Woodland Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident, independent and enthusiastic learners. For example, leaders and staff organise special events for children and their families, such as an end of term concert. Children of all ages impressively remember the words and actions to songs, proudly showcasing their performance skills. This reflects the high expectations and unwavering commitment of leader's and staff to successfully nurturing each child's confidence and encouraging them to always try their best.

From the outset, leaders and staff build warm, trusting relationships with children. They provide a stimulating and well-resourced learning environment, indoors and outdoors, where children eagerly explore independently, with friends and alongside staff. Every child's unique personality and learning style is recognised and celebrated. For example, children's creativity and imagination flourish as they engage with construction toys. Staff praise their inventive ideas, such as creating headphones using appropriately sized and shaped parts. Children bounce with joy as they pretend to hear music, sparking smiles and laughter all round. This joyful and inclusive atmosphere where children are given the freedom to express themselves, promotes children's positive behaviour and a genuine love for learning.

Staff help children to make continual progress. With expert guidance from leaders, they implement targeted plans when gaps in children's development are identified, such as speech delay. As a result, these children thrive alongside their peers to become self-assured and competent communicators.

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

• Leaders and staff provide effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents are encouraged to reinforce strategies that are used in the setting to help continue children's learning at home. For instance, when emerging gaps in children's speech are identified, leaders offer tailored guidance to help parents on ways to improve their communication. This reflects the team's commitment to an inclusive approach, as they thoughtfully adapt the curriculum to suit children's individual needs and promote sustained progress.
• The outdoor provision is a distinctive feature of this setting. Staff regularly take children to the woodland area, where they develop important skills, such as teamwork. They base mini challenges on children's interests, which spark children's sense of awe and wonder, such as constructing miniature equipment for fairies or experimenting with pulleys and ropes. Leaders understand the importance of developing children's gross motor skills and ensure regular opportunities for children to run, jump and climb in natural spaces, as well as through access to larger apparatus at the local park.
• Mathematical learning is seamlessly integrated into daily routines and play. For instance, older children intelligently build an extendable ladder to 'rescue' a cat, with construction toys. Skilful staff prompt them to problem-solve by encouraging them to test, adjust and rebuild their ladders. Children use mathematical language well, which is linked to the shape, size and length of their inventions. They remain focused and determined to achieve a positive outcome. In this way, children's critical thinking is deepened.
• There are lots of rich, real-life opportunities for children to explore the world around them. For example, they grow and care for vegetables in the garden and learn about healthy eating in practical ways. After tasting the homegrown lettuce, some children ask their parents to put it in their sandwiches for lunch. They also frequently pick ripe strawberries and independently wash them before eating. Meaningful experiences such as these, help to instil positive attitudes towards maintaining a healthy diet and supporting lifelong habits.
• Experienced and knowledgeable leaders prioritise children in their decisions and have a clear understanding of the provision's strengths and areas for development. Through observations of individual staff practice, leaders highlight effective teaching and where further support is needed, such as when instances of teaching do not fully extend children's learning. Feedback to staff on their performance is open and constructive. However, leaders recognise that personalised professional development programmes are not always rigorously monitored to ensure that teaching consistently builds on each child's existing knowledge and skills. Consequently, the quality of teaching varies, which impacts on children consistently reaching their full potential.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the care and support their children receive. They have confidence in the leader's and staff's abilities to meet their children's individual needs. Staff maintain open and effective communication, keeping parents fully informed about their children's daily experiences and developmental progress. Parents greatly appreciate the setting's support in preparing their children for school, particularly in fostering their independence, confidence, social skills and speech development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance all staff's teaching skills further by fully establishing and monitoring effective and individualised coaching, training and mentoring programmes that helps them to support children to make the best possible progress.