Atelier Nursery Chippenham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children flourish and are inspired to learn at this exceptional nursery.

Children develop a deep sense of belonging to their 'key family' group. They form exceptionally warm and loving relationships with their key member of staff, who they stay linked to for their entire time at nursery. Children feel very secure and, as they grow in confidence, they gradually stretch this bond to explore all areas of the nursery.

The care of babies and toddlers is exemplary. Children are utterly absorbed in their play because staff provide excellent experiences that encourage children's curiosity and fire their creativity. For ...example, toddlers busily fill jugs and are fascinated as they pour water down bamboo gutters, and older children dextrously use clamps and saws as they measure and cut wood to 'just the right size for my wall'.

Children become highly independent thinkers and doers. Staff have the highest expectations for every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children develop rich vocabularies and they speak confidently and with increasing fluency; they have so many exciting and interesting things to talk about, such as visiting the local bakery before returning to make their own loaves.

Staff sensitively help children to recognise and name their feelings, and to appreciate how their actions can affect others. Children do not merely learn to behave well, they gain an empathy for others and recognise this makes them feel good. They are kind, make friends and play harmoniously.

Children are protected from harm because staff make children's safety a priority.

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

The inspirational leaders give very high priority to staff's professional development to make sure that all staff are experts in teaching young children. The manager instils a strong ethos of lifelong learning for adults and children.

Staff know what to teach in all areas of the curriculum and in what order. They make sure that children have learned securely before moving them on to the next stage. Children make exceptional progress.

Children experience a rich and exciting curriculum tailored precisely to each child's interests and learning needs. For example, staff recognised boys often prefer to play on a large scale. They created a space with large blocks and a woodworking area where children can talk about their ideas as they design and build.

All children use this area, but it is particularly enjoyed by boys. Staff skilfully weave all areas of learning into these activities. They find that boys now achieve as well as girls in literacy and numeracy.

There is a big focus on developing children's confidence, communication skills, and independence. Staff support children successfully with all these skills. Children learn to manage their personal care, lay the table and serve lunch.

They learn to recognise and manage risks to keep themselves safe. For example, children remind each other to use safety goggles when sawing wood and they tell staff that 'you have to be super careful with a sharp knife'.Children's imaginations fly in the creative studio, where a trained artist leads the teaching and children's play.

They use and explore the highest quality materials, such as a huge block of clay to make an engine. They mould pipes and clips and 'make electricity' as they make sense of their growing knowledge of the world around them. Babies gleefully use their hands and big brushes to paint on huge sheets of paper, relishing the feel of paint and the marks they make.

Older children are inspired by real artists and use many interesting resources from the wonderful studio to create their own works.Staff value the opportunities that they have for training and development and the encouragement to pursue their own interests. They appreciate the leaders' concern for their well-being and work satisfaction.

Staff say they feel valued and highly supported in their role. They say they are proud to work at this nursery.Staff develop outstanding partnerships with parents.

They get to know children and families exceptionally well, right from the start, for example, by carrying out home visits. Staff give parents the knowledge and encouragement to support children's learning at home. Parents say this has been invaluable.

It contributes significantly to children's rapid progress. Parents receive first-class information about their children's progress and other child related topics. This includes interesting places to take children to broaden their life experiences and build a rich vocabulary.

Children lead very healthy lives at nursery. They tuck into appetising and nutritious meals and snacks, they learn very well the importance of good hygiene and they play energetically inside and in the exciting garden. Staff recognise when babies and children need to sleep or rest, and provide comfortable safe spaces, including an outdoor sleep area if parents or children prefer this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders have a deep understanding of their responsibility to keep children safe. They make sure that staff know how to identify children who may be at risk of harm and how to record and report their concerns.

Staff attend regular training, including on the wider issues of child protection. Leaders check staff's full understanding, for example, with quizzes and discussions on how to deal with a variety of challenging scenarios. The exceptionally trusting and supportive relationships that staff build with children and parents help them to provide help and support to families at an early stage when they are experiencing challenging situations.

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