Evergreen Forest Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are brimming with happiness and confidence as they experience first-hand the exciting opportunities this nursery offers. They cannot wait to join in with activities when they arrive. telling staff 'I am happy because I am here!'.

All children, including those who became anxious as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, feel safe and secure, supported by the nurturing staff. Children benefit from spending most of each day being physically active outdoors. They have learned to skilfully climb up and over ladders and run with ease up and down steep banks.

Children balance on ropes between two trees and swing from one... to another. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are developing their understanding of the world as they confidently explore the environment. They gaze up at the sky through the trees and listen to the birds.

Children feel the alpacas eat food from their hands and smell the leaves, pretending they are peppers being added to a soup. Children enjoy a healthy diet of home-cooked food. They are interested in where food comes from and learn about the ingredients that are in the things they eat.

Children watch the hens and predict that they might be laying an egg. They are able to list all the fruits that they could add to porridge and talk about how it is made from oats and water. Staff encourage children to do things for themselves, making them fiercely independent.

Children show great determination as they work out how to put on their own suits for going outside. They confidently crack eggs, pour milk and mix ingredients as they make their own pancake batter. Children have learned to wash up their own plates after lunch.

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

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children follow adults' instructions and respond positively to the rules and routines. They enjoy playing and chatting together.

For instance, children hold hands at lunchtime and work as a team to hook the plastic fish out of the stream onto the fishing rods. If children do have any difficulties sharing with their friends, they are supported by the staff to resolve this calmly. This supports them to manage their feelings.

Staff engage children in thoughtful conversations and model a wide range of vocabulary as they lead activities. For instance, they describe what they are doing as they teach children how to tie a knot. Staff also talk to children about the features of two different toy birds they are playing with as they discuss whether it could be a hawk or an eagle.

This supports children's communication and language development.The manager ensures that the curriculum meets the needs of children with SEND. She works closely with parents to gain a deep understanding of how and what to teach children so they make good progress from their starting points.

Children benefit from a broad curriculum. They develop their literacy skills and love of books, as they listen to stories being read aloud and learn new words such as the names of birds and planets. Children hear adults modelling mathematical language and enjoy being creative in their role play.

However, staff do not always check what children already know and can do, in order to plan activities that consistently build on, and challenge, children's learning.Staff teach children how to wash their hands thoroughly, to use the toilet and to independently get their own drinks of water. This supports children to manage their personal needs.

Parents are extremely positive about the quality of the care and education provided by the nursery. They are kept informed about their child's progress. Parents know what their child is learning and how to extend their child's learning at home.

They say the nursery is 'a magical place'.The manager communicates with other professionals to ensure that children receive the support they need. However, effective systems are not yet in place to ensure that information is shared between the nursery and the other settings that children attend.

This has an impact on the continuity of education and care for children.The manager is clear in her vision for the nursery. She ensures that the staff are fully trained to deliver this vision and uses coaching and mentoring to build on their knowledge and to develop their practice.

Staff feel that their well-being is supported by the manager.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that all staff attend regular training to keep their child protection knowledge up to date.

All staff have a secure understanding of how to keep children safe from harm and abuse. They know the signs that might lead them to be concerned about a child's welfare and how to report these concerns. The manager is wholly aware of her responsibility to keep children safe, particularly when they engage in challenging physical activities outdoors.

She has put in place robust procedures for assessing and managing risks. Children are taught to be aware of risks and they learn how to manage their own safety under the careful supervision of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure all children are consistently challenged by checking what they already know and planning activities that will build on their learning nensure that effective communication is in place with any additional settings that the children attend, to promote continuity of their education and care.