Woodlands Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a wonderful time as they play and learn in the stimulating, well-organised environment. Those in the under-two's room confidently explore and discover, returning regularly for a reassuring cuddle from their trusted staff. Older children become engrossed in their play. They gain a wealth of skills as they independently create unique artwork, practise reading or work collaboratively with construction materials. The unhurried routines allow children a lot of time to follow their interests. For example, several children who chose to cut pumpkins sat for extremely long periods of time, concentrating intently on their task. They engaged in very charming and relaxed conversations with the staff member overseeing the activity.

All children make good progress. This is because staff monitor each child closely and very successfully offer increasing levels of challenge. For example, a group of children using crates as rockets displayed impressive space-related knowledge. They were skilfully supported to extend their thinking and language by a member of staff whose involvement in their play significantly enhanced their enjoyment. Following the strong role modelling of staff, children behave extremely well. They are happy, confident and develop good social skills. This prepares them well for their future learning.

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

• The leadership and management of the nursery is strong and inspiring. The warm, caring staff team work very well together and communicate effectively. They discuss the needs and achievements of individual children in regular meetings and throughout the day. This enables each staff member to understand how to challenge and engage children during activities. Staff are highly skilled teachers and have a clear understanding of the learning intentions underpinning the educational programmes. They are also quick to recognise opportunities that arise to build on children's existing skills and curiosity to introduce new ideas as they play.
• All staff receive a lot of guidance and encouragement to continually improve their knowledge and skills. Training materials and books covering a broad range of relevant topics are constantly set out, and staff find these extremely useful. Staff also make good use of training courses, such as a focus on mathematics, that enhance their teaching. Apprentices feel very well supported. They value the close monitoring and regular feedback on their performance. Managers work closely with college tutors to ensure that apprentices have the opportunities they need to complete the requirements of their course.
• Recent improvements to the nursery environment, inside and out, have had a highly positive impact on children's learning and enjoyment. Resources are purposefully organised to pique children's curiosity and inspire them to explore and experiment. Space is used well to create a mix of cosy areas for children to sit and read or relax, as well as exciting areas for them to engage in complex games with their friends.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. They are full of praise for the staff, saying that their children love attending and progress well. The front garden has been redeveloped to engage parents more fully. This has been very successful, particularly during the period when parents could not enter the building due to COVID-19 restrictions. Parents are able to borrow books from the newly introduced library box, sit on benches to chat, or read up-to-date information on the noticeboard.
• Each member of the team makes full use of their in-depth knowledge of the children in their key group to promote their learning. However, the key-person system is not as effectively embedded in providing continuity in children's personal care. For example, the arrangement for staff to change nappies on a rota, means that children do not consistently benefit from the valuable one-to-one time with their special adult.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a significant strength. The SEND coordinator works very effectively with the rest of the staff team to identify any child who may need additional support to reach their full potential. She is persistent and determined in engaging with specialist professionals and supporting parents. This means that children are assessed promptly and, where necessary, quickly benefit from the targeted support they need.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the arrangements to attend to children's personal care needs so that, where possible, they benefit from the one-to-one attention of their trusted key person.