Pumpkin Patch Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive and are confident and happy at this inspiring and exciting nursery.

They feel safe and emotionally secure as they form extremely loving bonds with their passionate key persons. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thoroughly enjoy all of the many experiences that are on offer. Children have positive attitudes to their learning and benefit from a wide range of stimulating experiences.

They are completely engrossed during extremely well-planned activities. For example, children press and mix fruit and spices to make paint. They talk about the colo...urs they are making and compare the textures with their friends.

Adults skilfully encourage children to expand their existing knowledge to enable them to take learning to the next level. Consequently, children are challenged, rapidly gain new knowledge and make excellent progress from their starting points.Staff are positive role models and have extremely high expectations for children.

They teach children how to manage their feelings and use resources such as books, music and artwork to encourage children to identify their emotions. This 'whole nursery' approach supports children, including those with SEND, to feel positive about who they are. Children are respectful towards each other and when they use the resources.

They are exceptionally thoughtful and demonstrate this when a visitor interacts with them: 'Do you want to have this crayon to do a picture? We can share it' they kindly say to the inspector.

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

The dynamic leadership team is dedicated to its staff team. Leaders organise regular training so that all staff have access to programmes that support professional development and raise their skills to a very high level.

Leaders ensure that staff have access to well-being services and strive for a happy working environment. This overall commitment to the staff is a key part of the nursery's ongoing success. Staff tell the inspector that they feel valued and listened to, and that the nursery is 'an incredible and inspirational workplace'.

Partnership with parents is exceptional. Parents state that the nursery is 'unique' and that their children are making 'fantastic progress'. They mention that the staff are loving and form strong bonds with their children.

Parents comment that they look forward to the daily updates regarding their child's progress and feel extremely well informed about their child's development.Staff support children to have an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children grow vegetables in the garden and then eat them.

There is a large variety of fresh home-cooked food for them to eat and they are given fruit to eat throughout the day. Children have continuous opportunities to play in the fresh air. They climb through tunnels, balance on beams and help one another push a bike uphill.

Children, including babies, have excellent physical skills for their development age.Children are taught to be independent from a very young age. For example, very young children use forks to feed themselves and older children manage all their own self-care routines, such as toileting and washing hands.

A key strength in the nursery is teaching children to collaboratively work together. For example, the staff arrange projects and small group work so that children can discuss, and problem-solve with each other. Children sit in small groups to eat.

Staff use this time to open up purposeful discussions about the projects that the children are involved in.The highly skilled staff are excellent teachers and role models. They understand the importance of a well-sequenced and exciting curriculum.

Consequently, children are keen to learn. Children are very creative and can express themselves extremely well. For example, they work in small groups on projects and staff encourage them to be curious as they play and learn.

Children use dance and music to express their feelings. They gather sticks from the forest and talk about how to attach clay and leaves to 'make something magical!'. Children expertly plant seeds to grow into vegetables.

They hold up snails to show their friends and then carefully find the snail a safe home. Children listen intently and learn how to make musical instruments to go in the garden. They persevere when the task becomes tricky and beam with pride when they have finished.'

Oh, come and look at this!' they tell the inspector.Children have excellent understanding of the world around them. They visit local parks and engage in community projects, such as litter picking.

Staff strongly promote inclusion and diversity throughout the setting. Children listen to stories and songs that parents have recorded in their home language. They learn about other cultures and what makes them unique.

Children are encouraged to contribute their ideas and thoughts and, as a result, they feel valued and listened to. Staff working with babies are very attentive to their needs. They get to know the babies well, and plan activities based upon their existing knowledge.

Babies feel safe and secure as they are cuddled, soothed and played with by adults who care for them. Babies' transitions are supported extremely well so that they are emotionally ready for the next stage in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a secure knowledge of what may give them cause for concern that a child is at risk of harm. All staff complete safeguarding training and regularly update their knowledge. They demonstrate a secure knowledge of what actions to take if they had concerns about a child's welfare, including the dangers of extreme views and behaviours and county lines.

Staff know what actions to take if an allegation was made against themselves or if they have concerns about a colleague. The nursery is a safe environment for children. The manager and staff regularly carry out risk assessments in order to keep children safe.