inquisitiveness is clear throughout the nursery. This is evident from babies experimenting with bottles in the water play, to older children discussing the robin that flew into the cabin. Children confidently speak about how it must be scared seeing the children watching it. Staff expertly extend children's learning, talking about the habitat for birds, encouraging the children to think about where they live.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children including those facing barriers to their learning make excellent progress from their starting points across every area of learning. Children demonstrate exemplary communication and language skills. For example, they talk about seeing their reflections in the mirrors and making lasers with the magnetic shapes. They are inquisitive and show curiosity in their play. Their imaginations take them on journeys using the tree trunks as cars and the grass and buttercups as food. Children show high levels of concentration as they play. They demonstrate perseverance and confidence as they balance on the planks and climb in and out of the hammock. Children consistently show a pride in their achievements from cutting fruit, through to creating towers with building blocks. Children have the essential age and stage appropriate knowledge and skills for their future success. They are incredibly well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Inspirational leaders and staff create an incredible inclusive environment where children feel safe and secure. Regular attendance is embedded from the very beginning of the children's journey at the nursery. Leaders and staff have extremely high expectations and children rise to the challenge and behave impeccably. There is a fluidity to the routines which ensures children continually have their needs met. For example, if children are engrossed in an activity, such as watching the tractors, staff will take the snack to them and not disturb their concentration and enjoyment. Children know the routines incredibly well and when the cow bell rings, they make their way across the field to the cabin for food. Staff involve children in routine tasks, such as helping to lay the beds out under the large canopy ready for sleep.

Independence is embedded at every opportunity. When children arrive, they are familiar with self-registration. They find their magnetic pictures attached to their own personal towels and fix these to the metal cabin wall. These are accessible and used throughout the day. For example, children select their own towels after washing their hands before meals and after using the toilet. Staff praise the children's achievements which consistently helps to develop their self-esteem.

Children consistently demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and develop secure friendships with other children. Highly qualified and experienced staff know the children extremely well and offer reassuring cuddles to new starters and demonstrate their knowledge of the children's needs and interests. They use this information to ensure they provide highly impactful experiences to aid the children's development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Exceptional leaders find out all about the children and their families before induction into the nursery. This helps to ensure the highly qualified staff know and can build on children's emotional wellbeing from their first day. Staff form secure and responsive attachments with all babies and children. They consistently support children to develop an understanding of their physical skills by providing a range of opportunities to increase their core strength.

Routines are incredibly effective and consistently support and develop individual needs. Older children competently cut the fruit to share with all their friends, younger children and babies. They confidently talk about using 'the bridge'. This is a technique where the hand is placed over the food so the knife can pass safely underneath to cut items, and a 'claw grip' to increase fine motor control as they work. Children spontaneously count the pieces of fruit, with no prompts from staff, demonstrating their secure knowledge of early counting skills. At mealtimes children can help themselves to as much, or as little food, as they would like, which ensures no one goes hungry. Children expertly pour drinks for their friends, which further helps to develop their excellent physical skills.

Children understand when it is time for sleep and gather their comforters. They head across the field to their beds laid out under the canopy. Children independently remove their shoes and snuggle up under their covers and fall asleep listening to the sounds of the birds.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are inspirational and extremely committed to making a difference not only to the children in the nursery, but also in the wider community, opening their inclusive provision to other early years providers. They have a clear vision for further development and a want more children and families to benefit from their nurturing inclusive environment.

Experienced leaders know what they want from their staff team to help them continue to fulfil their vision. They recruit and appoint the most qualified and knowledgeable staff, with many having teacher status. This helps to ensure that they provide the best opportunities they can for all children, including those who face barriers to their learning. Staff comment that their wellbeing is good and their workloads manageable. They enjoy working outside and value the support and opportunities they have for further professional development training to ensure their knowledge remains current.

Parents are extremely complimentary and talk about the transformation they have seen in their children since they started at the nursery. Committed leaders build on children's knowledge and understanding by creating real family-like experiences, including outings to the local 'Pumpkin Patch', visits to the Christmas lights and the local garden centre. Parents value the opportunities children are given to explore, socialise and learn in meaningful and memorable ways.

Reception teachers of the schools children transition to comment on how the children have developed strong characteristics of effective learning and a high level of mathematical understanding. They also share that the children have positive 'can-do' attitudes towards phonics and problem-solving skills.