Woodland House Private Day Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This inclusive and stimulating environment ensures all children can fully participate and make the very most of what is on offer. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the full attention and highly tailored support they need from staff who skilfully reflect on their needs and interests daily. Children who speak English as an additional language are equally well supported to achieve. They benefit from targeted activities to help improve their spoken English and show excellent levels of engagement and enjoyment as they participate. Children's emotional needs are supported extremely well. Children are confident, feel safe and flourish in this nurturing environment.

Children immerse themselves in what interests them and make new connections and links to prior learning. For example, children use roses and daffodils to make their potions and recall the spell from a story. They show a deep understanding of animals, plants and the natural world. The environment is finely tuned for babies, with an abundance of sensory experiences on offer. For example, babies delight in playing with the water, teabags, lemons and limes, and staff are highly skilled in promoting their communication and language skills. Pre-school children use a rich range of mathematical language as they weigh the fresh vegetables. They thoroughly enjoy writing their names and familiar words.

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

• The manager and staff carefully observe and consult as a team to ensure each child's needs are successfully met. This excellent commitment to inclusion ensures the educational programmes and environment are shaped with all children's needs in mind. Using this child-centred approach results in teaching that is skilfully adapted accordingly to ensure all children make the very best possible progress.
• The leadership team and the manager are outstanding and children are at the heart of everything they do. The extremely skilled and enthusiastic staff share their vision for high-quality care and education. The strong culture of reflective practice ensures exceptional outcomes for children. All staff, including new staff, benefit from incisive coaching, mentoring and support to ensure teaching is consistently of the highest quality.
• The highly knowledgeable staff implement this ambitious curriculum extremely successfully. The manager checks the learning intention of activities daily. Staff place a top priority on promoting children's communication and language through all their interactions. Children make excellent progress in all areas, and many children excel in their speaking, listening and attention, writing and reading ability.
• Children are highly motivated and demonstrate excellent levels of self-control.
• Their behaviour is exemplary. Staff prioritise promoting children's self-worth and respect for each other and their differences. For example, children are eager to select five of their friends to say something special about them when they are chosen as the special person for the day. Children show great concern and care for others' feelings and for those children who need additional support.
• Staff work exceptionally hard to ensure all children are prepared for their next stage of learning. There are excellent links and a seamless transition with the main school that most of the children move on to. For example, children take part in weekly cooking classes, music and movement sessions and attend numerous school events. Staff work exceptionally well with any professionals working with the children to provide the personalised support they need to help close gaps in their learning.
• Feedback from parents is overwhelmingly positive. Parents are extremely impressed by the daily preparation and delivery of activities and the progress their children make. They value the support and advice they receive on issues such as weaning, potty training and limiting the use of dummies. Stay-and-play sessions are extremely popular with parents and are well attended by all.
• There are excellent systems to teach children about living a healthy lifestyle. For example, all children have received a bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, a poem and an instruction card about oral hygiene. Children have a deep understanding of which foods are healthy and the benefits of exercise. All children, including babies, have ample opportunities to extend and practise their physical skills.