Wylde Green Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are highly enthusiastic learners, who love coming to nursery. They are extremely happy and demonstrate high levels of emotional security, confidence and self-esteem. Children's interests and love for learning are at the heart of every decision staff make. Staff have very high behaviour expectations that are well understood by children. Relationships between staff, children and their peers are extremely respectful.

Staff effortlessly follow children's emerging interests and help them to develop a strong sense of belonging and excellent emotional stability. Staff organise the environment to provide children with outstanding experiences and activities, indoors and outdoors, to enthral and excite them in their play. Young children become deeply engaged.

Children sustain exceptionally high levels of interest. During whole-group sessions, children engage in science experiments. They learn about colour pigment, watching colours move and seeing what happens when you mix different liquids, such as milk and washing detergent. Staff enrich children's vocabulary and children can confidently articulate what they know and remember from previous experiments. All children make excellent progress from their starting points. They make independent choices from highly motivating activities that capture their curiosity for learning. For example, children are captivated by the fruit and paint activity where they explore the fruit and use every part of it to paint with. They are completely involved in play and learning, consistently exploring and having fun.

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

• Leadership and management are exceptionally strong. The manager provides a robust induction and prioritises staff's ongoing performance to maintain high standards. Staff's well-being is given high priority and there are welfare strategies to support this. Reflective practice is exemplary. The manager has a clear and ambitious vision for the nursery. She constantly questions herself and staff and reviews all elements of the provision. She takes account of the views of staff, children and parents in setting targets and aims for the future. This means there are positive outcomes for children.
• Staff are ambitious for children and know them exceptionally well. They diligently observe and assess their abilities. Staff swiftly identify and help to close any possible gaps in children's learning. The curriculum consistently flows through the day. Staff plan and provide a wide range of interesting experiences to build on what children know and can do. Children are highly challenged in their learning and are well supported to reach their full potential. For example, their projects 'When I grow up' and 'Parent occupations' include a wide range of exciting and meaningful learning opportunities. Parents are invited into the nursery to talk about their jobs, including an engineer who created electricity with a lemon and a potato. Another project, 'Home is where the heart is', leads children to walk around their community to look at different houses and homes and talk about family structures.
• Healthy food is provided and staff teach children about health and nutrition. During a group activity, children learn which foods are good for them, where their food comes from and how it grows. New words are learned, such as 'below ground' and that tomatoes grow on a 'vine'. Children join in the activity confidently. This impacts extremely well on children's learning.
• Staff help and support children to prepare for their move to school in a variety of ways. For example, reports are sent to school. Staff talk to children about their emotions and feelings with the help of a 'worry monster'. Children look at images of their new school. Staff talk about them making new friends, and teachers come into nursery to meet children. This supports a smooth transition to school.
• Staff encourage children's independence and self-care skills. Children swiftly learn to use the toilet and wash their hands with minimal support. Children are highly independent from a very young age. For example, there are 'helpers of the day' and 'food monitors' who lay tables for lunch. Children serve their own food and pour their water. Children are encouraged to tidy up their plate and cup after lunch and clean up any spillages with support.
• Parent partnership is strong. Two-way relationships with parents are excellent. Staff ask for parents' input into assessments and discuss with them how they can build on children's learning at home. Parents comment that they are 'very impressed with the detailed reports' and that staff 'know my child as well as I do'.