The Valley Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this exceptional nursery. Children are deeply involved in their learning, displaying constant enjoyment and motivation when they play and learn. They have access to an abundance of activities and experiences that help them to make excellent progress. For example, experienced staff support children to think critically and discuss potential solutions about how to thicken their blend of water and spices. Staff skilfully extend learning by asking children to recall previous discussions about building materials. Children excitedly share what they had learned about how cement was a 'magic glue'. They use their knowledge to consider what ingredients they could find as a potential alternative to solidify their fragrant creation.

Children's behaviour is exceptional. They listen to and happily follow instructions. Staff have high expectations and are excellent role models. Children display high levels of respect and kindness towards others. For example, children spontaneously help with tasks that others find tricky, such as holding a paper cake case steady, so their friend can successfully spoon the mixture inside.

The manager and staff are highly qualified and work exceptionally well together. Their teaching is exemplary and is worthy of being shared with others. They make excellent use of the extensive range of exciting and well-resourced indoor and outdoor environments. Staff and children show absolute joy in playing and learning together.

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

• The dedicated and passionate manager inspires staff to be reflective practitioners. Together, they analyse what each child needs and question how their curriculum can be adapted to help children more. Staff are extremely confident and competent to apply each child's interest to other options and continually add to the learning environment. For example, after an engaging story time, children excitedly find straw, sticks and small bricks to build houses. They take big breaths and blow to find out which ones will fall. Staff show a keen interest in children's conversations and support them to link words and ideas in their play.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is an excellent advocate for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work successfully with other professionals and parents. Together, they develop finely tuned plans and children with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes. Early years pupil premium funding is used well to support disadvantaged children.
• Hands-on experiences encourage learning and provide a context for new words to be explored. For example, staff model how to use a mortar and pestle.
• Children are keen to share their ideas about the purpose of these tools. They talk about 'mixing', 'mashing', 'stirring', blending', 'bashing' and 'to make it go crumbly'. Staff's sensitive questioning invites children to elaborate. Children become more confident to use a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.
• Children gain a love of stories, songs and nursery rhymes which offer fun ways to explore the sounds and patterns of words. These are integral to the curriculum, rhythm and routine of the day. Children choose to read stories for themselves. They listen, enthralled, as adults read stories to them. Children choose books from the 'library cart' by the front door to share with their family. This helps parents to further embed children's learning at home.
• The manager has an excellent oversight of the nursery. High priority is given to the staff's well-being and professional development. Together, they continually strive for improvement. Staff share their research, learning and ideas with each other to inform practice across the nursery. The success of the investment in training is clear to see. Staff demonstrate excellent levels of confidence, pride and expertise as they showcase their teaching abilities.
• Partnership with parents is exceptional. Parents report that there is excellent communication from the nursery and that they feel very involved in their child's learning. The nursery goes above and beyond in offering advice and support to families.
• Children's well-being and safety are of the highest importance to the manager and staff, who place children at the heart of everything they do. The nursery receives very positive feedback from local schools about children who have moved from the nursery and how they were exceptionally well prepared for the transition to school.