Wood St Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this outstanding nursery. The nurturing and highly skilled staff spend an abundance of time getting to know children and their families. Children feel valued, safe and secure. They confidently leave their parents and immediately engage in activities. The inspirational environment offers countless opportunities, indoors and outdoors, to promote children's learning. Children are focused and engaged throughout, working together with their peers in a harmonious manner to work challenges out. For example, older children skilfully balance some long guttering in the garden, using foam blocks to make sure that it is straight.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They know and understand the boundaries and rules in place to keep them safe. For example, younger children demonstrate excellent road safety rules on their walk around their local community. They stop to check 'both ways' and make sure that they are safe. This excellent behaviour means that children can make the very most of the fascinating and enchanting learning environment. Children show a great deal of kindness to their friends, staff and visitors. For example, younger children offer the inspector dough and musical instruments when she arrives. Older children confidently come and introduce themselves with a big smile.

Children make exceptional progress and start school with an abundance of knowledge and skills. All children, including those with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND), make excellent progress from their starting points in learning.

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

• Leadership is exemplary. Leaders have consistently high expectations for all. They provide exceptional support and training to each member of staff. Staff receive frequent and relevant training, which aids each individual's practice. For example, recent training in behaviour management has built up staff's confidence in communicating their expectations to the children. Leaders and staff all use exceptional communication, which creates a highly reflective setting.
• Staff provide amazing opportunities for all children to participate in the rich, varied and imaginative learning experiences throughout the nursery. Children with SEND thrive at the nursery. Resources purchased from additional funding has an extremely positive impact on children's learning. For example, staff have recently purchased headphones and weighted cushions to support children's emotional resilience during routine activities, such as lunchtime.
• Children have unlimited opportunities to access fresh air and exercise. Staff place a strong emphasis on children's well-being. Children learn how to respect the environment which they are playing in, by recycling and taking care of the many plants located around the setting. Children learn the importance of healthy eating, and they enjoy nutritious and balanced lunches. This allows children to make healthier choices.
• Children's literacy skills are skilfully and consistently promoted throughout the setting. Children listen intently to stories shared by highly engaging staff. Staff use a wide range of props to support children who speak English as an additional language, so that all children can be fully involved in these activities. When they are ready, children learn the sounds of letters and how to write simple words. For example, while children are exploring and investigating outside, they decide to write a letter, using the resources available. They show huge pride when they independently write their own names on the envelopes.
• Staff provide extensive opportunities for children to learn about cultures different to their own. Staff make excellent use of activities, to give children the opportunity to learn about similarities and differences. For example, during a group activity, children were given clues by staff about something that was in the box, and they would attempt to guess what it was.
• Partnerships with parents are outstanding. Leaders prioritise parents' involvement in children's learning from the very beginning. Parents comment on how independent their children have become since starting at the setting. They appreciate being kept involved and up to date about what their child is learning. Parents mention how 'nurturing' and 'loving' the staff are and how welcomed their children are when they arrive each morning.
• Children are incredibly strong communicators. While visiting the local fruit and vegetable shop, younger children enthusiastically call out the different fruits they see, such as 'banana' and 'apple'. Staff extend this further by asking them to describe the colours and shapes of the fruit. Staff use signs for children who are still developing their language, which helps to support children's understanding of the expectations in the setting.