Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are keen to start their day at this welcoming nursery. They share their broad knowledge of the weather with the staff who warmly greet them. Children have a positive attitude to learning and they explore the natural area with confidence, showing a strong interest in the world. Children help staff to plant various seeds. Staff are skilful at helping children to recall the different steps, such as adding water and keeping the seeds warm in the greenhouse to help them grow. Children develop a good understanding about the changing seasons, living things and their environment.

The well-planned outdoor environment offers lots of risk and challenge. Children use their problem-solving skills as they climb the dome frame. They concentrate as they use rakes in the sand and push wheelbarrows up small hills. They have lots of opportunities to strengthen their large and small muscles in preparation for later learning.

Staff have high expectations of children. They teach children how to assess risks and follow rules to help keep themselves safe. For instance, children joyfully sing the camp rules and follow these while at the nursery. Children behave well. They are respectful and listen to the staff and their friends as they talk.

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

• The manager has created an ambitious curriculum that focuses on children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Staff can share what they want children to learn and the progress they have made. However, some planned group times are not always as successful, as staff do not consider what they know about children to help them tailor group times to what children know and can do.
• Staff interaction with children is good. They help children to recall their prior learning well. For instance, children ask staff for their favourite stories so they can look at the different pictures. Staff have these ready to hand so children can continue their learning. This has a positive impact on children's early literacy and deepens their knowledge even further.
• Staff offer some experiences to develop children's understanding of cultural identities. For instance, they have learned about events such as the King's coronation. However, the curriculum is not broad enough to offer children a wide and varied insight into people outside their community. Therefore, children are not fully prepared for modern Britain.
• Staff are successful at incorporating simple mathematical concepts, such as counting and addition, into everyday activities. For example, children make repeating patterns as they prepare their fruit kebabs. They confidently count how many pieces of fruit they have. Furthermore, older children start to recognise numbers and use simple addition and subtraction.
• Staff support children to develop their independence. For instance, children take themselves to wash their hands before mealtimes. Staff teach children to put on their boots and coats. This develops children's health and confidence in their own abilities.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff respect children's choices. This is demonstrated as staff ask children what activities they would like to participate in. Furthermore, they teach children about different emotions. This helps children talk about how they feel.
• The manager and staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Links with local agencies that support children with SEND are strong. Children receive high-quality care and education. They make good progress.
• Partnerships with parents are very strong. They say that their children are very well prepared for school due to the staff and wealth of opportunities their children receive in the nursery. Parents also comment on how their children's behaviour is good, as staff are positive role models.
• The manager is passionate about the ethos and provision she offers the children. She seeks training opportunities for staff to further develop their knowledge. Regular supervisions with staff are carried out, with targets set to support them in their roles. Staff report they feel valued as a member of the team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• incorporate culture diversity into the curriculum to further broaden children's understanding of people and their communities
• provide support to staff to raise the quality of teaching, in particular during group sessions, to a consistently higher level.