Westfield House Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive eagerly, separate from their parents and carers with confidence and explore the engaging activities staff have planned for them. Staff are highly responsive and attuned to children's individual care needs. They build trusting relationships with children, helping them feel happy, secure and settled. The environment is calm and purposeful, fostering a strong sense of belonging and emotional safety.

Children are active participants in their own learning. Leaders and staff carefully plan a rich and varied curriculum that is tailored to reflect each child's needs, interests and abilities. For example, children participate in weekly forest school sessions. Older children enjoy safely making fires and climbing trees, which helps to nurture their confidence, resilience and curiosity about the natural world. All children make good progress and develop a secure foundation for their future learning.

Children behave well. Staff hold high expectations and consistently support children in understanding the rules. For example, during circle time, children learn the 'golden rules', such as using 'kind hands' and 'walking feet' indoors. Children are encouraged to help staff tidy away toys after play and use their manners without prompting. Staff frequently use praise to celebrate children's achievements, which boosts their self-esteem and confidence effectively.

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

• Staff have designed a curriculum that supports the development of children's communication and language skills effectively. They use clear, slow speech to highlight new vocabulary for children to absorb. Children take pleasure in meaningful conversations with both staff and their peers. Staff gently model the correct pronunciation of words and invite children to practise saying them. As a result, children become confident and skilled communicators.
• Staff provide children with activities and experiences that support their understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children spend time outside each day extending their physical skills. They benefit from regular yoga sessions, where they learn to stretch and move their bodies. Staff provide children with freshly prepared healthy meals and snacks each day. Children follow good hygiene routines and learn about oral health through conversations and planned activities.
• Staff plan an ambitious curriculum that supports children's overall progression. They organise a variety of child-led and adult-led activities each day. For example, staff bring books to life, helping children retell stories such as 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' using real fruit and props. However, at times, the learning intentions identified by staff during planned activities are too broad, which means teaching does not consistently target the specific skills each child needs to develop next.
• The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Staff carry out regular assessments on children's development to identify any gaps in their learning. They work closely with parents and external professionals to ensure that children receive the additional support they need. Individual learning plans for children with SEND are developed using guidance from specialists. This means children benefit from a shared approach to their learning and make the best possible progress.
• Staff actively encourage children's independence by offering numerous opportunities throughout the day for them to take care of their own needs. For example, children are supported to wash their hands and feed themselves during mealtimes. They confidently make choices about their activities and take the lead in their play. As a result, children show strong levels of independence and build essential skills that they need for the future.
• Leaders work closely to support staff through regular observations and supervision, ensuring a clear understanding of roles. Staff access diverse training and professional development, reflecting on its positive impact on their practice. For example, recent behaviour management training has improved their strategies. Improvements to risk assessments have been shared with staff to ensure these are followed. This helps to ensure that children's health and safety are maintained. Staff feel well supported in their roles and report high levels of well-being, which contributes to a positive and supportive working environment.
• Overall, partnership with parents is a clear strength of the nursery. Parents are warmly invited to various events throughout the year, such as the graduation ceremony, forest school sessions and stay-and-play activities. They appreciate daily conversations with staff, the online platform sharing photos of their children's experiences and twice-yearly parents' evenings. However, staff do not consistently communicate children's individual next steps, which limits parents' opportunities to extend their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify precise learning intentions for children to fully support their learning and engagement
• strengthen how information about children's next steps is shared with parents to further support their children's learning at home.