Wingate Community Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this calm and stimulating environment, where staff meet their individual needs precisely. Dedicated staff get to know children and their families very well before they start at the setting. They visit children at home and gather detailed information about their interests and development. A real strength of the setting is the wonderful care and nurturing relationships that staff forge with children. This enables young children to feel emotionally secure and safe.

The beautiful environment which staff create in all the rooms and outdoor spaces gives a strong sense of the success of their high expectations combined with the daily structures. Outdoor learning is an integral part of the daily routine. Children have superb opportunities to learn about nature and the wider world around them. Staff expertly teach children the differences between acorns and beech seeds. Children clearly remember this learning and on the day of inspection, they confidently explain the difference to the inspector. Children learn how to navigate across wooden bridges, jump over puddles and build dens. Staff in the baby room discuss the importance of 'tummy time' for babies to help develop their core strength, as this will help them sit and crawl. Older babies relish climbing steps and sliding down the slide independently.

Children's behaviour is impeccable. They are very kind, polite and respectful towards each other. Children help each other, without being prompted. For example, when children need support to remove their outdoor clothing and boots, their friends quickly jump in to help them.

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

• Staff have an excellent knowledge of the curriculum. They are inspirational teachers and have an exceptional knowledge of child development and the skills children need for their future learning. Staff know children extremely well. They make accurate and precise observations and assessments of children's progress. Staff have an outstanding understanding of how to support children's learning, through meticulously planning for children's individual learning needs and interests.
• Children immerse themselves in a variety of high-quality learning experiences. For instance, during creative activities, children explore, experiment and create using their imaginations. They smile and giggle with their friends as they mix powder paint and paint their hands and arms. Children experiment with adding 'more' water. They follow through their ideas, with staff on hand to model and support when needed. Staff always demonstrate the utmost care and respect for children.
• The manager and her staff team are inspirational. They are committed to achieve the highest standards for every child in their care. Staff are well qualified, highly motivated and extremely passionate about their roles. Staff's well-being is paramount. They benefit from regular training sessions, support meetings and team building days. Robust, incisive self-evaluation drives the setting forward and ensures that outcomes for children are outstanding.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported extremely well. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator ensures that swift referrals are made, and support plans are of a high quality. Staff work relentlessly to ensure that each child gets the right help at the right time. Targets are precise, achievable and constantly reviewed so that no child stands still in their learning.
• Staff are excellent role models. They encourage children to be respectful, take turns and help others. Staff have high expectations of all children in their care. This results in very calm and happy children who have very positive attitudes to each other and to their learning. Children's behaviour is exemplary.
• The high-quality interactions between staff and children, along with the regular reading of core books and stories, enable children to build their communication and literacy skills. Staff discuss favourite books as children play. For instance, as children investigate in the woodlands, staff and children go on a hunt for 'The Gruffalo'. Furthermore, children access puppets from the story as they share the book with staff. Children eagerly repeat key words and phrases.
• Partnerships with parents are excellent. Parents speak very highly of the nursery. They praise staff and say they 'go above and beyond' and the care their children receive is 'second to none.' Parents are delighted with their children's progress and feel fully involved in their child's learning.
• Staff ask children thought-provoking questions and encourage children to be critical thinkers. For instance, as older children build large wooden structures, staff ask, 'What will happen?' Babies' gestures and babbling are immediately responded to by caring sensitive staff, who talk to babies and repeat emerging words. This supports children to make excellent progress in their communication skills.