Yellow Brick Road, Bracebridge Heath

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are superbly well-prepared for school. The provider has created a highly-effective unique curriculum for children's learning. This focuses on connections with the local community and the environment. Leaders rigorously check the progress of all children at the nursery. Children show that they are developing extremely well. Leaders consider how their curriculum can provide the maximum benefit to all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. They make sure that children who may need extra help gain most from staff support.

Staff support children's well-being expertly. Before personal care, staff check with babies that they are happy for their nappy to be changed. Staff wait patiently for babies to respond by speaking or through signing. This helps even the youngest children to feel highly respected and their opinions valued.

All children demonstrate excellent listening skills. Two-year-olds concentrate for extended periods of time. They listen to staff instructions intently as they play instruments softly or loudly. Some children then invite their friends and lead others in a marching band. Children show superb communication and social skills for their age.

Staff support children to behave exceptionally well. Children are extremely polite and considerate. In the pre-school room, a child said to a member of staff 'excuse me but I'm just borrowing this chair if that's ok.' Children are kind and negotiate how to share toys with each other skilfully.

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

• Staff interact with children expertly. Older children are fascinated to broaden what they know about dinosaurs. Staff teach children that dinosaurs are 'closely related' to some animals still alive today. Children are amazed and go on to demonstrate their understanding of how it will take 24 hours on a plane to visit dinosaur fossils in Australia. Children rapidly increase their learning through highly effective communication with staff.
• Staff skilfully identify what they need to teach children at each age and how this contributes to their ongoing development. Younger children are supported to eat and drink with increasing independence. As they get older, children show that they have confidently gained a range of self-care skills. Staff help children expertly well to gain important life skills over time.
• Parents are highly involved in their child's learning. Staff engage parents extremely effectively from the outset. Parents share their child's routines, interests and what they know and can do. Staff then use this information to plan for children's future learning. Parents contribute their thoughts and ideas on an ongoing basis. This helps to create a collaborative partnership between parents and staff which is highly focused on children's care needs and development.
• Children show excellent concentration and are highly motivated to learn. For example, younger children were keen to explore the blackberries they had picked on a nature walk to make magic potions. Older children perfect their pencil control as they use technology to help them create skilled drawings of sea creatures. Children are proud of their achievements and marvel at the learning they have gained as they share each other's drawings. Staff help children to develop increasingly mature attention skills as they make learning exciting and fun through a broad range of interesting activities.
• Leaders provide highly effective coaching and support for staff. All staff contribute to their own professional development targets and receive regular feedback from leaders. Staff are well qualified and committed to increasing their professional knowledge. Staff working with the youngest children show the positive impact of the training they have received in their day-to-day practice. Babies respond brilliantly to the skilful way that staff communicate with them following staff training. Professional development helps staff to further develop their skills superbly well.
• Leaders are excellent role models. Staff comment that leaders are approachable and provide superb support if they need help or have any concerns. Staff who have been at the setting for a number of years comment that, 'it is an amazing place to work.' The staff team is highly effective and works incredibly hard to ensure the provision is of the highest quality.