Tortoise Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this inspirational nursery. They are greeted warmly by friendly and welcoming staff. The nursery team nurtures strong relationships with children and their families. Parents bring children into their room and chat with staff when they arrive. This helps children settle well and helps them to be ready to learn. Staff know children very well and establish trusting relationships with them. They get to know their personalities and what they like to do.

Children are intrigued and deeply curious to explore the extensive variety of learning activities that have been thoughtfully planned by knowledgeable staff. For example, older children are completely immersed in their endeavours to make play dough, which has evolved from an ongoing interest in texture and consistency. They pour flour into bowls with skill and estimate how much water they will need to pour to start forming their mixture. They persevere to lift the large plastic bottle of oil which is quite heavy. They confidently seek help from staff to assist in lifting this up to get the oil exactly where they need it. Their sensory development is enhanced as they rub the mint leaves between their fingertips and smell the scent. Younger children skilfully squeeze the paint bottles to release coloured watery paint and watch with fascination as it drips down the window and pools on the sill.

Children deepen their learning in the exciting and absorbing environment. They use a comprehensive range of natural and open-ended resources in a variety of ways. For example, while outdoors, toddlers are helped to set out a simple obstacle course using a plank of wood and two shallow crates. They successfully balance and move across this with increasing skill. Older children set themselves more risk and challenge as they add to the structure, adding planks of wood, large wooden cable reels, more crates and tyres. They balance across it, then add challenge by jumping off the end. Their faces light up as they succeed.

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

• Staff expertly highlight gaps in learning and are proactive in planning exciting activities to support progress. For example, staff recognise that toddlers do not know how to blow with their mouth. They know that this skill supports early speech and language development, so have thought of innovative ways to teach this. As a result, children now practise their new skill as they explore blowing bubbles with wands and with straws in the water tray.
• Staff are passionate about what they do. They extend children's experiences beautifully as they offer fascinating, intriguing and exciting activities in a well-organised, child-led play environment. Invitations to play are well-thought-out and hold children's attention very well.
• Staff understand about child development and know their children extremely well. They quickly respond to children's interests to challenge and extend learning. Furthermore, they ensure that teaching is effective and helps children make rapid progress. For example, they enhance mathematics development for those children who are ready for more challenge as they introduce complex ideas like addition and equals.
• Parents say they are very happy with the nursery. They appreciate that their children are content and enjoy nursery life. Parents are welcomed into the setting every day and have frequent opportunities to talk with their child's key person. This helps to reassure them that their child is making good progress. The nursery takes every opportunity to support parents. They provide advice and information to support them with various aspects of child development.
• Leaders have a clear and focused vision for the nursery. The clear curriculum intent is understood by all staff and is evident in daily practice. Children's resilience is a strong focus and staff endeavour to take every opportunity to support this. For example, children notice that their play dough mixture is too runny. They comment, 'We need to make a solid for play dough. This is too runny!' Staff guide them by asking open-ended questions to broaden their thinking.
• Speech and language development are a priority and the manager leads staff well in supporting children. Focused training and workshop opportunities are provided for staff and parents. Staff use intervention and quality interactions very effectively to support progress. Children have lots of opportunities to develop their skills because they frequently listen to stories and sing songs and rhymes. Staff introduce new words and model language. They ask questions that encourage conversation and detailed replies.
• Staff enjoy bespoke training and ongoing support for their health and well-being. They have frequent opportunities to talk with the manager through informal discussions and formal supervision meetings. The manager and staff develop action plans to address areas for development.
• Sensitive and timely interventions are effective in supporting progress for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and where there are concerns about communication and language development. The team works closely with other professionals to ensure a consistent and focused approach.
• Children are independent and behave very well. They are thoughtful and interact sensitively with each other. Older children are independent as they set the table for lunch with plates and cutlery and serve themselves. Younger children make choices in their play and develop skills for future independence. For example, they fill small jugs with water at the small sink and transfer this water to the water tray.