Forest Feet Outdoor Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders and practitioners have created a purposeful outdoor learning space, which is surrounded by an abundance of wild woodland for children to explore, make independent choices, manage their own risk and develop secure relationships.

The woodland and garden area are secure. Leaders operate the setting following the forest school and Montessori approach, while ensuring children are provided with experiences that meet the seven areas of learning and development. Leaders have devised a curriculum intent which is centred around the holistic development of each child.

This promotes supporting the development of the whole ...child. Children enjoy yoga and stretch sessions, which support their physical development as well as providing them with a moment of calm and relaxation.Children are encouraged to explore the environment using all their senses.

This helps them to discover their likes and dislikes. Children learn how to live sustainably and how to respect and look after the earth. Children enjoy freedom to explore and engage in adventures.

For example, they climb trees, build their own dens and balance on wooden beams they have placed over tyres. Children search the woodland area to collect logs and branches to make 'rhino traps'. They engage in imaginative and creative play and have the space to express themselves fully.

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

Leaders have an ambitious curriculum intent in place, which is implemented well by all practitioners. Children learn how to take risks in a controlled way. Children enjoy sitting around the campfire to eat some meals.

Practitioners support children to learn about healthy food choices. Before and after meals, children are encouraged by practitioners to spot any risks in the outdoor space. This supports children to learn about any dangers and how to safely remove them.

Children learn how to dress themselves in appropriate outdoor clothing. They put on puddle suits and wellies in the cold weather to ensure they can fully embrace the learning experiences outside. Practitioners support children to learn about the changing seasons to support them to understand the world around them.

Practitioners take time at the end of each day to sit around the fire and talk to the children about their day. Children are encouraged to share and reflect on their experiences. Practitioners read stories to children and encourage them to join in with familiar songs and nursery rhymes.

This supports children's communication development.Practitioners ensure that children have natural breaks during the day to rest. Children have plenty of spaces to relax, such as in the hammocks and on sleeping mats.

Practitioners ensure children are supervised and that they are safe while sleeping. This provides children with the opportunity to recharge for the rest of their day.Leaders and practitioners support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

They have recently started working with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to ensure that the individual needs of children are met.Practitioners have setting rules and boundaries in place which they talk to the children about and remind them of these throughout the day. Children behave well.

However, on occasion while indoors some children struggle to follow the routines and consider how their behaviours affect their peers. At times, this means some children's experiences are not fully enhanced.Partnerships with parents are strong.

Parents attend regular weekend forest school sessions, where families share the children's experiences of the setting. Leaders and practitioners regularly feedback on children's behaviour and progress to parents. They use various methods, such as daily handovers, an online app and messaging.

This also allows parents to keep in touch with the setting and find out what their children are doing.Most children are confident and happy to lead their own learning. However, there are children who are quieter and less confident.

Although these children contentedly move around the space and observe what their friends are doing, they do not always engage in learning experiences. Practitioners do not always support these children to fully get involved. Therefore, at times these children's learning is not always extended.

Leaders have taken time recently to reflect on the management of the setting. They have ensured that the suitability of all practitioners who work with children has been checked before they are left unsupervised with children. Leaders ensure that practitioners are deployed effectively and that children are always well supervised.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support practitioners to develop the implementation of the curriculum, particularly regarding personal development, to help all children to become engaged and involved in learning experiences support all children to learn how their behaviour and actions impact on others, particularly when indoors.