The Treehouse Of Water Orton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are keen to arrive at nursery. They are pleased to see the staff and really eager to get on with their day. They separate well from their parents and carers and confidently greet their friends. Children sit well at group time and are excited to participate in activities and songs. They communicate effectively with each other and actively lead their own learning by selecting toys and resources across a range of interesting activities. As a result of the staff's effective planning and assessment, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.

Children benefit from a wide range of experiences that support their understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Children of differing ages plant, water and harvest vegetables. They know the cycle of planting and explain this clearly to the inspector. Children's learning is extended through their involvement in chopping vegetables and making soup. Staff support mathematical learning effectively through a range of creative opportunities. For example, they challenge younger children to open pea pods and line up their peas using a number line. This successfully supports their counting skills.

Children are extremely confident and they play cooperatively with their peers. They benefit from many opportunities to explore their creative ideas. They enjoy music and have the opportunity to sing and dance in their performance area on the stage with the disco ball. Children enthusiastically perform in an end of term talent show for their families.

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

• Leaders have developed a clear and ambitious curriculum. Children make confident choices about how they spend their time and staff are joyful play partners, participating in and skilfully supporting their development. Staff successfully use children's interests and motivations to ensure their learning is purposeful. Children currently show great interest in the farm and the zoo, following recent trips with nursery.
• Staff promote children's physical skills well. Children are active outdoors and have access to a range of opportunities that support their gross- and fine-motor development. For example, they play with sand on a large scale and use a range of authentic items for moving, scooping, digging and mixing. Children also enjoy role play with wheeled vehicles, pushing them up onto a ramp to 'fix' and wash them.
• Children behave well. They play cooperatively, take turns and share resources successfully. Staff are consistent in promoting self-regulation and support children to acknowledge and understand their emotions. Children use an emotions board to help them to express their feelings appropriately.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills by extending their vocabulary and modelling the correct pronunciation of words. Children have access to many literacy opportunities, including stories, singing and the use of sign language. However, staff overlook some opportunities to help children to further explore their ideas and understanding, to deepen their knowledge even further.
• Children are enthusiastic learners. They learn about and celebrate diversity within the setting and the wider community. For example, staff invite parents into the nursery to share traditional dress, food and stories from their home countries. Staff also involve parents in helping children's learning about people who help us. As a direct result of the children's interest following a visit from a midwife parent, baby care role play is now popular within the nursery.
• Leaders are inspirational. They lead and manage the staff team highly effectively. There is a clear vision for the setting. Leaders and staff are reflective, which ensures a culture of constant improvement. Leaders work in partnership with external agencies to ensure families in need receive an exceptionally high level of support. The special educational needs coordinator offers appropriate and individualised support to children with SEND to ensure they access the curriculum and make good progress.
• Parents comment on the nurturing, loving and approachable staff team. They are happy with the successful key-person system as staff know the children really well and use this information to plan effectively for their individual learning needs. Parents feel involved and well informed about their child's progress. Parents of children with SEND are pleased with the good progress their children make and the inclusive culture across the setting. Parents also comment on children's readiness for school and the strong transition support they, and their children, have received.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to further enhance their teaching skills to identify how they can challenge children's thinking even further, to help them to make the best possible progress.