Woodentots Hive Babies

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children engage in their learning as soon as they arrive at this calm and nurturing nursery. Staff provide reassurance, making children feel safe and ready to learn. They do this by building strong relationships and providing a stimulating environment. Staff promote children's independence in the nursery. For example, children wipe their own faces and self-serve during mealtimes. The nursery has a blended approach to teaching. For instance, staff offer a Montessori environment at children's level. This supports children to access resources themselves, building on their independence further.

This nursery is nature orientated; for example, reusable cloths are used and materials are recycled. Children build an awareness of the natural environment around them but also of how to be sustainable. For example, they use shells as bowls during snack time. Children who are confident walkers go to weekly forest school, where they can further explore nature. Staff encourage them to dig for worms and woodlice or listen to the sounds of the outside environment, such as birds. Children access the outside environment daily, where staff support them in their physical development, such as climbing.

Leaders have high expectations, demonstrated through an ambitious curriculum. This enables children to build their curiosity and develop a love of learning. Staff promote children's early language through songs, signs and good interactions, which extends children's vocabulary and knowledge. There are plenty of opportunities for all children. For example, they work within their community with local musicians and artists. Staff introduce unique learning opportunities, such as bread baking.

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

• The nominated individual has a strong focus on creating a calm and happy nursery, which has a motivated staff team. She values continual professional development and ensures that there are training opportunities for staff, as well as team building exercises for enjoyment. The nominated individual is enthusiastic about the future plans of the nursery and strives for improvements.
• Children's communication and language are well supported. Staff introduce new words, repeat them and comment on what children are doing. This ensures that children's vocabulary is extended and that new language is embedded. Staff sing songs in groups, read stories or support children's language through their play. They have rich conversations, always at the children's level. Children who speak English as an additional language are also supported well. For example, when reading a story, staff name animals in different languages and describe what they look like.
• Parents are positive about their children's experiences in the nursery. There is strong communication between the nursery and the families. Parents receive advice about their child's development and how to further support them at home, such as with sleep, weaning and behaviour.
• Managers continually observe staff's practice and how to improve the quality of care for children. For instance, they prompt staff to give children more opportunities for independence, such as peeling their own bananas for snack, cutting them and serving their own water. Staff also comment on how well supported they feel for their work-life balance. Staff feel that leaders understand their needs and give them opportunities to learn, and they also respect their home lives and other commitments.
• Children move around the nursery, where there is plenty of opportunity to explore in a stimulating environment. Staff encourage children to lead their play and support them in doing so. For instance, children investigate sensory bin boxes, with which they use sunflower seeds to post into an egg box, fill and empty pots or just enjoy the sensory experience.
• Staff ensure that children have plenty of opportunities. For example, confident walkers go to forest school on a weekly basis, where planned activities are supported by a theme based on children's interests. For example, children pick petals from sunflowers, dig for insects, paint wooden sunflowers, draw with chalk on bark in addition to many more activities.
• Staff provide activities based on children's interests. They plan the curriculum to be diverse and unique. For instance, children explore sunflowers in different ways, such as planting and painting cardboard tubes to make sunflowers. However, staff do not consistently think about children's precise next steps in learning when planning activities to further extend their individual development.
• Children behave exceptionally well. Staff help children to respect each other's space, such as by turn taking and enjoying activities together by helping one another. Staff manage children's behaviour well. When disagreements unfold, they allow children time to reflect and understand their emotions and those of their peers by talking them through and explaining with gestures.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus teaching more precisely on what individual children need to learn next to enhance their development further.