The Village Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have many opportunities for outdoor play and learning. Older children show genuine excitement as they hunt for minibeasts in the woodland area. A child lifts a log and uses his magnifying glass to search for creatures. He shouts to the group, 'I found a woodlouse' and exclaims, 'It's a speedy beetle!' Children are encouraged to lift the logs gently and slowly so that they do not scare the creatures they might find. Staff remind children to be gentle as they hold the bugs and examine what they look like. As a result, children begin to care for and respect all living creatures.

Younger children confidently pull themselves up onto a small climbing frame. This supports the development of their large-muscle skills. They smile with pride as they stand up, before sitting down and pushing themselves down the slide. Staff provide encouragement and share children's delight in conquering the climbing frame and slide. This supports children's self-esteem and confidence. Consequently, children are eager to repeat this activity. As a result, children practise and refine their physical skills.

Children feel safe and secure in the nursery. Babies are provided with a calm environment in which to play and relax. Staff sensitively support babies with their routines. They lightly pat babies' backs as they begin to close their eyes and drift off to sleep.

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

• Children are encouraged to stay hydrated. For instance, staff remind them to have a drink and explain the importance of this, especially during a hot day. Consequently, children regularly use their drinks bottles. However, children are not always provided with opportunity to practise pouring their own drinks and using a cup.
• Staff know children very well. Observations and assessments are used effectively. This helps staff to understand children's stage of development and interests and identify what children need to learn next. Subsequently, staff use this information to plan activities and experiences across all areas of learning and development. As a result, children make progress which is relevant to their starting points in development.
• Staff identify children who may need extra support. They make appropriate referrals to other professionals and agencies. Additional funding is used to provide increased staffing levels and one-to-one support. Consequently, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the right support in an inclusive environment.
• Children are provided with nutritious meals and snacks. This helps them to stay healthy. However, meal and snack times do not consistently provide children with time to develop their independence and self-help skills. For example, staff serve food to children and take away their plates and cutlery when they have finished instead of encouraging children to do this for themselves.
• Children learn about life cycles. Older children show their curiosity as they study tadpoles inside a fish tank. One child points to the tadpoles and excitedly says, 'They are growing legs to become frogs.' As a result, children have the opportunity to see all stages of the life cycle of a frog.
• Leaders and managers support staff in a range of ways, including supervision sessions, daily check-ins and team meetings. Staff report that they feel comfortable to approach leaders for advice and guidance or if they have any concerns. They are supported in undertaking further training. For example, one staff member has accessed a higher-level course to support them in their role as the special educational needs coordinator. As a result, they have an increased knowledge and confidence to excel in their role.
• Staff value partnership working with parents. They acknowledge that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, face-to-face communication has been limited. As a result, staff have implemented an open day for parents and staff to share children's achievements and experiences. Parents eagerly share their views. They speak highly of the nursery. For instance, one parent describes the nursery as 'absolutely brilliant' and states that 'warmth radiates from staff'. Overall, parents are extremely happy with the care and experiences provided at the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the consistency of opportunities for children to develop self-help skills and independence.