Go Explore Formby Foresters

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive at this beautiful forest school nursery.

They are incredibly happy and well settled. The unique surroundings offer children an abundance of opportunities to explore and be curious while in the natural environment. Staff have very high expectations of children, particularly in relation to health and safety.

Children firmly understand the importance of following the rules and boundaries to stay safe in the forest. For instance, they talk about staying near to the base camp, listening carefully and calling 'cuckoo' if they need help from an adult. Children's behaviour is impressive.

Children's phy...sical skills are very good. They strengthen their large muscles when eagerly climbing trees and transporting resources using a wheelbarrow. Children develop good balance when carefully navigating the trails and climbing in and out of hammocks.

They are becoming confident explorers. Children develop good fine motor skills using trowels to dig in the mud when making 'birthday cakes'. They talk about the different ingredients they can use, such as pinecones, leaves and shells.

Staff understand the importance of strengthening children's small muscles in preparation for early writing. They encourage children to be creative and explore how they can make marks with unconventional resources, such as sticks.

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

The manager has a clear understanding of what she wants children to learn.

The curriculum is ambitious and balanced. A child-led approach to teaching helps to keep children interested and engaged. Staff have a good knowledge of the different ways that children learn.

They swiftly identify and address any gaps in development. All children make good progress in their learning.Children love listening to stories.

Staff read with enthusiasm and excitement, capturing children's attention for lengthy periods. Children join in with words and phrases they remember. Regular discussion throughout the story helps to develop children's speaking and comprehension skills.

This prepares them for the next stage in their learning, for instance school.Children have a positive attitude to learning. They are motivated and eager to join in.

Children are kind, considerate and polite. They work together with their friends to achieve their goals. For instance, children form a partnership when going on a 'treasure' hunt.

They quickly discuss adding a third friend to increase the amount of 'treasure' they can find. Children interact positively with each other and clearly have well-embedded friendships.Children have regular outings to the local community.

They explore the beach, the library and public transport. Staff take children to restaurants to teach them about different cuisines and the countries they originate from. For example, children recently had lunch in a Chinese restaurant to celebrate Chinese New Year.

They are learning about the world in which they live and preparing for life in modern Britain.Children have formed strong attachments with staff. The interactions they receive are high quality and sensitive.

Kind, nurturing staff put children at the heart of the nursery. They encourage children to adopt a sense of freedom in the forest. Independence and mutual respect are firmly embedded.

This promotes children's emotional well-being and helps them to feel safe and secure.Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents are very happy with the quality of care their children receive and are complimentary about the staff.

They praise the communication methods and feel involved in children's learning and development. However, partnership working with other nurseries that children attend is still in its infancy. The manager has not yet established a consistent two-way flow of communication to share information.

This does not fully promote continuity of care and learning for children.The manager and her staff are passionate about the service they offer. They have a shared vision for providing quality care and learning for children.

High priority is placed on staff well-being. The manager has weekly meetings with staff to ensure they are happy and feel supported in their role. However, the support she offers does not consistently help to raise the quality of education to the highest level.

For example, occasionally, staff do not focus sharply enough on the curriculum intent and children's next steps during activities. This means not all learning experiences build on children's prior knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities to protect children from harm. They know the signs and symptoms of abuse. Staff understand the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a child's welfare or the behaviour of another staff member.

They are alert to the indicators that a child or family may be at risk of being drawn into extreme behaviours. Staff are aware of safeguarding issues that are prevalent within the local community, such as county lines and witchcraft.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen partnership working with other settings attended by children to ensure continuity of care and learning support staff to implement the curriculum intent more specifically, building on what children already know and can do.