Muddy Boots Nursery School Parkstone

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are exceedingly happy and confident with the staff in an environment that is rich in opportunities to develop their interests and skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

They show a tremendously strong sense of belonging as they settle quickly due to the staff's sensitive and effective settling-in procedures. These help to address children's individual needs, likes and dislikes quickly. Children develop strong bonds with the staff and show remarkably positive attitudes and a thirst for learning.

Their behaviour and early relationships are exemplary for their age.Children flourish in the remarkably caring, ...calm and purposeful atmosphere. They self-select from an extensive range of resources.

The exciting and stimulating environment promotes children's independence very well. The child-led approach to teaching helps children to develop the skills they need for the future. The management team is passionate about providing high-quality, inclusive care and education to all.

They strive to constantly enhance all areas of practice to the highest possible level. Staff provide opportunities for children which they may not experience at home. For instance, children take part in regular forest school-inspired sessions.

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

Staff know children very well and identify what they need to learn next. They use this information effectively to adapt learning to children's needs. Staff work very closely with other professionals to meet the individual needs of children.

There is very effective and sensitive support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to help them make the best start in life. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and children in receipt of additional funding, are making good progress from their starting points. They acquire the skills they will need for their next stage of learning and eventual move to school.

Where teaching is at its strongest, staff support children's language and communication skills. For example, together staff and younger children discuss shapes and use interactive computer tablets to find out more. When older children show an interest in balloons, staff work with small groups of children to provide more focused support to identify sounds, such as 's' when letting air out of the balloons.

However, occasionally, staff miss opportunities to further build on children's existing skills and extend their learning.Staff provide excellent opportunities for children to be independent and manage their own self-care. Children do this extremely well.

They quickly find warm clothes and boots to go in the forest on a cold day. Children have superb self-awareness of hygiene routines and how to support their own personal needs.Children develop curiosity about the wider world, such as engaging in forest school-inspired sessions twice a day, every day.

The management team is passionate about providing enjoyable opportunities for children to explore the woodland, as well as developing their physical skills. Children climb slopes and trees, and develop their understanding of playing safely. For example, the staff teach the children how to handle rocks with care.

Children demonstrate good listening skills and take turns to roll their rocks down a slope to see how far they can go.Partnerships with parents are exemplary. Parents speak highly of the care their children receive, in particular the wealth of activities and experiences their children access.

Highly successful information sharing ensures that parents are informed continually of the progress their children are making. Parents report on how quickly their children settled and how individual needs are fully supported.The management team is well focused on improving the quality of the service they provide.

The manager is a strong leader and supervises her staff well, through one-to-one meetings and appraisals. She uses feedback from parents and reflections from staff to help her evaluate the effectiveness of the service. Staff are highly motivated and committed.

A well-established programme of training supports staff to deliver good-quality teaching. Staff feel very valued. Regular training helps them to keep their skills up to date.

Staff use recent training to provide a structured form of play therapy supporting children to build self-esteem and strong relationships with others.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children and have undertaken training to help them understand the wider issues of child protection.

They have a thorough understanding of the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk of harm, and who to contact if they have a concern. All staff are highly vigilant in promoting safety in the forest. Children's welfare and well-being are top priorities.

Staff explain to children how to stay safe continuously. They carry out robust daily risk assessments of the forest area and make sure that children are always well supervised through the effective deployment of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance teaching during children's play to help build on their existing skills and provide challenge consistently.