The Treehouse Bubwith

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they are happy, confident and feel secure in this friendly nursery. Children welcome visitors and happily engage in conversations with them. Staff act as positive role models and have high expectations for children. They praise children in a consistent and meaningful way that increases their self-esteem. Staff encourage children to use good manners and to share and take turns effectively. Children behave well. Staff support children's emotional well-being. They engage children in discussions and encourage them to talk about their feelings.

Children have excellent opportunities to learn about their community. They enjoy regular trips and outings, such as to the local woodlands, play parks and church. Staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. For example, children manipulate dough and make pretend food, such as burgers and pizzas. This helps to strengthen children's hand muscles, ready for early writing.

Children demonstrate good independence skills. They learn to do things themselves, such as tidying away their toys and putting on their shoes for outdoor play. Children acquire a good range of key skills in preparation for the next stage in their development and their move on to school. Staff manage children's transitions to the adjoining school very well. They take children regularly to visit the school to help them become familiar with their surroundings. For example, children spend time in the school wildlife area, where staff help them to learn about minibeasts and the natural world.

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

• Parents are very complimentary of the nursery and the care their children receive. They comment that they receive information about their children's learning and development and receive ideas to promote their children's learning at home. Staff invite parents to special events, such as yoga and parents' evenings. This helps to develop positive relationships.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They work collaboratively with other professionals, to ensure that all children are supported to the best of their ability.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning regularly. They closely monitor children's development who are in receipt of funding. Staff use the information they gather to provide children with an ambitious and challenging curriculum. They carefully consider children's interests. For example, children enjoy looking at an atlas and talking about their holidays. Staff extend children's knowledge by engaging them in conversations about various ways to travel, such as by air or by sea.
• Staff support all children well to develop their communication and language skills. This includes children who speak English as an additional language. Staff continually talk to children, model language and emphasise key words. They repeat words such as 'squidgy' and 'sticky' to children as they make dough. This helps to expand children's vocabulary.
• Staff plan activities to help to children learn about the differences between themselves and others. For example, children learn about Lunar New Year and Diwali. Staff provide children with a range of positive images, books and resources to help them understand the diverse world around them. They plan different experiences for the children to learn about special world environment days, such as World Bee Day.
• Children are confident, highly motivated and enjoy exploring their environment. Staff provide a good range of resources that can be used in different ways to support children to use their imaginations and creativity. For example, older children make tea with different flavoured tea bags. They draw their own 'gingerbread' people and help to make dough. However, occasionally, staff do not plan and deliver group activities as effectively as possible. This means that some children do not get the full benefit of the learning experiences.
• Staff attend regular training and there is a programme of ongoing supervision provided to staff. Staff report that they feel supported and that they feel they benefit from the professional development opportunities available.
• Children thoroughly enjoy being active outdoors. They investigate bug hotels and search for dinosaurs in a sand pit. Younger children make sandcastles and draw using large chalks. Staff support children's knowledge of colours and older children climb. However, on occasions, staff do not deploy themselves effectively to fully engage all children at all times.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group times to enable children to fully participate more during activities and enhance their learning opportunities
• improve staff deployment to help to fully engage all children at all times.