The Stables

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and their families are at this heart of this friendly and welcoming setting. Staff provide children with a wealth of experiences to widen their knowledge and understanding about the world around them. For example, children take great pleasure in exploring nature in the forest 'den'. Staff support them to learn about caring for insects and plants when making their own natural 'cupcakes'. Staff help develop children's physical skills very well. They provide additional sessions to support them with these. Children enjoy taking part in their regular football games, listening intently to their coach. This effectively promotes their attention and social skills.

Staff successfully nurture children's developing self-esteem and confidence. They praise and encourage children, celebrating their achievements. Older children excitedly join in with their favourite rhymes and songs when using a parachute outdoors. Staff encourage children's ideas and 'high-five' them when they welcome their friends to join in. All children behave well. They develop positive attitudes to their learning. Babies and young children benefit from tailored settling in processes to support their smooth transitions. They form strong bonds with staff, who immediately respond when children eagerly share their favourite books with them. All children are happy.

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

• Children benefit from staff who know them well and encourage their interests and learning about the world around them. For example, children enjoy watching the cows in the nearby field and staff arrange visits for them to learn where milk comes from. Older children look forward to visiting the nearby care home to share their creations with the residents. These experiences help children learn about the wider world.
• Staff effectively promote children's positive behaviour. They encourage children to manage their own feelings and make friends, helping develop their social skills. Older children help serve their friends food at lunchtime. However, occasionally staff undertake simple tasks for children that they could attempt themselves. This means that at times children do not always have opportunities to fully support their independence and self-reliance skills.
• Staff offer children a diverse array of activities and experiences that enhance their knowledge and skills. Children contribute to the decision-making process via their involvement in the 'Nursery Council'. Older children take pleasure in learning Spanish and delving into books that cover various religions and cultures. They delight in exploring their friends 'All About Me' books, which helps foster attitudes of respect towards others.
• Children benefit from staff who encourage them to develop key skills for their next learning stage. Staff successfully prioritise children's communication and vocabulary development. They provide additional sessions to support individual speech and language skills to help children work towards their next steps. Staff model sign language to help younger children to communicate effectively. All children make good progress.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding about different foods and where they come from. Older children excitedly chat about how potatoes are grown. The setting employs a chef who ensures children have a wide variety of healthy and nutritious meals. This helps support children's understanding of healthy eating.
• Leaders and managers are passionate and proactive. They seek out additional support for families, such as counselling and bereavement support. They are intent on providing high quality care and education. They have excellent relationships with the local authority, nearby settings and schools, which helps ensure children have very smooth transitions.
• Children thrive under the care of staff who are truly invested in their well-being. Staff receive robust support in their roles and are motivated to pursue further training and qualifications, enhancing their expertise and abilities. Leaders and managers highly value them. New staff settle very well into their roles and report that they love their jobs.
• Communication with parents is excellent. Parents are encouraged to support specific skills at home. For example, older children enjoy taking home special packs to help them with writing their names. Parents are provided with a range of opportunities to come into the setting to support their children's learning. They appreciate the home visits undertaken to help their children to settle in and talk highly of the welcoming family atmosphere.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen consistency in staff's practice to further support children to become more independent in their self-care and learning.