Wyld Thyngz Forest School Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with excitement and anticipation of what lies ahead in the forest. They stomp through the muddy path, pulling and pushing the trolley as they talk about the 'thick squelchy mud' and feel 'huffy and puffy'. The children experience the awe and wonder of a storybook before they enter the forest. The story captures their imagination. They talk about what may happen next and they tune in to the sounds and sights around them. Children behave well, are kind and considerate to each other and attentive staff ask how they feel. Children seek each other out to play and say please and thank you. Children are resilient in the setting. If they fall, they get back up and carry on. They show independence skills as they access the handwashing station and move around the outdoor environment confidently. Parents do not enter the forest. This helps to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Staff inform parents of what the children have done during the day and receive regular updates from an online platform. Parents speak highly about what the children gain from the setting. They wish their children could attend more because they 'learn as they do' and are 'fully immersed' in learning.

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

• Communication is a strength at the setting. Staff commentate on what the children do and, because of this, children describe their actions as they do them. Children explore pumpkins enthusiastically and test different tools to make holes. They use screws, nails and hammers and talk about patterns as they make them. Children recall using stronger knives when chopping vegetables compared with 'bendy' knives to carve the pumpkin. Staff support children's long-term memory by revisiting past experiences.
• Children love to count at the setting. They point out numbers to each other and find their age on a board. They confidently count up to 10 and talk about what number comes next or after their age. Staff help children to count their steps in the mud and use snack time to promote mathematics. Children group their raisins together and talk about who has more and who has less.
• Learning happens in all areas of the forest school. Staff value children's 'voices' as they help to design play equipment, such as the trapeze on the climbing tree and make games to swing on it and touch their friends with their feet. This supports children's physical development. Children further develop their balancing skills and upper body strength as they clamber on large cargo nets.
• Children learn how to be safe. They cut apples with knives with gentle reminders from staff on how best to hold the knife. Children toast the apples on sticks in the campfire and remind each other that the end is hot and to be careful. Songs sung around the fire as children play makes them feel happy and peaceful.
• Books are a favourite at the setting. Children bring in books from home to share with their friends, such as a book about 'Our Planet'. A storyteller visits the setting regularly. This enhances children's understanding about the world. However, children could broaden their knowledge further by learning more about the local community and the people in it.
• Caring and passionate staff support children's individual needs well. Staff use visual timetables and prompts to help children understand what is coming next, although children could benefit further from strategies to support learning and development at home. Emotion cards help children to find the words to express how they are feeling.
• The manager and her team are highly reflective and committed to providing good outcomes for children. Recent training on planning and a reduction in paperwork allows staff to spend more time with children. This improves the quality of learning. The manager collaborates with other providers where the children attend. This enriches the children's development, as staff share their interests and next steps.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• explore opportunities to develop children's knowledge of the local community
• plan and organise ways to support children's learning and development at home.