Treetops Dudley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy themselves at this inspiring nursery. Leaders have built a wonderful environment where staff encourage children to be who they want to be. Children's individuality and creativity are nurtured through an ethos of enjoying the process over the final end product. Staff know the children extremely well. Well-established routines mean babies eagerly anticipate what is happening next, such as sleep and snack time. As a result, they are content and settled.

All children participate in a variety of stimulating activities that ignite their natural curiosity. There is a buzz of excitement as a butterfly enters the pre-school room. Children are keen to help facilitate its release outside. Staff skilfully support children's problem-solving ideas as they work together to capture the butterfly in a net. Children are learning to be kind to other creatures.

Staff have the utmost respect for children. They are excellent role models. Staff use different techniques like 'show me five', where children immediately stop what they are doing, put their hands in the air and listen to staff. This breeds an atmosphere of kindness, and behaviour is exemplary. Older children wait patiently in a line so that young babies can move safely into the garden. Children say 'excuse me' before speaking to staff to politely ask a question. This embedding of good manners prepares children to become valued members of their community.

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

• Leaders and staff are passionately committed to providing the highest quality of care and learning experiences for children. The rich and meaningful curriculum builds on what children already know and can do. Staff are highly effective at implementing their learning intentions during planned activities. They skilfully extend and adapt their teaching so that children are challenged to the highest level. For example, as children brush flour off fossils, staff add water to the flour and challenge children to think about what might happen next. As a result, children are making rapid progress in their learning from their starting points.
• Leaders are dedicated to reflecting on and evaluating what they do. They accurately monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Thorough induction and ongoing mentoring complement regular supervision meetings. Staff excel in their professional development. They comment that they receive excellent support to help them reach their full potential. Leaders support staff who are new to the nursery extremely well. Even on their first day, staff know children's next steps and what they are working towards. As a result, morale is high and children benefit from well-qualified, knowledgeable staff.
• Children have an excellent attitude to learning. The rich experiences offered nurture a love for them to want to know more. This is facilitated by animated and imaginative staff. For example, children delight in joining in a memory game as they pretend to pack for a camping trip. They sit around a 'campfire' as they listen to their friends' ideas for what they want to take with them. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have the opportunity to contribute and practise their language skills. Consequently, more children come over and want to join in and share the fun.
• Communication and language are promoted exceptionally well. Staff engage in back-and-forth conversations with young babies. Staff mimic and repeat sounds as babies learn to babble back to them. Babies rapidly start to sound out clear single words. Pre-school children show a love for books. They excitedly settle down to listen to the story 'The Gingerbread Man'. Staff skilfully use the story as a base to extend children's understanding of different topics. For example, they discuss kitchen safety and how to behave around a hot oven. This gives children a solid understanding of how to keep themselves safe.
• Children demonstrate remarkable concentration and resilience. Staff encourage children to persevere with tasks they find tricky and enthusiastically praise them when they succeed. For example, young babies show precise hand-eye coordination as they repeatedly build towers with five blocks. Staff cheer and clap when the construction is complete. Babies relish the applause. This celebration of success builds a positive attitude to hard work.
• Leaders have designed highly effective strategies to support parents with learning at home. Leaders are attuned to local challenges that parents may face when accessing outside services for speech delays. Therefore, staff ensure that any gaps in knowledge are quickly identified and rapid support is put in place. For example, home communication activity packs provide parents with tips and ideas to encourage language at home. This fast response helps to close any gaps in learning and stop them widening.
• Parents speak extremely highly of the nursery and the staff. They clearly attribute the children's learning to the time they spend in the nursery. They comment that leaders go above and beyond for their families. Parents can access a complimentary on-the-go breakfast if they have not had time to eat before dropping off their children. These small gestures of support and kindness help to build strong, meaningful relationships.