The Railway Children Hawksworth

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The setting promotes a holistic learning approach when planning its curriculum, with lots of outdoor activities. Children benefit from a wide variety of activities that are planned around their interests, and, as a result, children make good progress from their starting points. Staff create a calm, nurturing environment where children of all ages have a wonderful time. Children are well cared for by staff who are warm, nurturing and approachable. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff take every opportunity to extend language, introducing new words and engaging children in meaningful conversations. For example, when walking to the woods, staff and children discuss what they can see on their walk.

The curriculum supports children's personal development and independence skills, and, as a result, children flourish. They are resilient in their learning and feel confident to try new activities. Children's behaviour is good, and staff deal with any issues that arise sensitively. Children show good levels of social confidence. For example, they happily and enthusiastically interact with unfamiliar adults. Children are supported to develop their independence well. They make independent choices about where they would like to play, choosing their own food at lunchtimes and confidently managing tongs to serve themselves.

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

• The curriculum is well planned to meet the needs of the children. They have a wide range of opportunities to explore the outdoor environment, for example during a visit to the woods. Children are encouraged to forage for resources that are then taken back to the setting and added to the outdoor environment for them to print and paint. There is a wide range of planned learning opportunities to develop children's independence skills ready for the next stage of their education.
• The setting plans a wide range of visits to develop a sense of belonging in the community and to build the connection between home and school. The preparation for children's next stage of education is planned and implemented to support both the children and parents. The school-ready station, with a range of uniforms and pictures of teachers, ensures that children are prepared well for moving to a new setting.
• Children are well cared for and nurtured in the setting. The transition process prior to children attending ensures that relationships between parents and staff are developed, and children feel safe and secure. Children are involved in growing, picking and preparing their own food for their lunch. They prepare their own healthy breakfast, with locally grown honey from a recent trip to the local hives.
• Leaders of the setting have worked hard to develop an ambitious curriculum with a clear vision to support learning outdoors as an integral part of the ethos. Children experience a range of visits to support both personal and educational development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified swiftly, and their learning needs are planned for well.
• Parents are happy and confident that their children's learning needs are met. Parents praise the setting for the wonderful activities that it plans both in and out of the setting. Staff recognise and identify concerns quickly and seek the support children and their families need. There is an effective key-person system in place, and staff spend quality group time with their key children.
• Staff strive to make every interaction a learning opportunity that is used to shape children's communication skills, problem-solving abilities and overall well-being. Children learn about nature. They show care and attention when handling a moth they find in the woods and finding it a safe place. This demonstrates the hard work that the setting has taken to foster empathy, compassion and a sense of responsibility towards the environment in the children.
• On some occasions, the quality of teaching and interactions with children are not always promoted at the highest level. At times, staff do not leave time for children to think and respond during interactions to develop their thinking.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff interactions with children to allow children more time to develop their thinking and respond to questions.