Wildlings Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are passionate and dedicated about providing the best outcomes for children. They create an ambitious curriculum for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children arrive full of excitement to explore their outdoor environment and become instantly engaged in learning. They sustain high levels of concentration in self-chosen tasks. Children are enthralled as they take turns to buy items from staff at the forest school shop. They observe how many sticks they need to purchase the 'dragon blood' or sycamore seeds and check they have enough by counting them on their five frames. Children gain a thirst for learning from a young age. All children, including those with SEND, make progress from their starting points.

Staff create positive relationships with children. They know when children are hungry, tired or need further movement breaks and they respond appropriately to meet their needs. Staff provide children with plenty of praise and encouragement. This helps to build up children's self-esteem. Staff are positive role models. For instance, they support children to wait for their turn on the swings. Staff teach children about different emotions. They support children to identify how characters in books could be feeling. Children are learning how to regulate their own emotions.

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

• Overall, the curriculum for communication and language development is implemented well. Staff get down on children's level and join in with their self-chosen play. Staff introduce children to new vocabulary as they play together. However, the curriculum is not always fully adapted for younger children, particularly during planned group activities. This hinders younger children from further developing their communication skills.
• Promoting children's love of nature is at the heart of this setting. Children are curious to explore which minibeasts they can find under logs. Staff support children to use the identification charts to work out which insects they are. They help children to use tape measures to see how long the insects are. Staff encourage children to respect their environment. For instance, they help children to carefully move worms back into the soil as they cannot breathe if they dry out. This helps children learn to be kind to all creatures.
• Children are encouraged to take appropriate risks in their play. For instance, they show great control as they climb onto tyre swings. They skilfully balance along planks of wood before swinging on the gymnastics bar. Children have further opportunities to run around and be physically active on their daily nature walks. These opportunities help children to develop good physical health.
• Staff plan copious opportunities for children to learn about the world. They observe the changes to strawberries as they grow from flowers into fruit. Children watch vegetables, such as asparagus, growing on their site. This helps children to learn about growth and the life cycle of plants.
• Overall, children behave well. When any disputes do occur, staff deal with them quickly and effectively. Staff take time to talk through situations with children and find a solution together. However, at times, staff do not always make their behaviour expectations clear or provide children with consistent explanations about unwanted behaviour. This does not help children to make positive behaviour choices and understand how their behaviour affects others.
• Children with SEND are well supported. Staff make prompt referrals into a range of agencies, when needed, and work collaboratively with outside professionals. This helps to ensure that the curriculum meets children's individual needs.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents praise staff for the child-led approach to learning and for allowing children's 'imaginations to go wild'. Staff keep parents updated about where children are up to in their development. This helps to provide continuity in children's care and learning.
• Staff are supported well. Leaders make strong use of supervision to offer continued professional development. Staff are proactive in seeking professional development opportunities. For instance, they attend training courses and access professional literature. This helps to continually refresh staff's knowledge and skills and further improve their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt the curriculum for communication and language development to further support younger children
• provide children with more consistent behaviour expectations to help them make positive behaviour choices.