Wild At Heart Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and families build excellent relationships with staff and the nursery owner, who is also the manager. Babies benefit from a calm, nurturing environment, and staff know how to meet their individual care needs. Staff promote kindness and help children build resilience. This helps children build secure foundations for the future, and their personal, social and emotional development flourishes. Staff's morale is high, and they are excellent role models. Children show they feel happy coming to the nursery and settle in quickly, happily waving to their families as they leave. They are well prepared for the next steps in their learning and their eventual move onto school. For example, staff focus on promoting children's self-care and independence from an early age. Young children sit at the table for lunch and use their own cutlery. Older children begin to learn how to pour their own drinks and know that they need to 'wash the germs off' their hands before they eat.

The manager and staff team worked hard to ensure new parents feel safe as they joined the nursery during the pandemic. They share new guidelines and ensure parents understand their policies, including what to do if their child has any symptoms or other illness. Parents say they 'always know their child is safe', and they feel the nursery have 'taken all necessary precautions while balancing the needs of families'.

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

• Staff know how to help children develop good communication and language skills. This is a consistent strength across the whole nursery. For instance, babies join in a song box activity and practise rhymes with actions. Young children repeat single words in their play outdoors and begin to use sentences. Staff extend older children's language using open questions and encourage them to share ideas in groups. Children have excellent listening skills and concentrate well.
• The manager is passionate about achieving the highest standards of care and learning for children. She is highly skilled, well qualified and has clear vision for the nursery. This helps to enthuse and inspire staff. Staff show commitment and dedication to meeting children's needs. They work hard to drive forward with continual improvements and say they 'strive to be the best they can for the children'.
• Children show enjoyment in their learning and are keen to participate in activities with staff. The curriculum is exciting and varied. For example, staff provide 'umbrella topics'. These topics build on and ignite children's interests and also introduce new experiences to broaden children's understanding. Staff plan some activities based on children's interests and developmental needs. However, on occasion, their teaching is not focused enough to promote challenge in some areas.
• Partnerships are effective, which helps to promote continuity for children. Parents are extremely keen to leave feedback for the nursery. They are highly complimentary and say their children and family have 'been supported wholeheartedly'. Others say how happy they are when their children 'come home full of excitement and stories of their adventures and activities'.
• Children show they thoroughly enjoy being outdoors and benefit from plenty of fresh air. For example, staff take children on regular walks onto the farmland. Children learn about where food comes from and enjoy watching the combine harvester at work. The manager has plans to develop the outdoor garden area to support children who prefer to learn outdoors even further.
• Staff who work with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are highly skilled in ensuring their needs are met effectively. They work alongside parents and other professionals, including schools, to create personal education plans. Gaps in children's learning begin to close and they make good progress in the nursery.
• The manager is keen to help children build their awareness of the world around them, and staff actively promote inclusion. For instance, children learn about a range of special celebrations which reflect their home lives. Older children talk about a christening and what happens when a new baby joins their family. Children who speak other languages are supported as staff find out key words to help build on their understanding. Staff use a wide range of books and resources which reflect other cultures and people around the world.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed staff's understanding of how to sharply focus their intent and teaching during all experiences so children are consistently challenged in every area of their learning
• continue to reflect on the curriculum outdoors and enhance this to support children who prefer to learn outside.