The Barn Nursery School (Wootton) Ltd

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive in the exciting and nurturing environment. They show that they feel incredibly safe and secure in the care of the staff.

Children are exceptionally confident to express their ideas and needs. The highly qualified and experienced staff team has an excellent understanding of each child's individual learning needs. It reflects extremely carefully about each child's learning styles.

This enables staff to plan activities that inspire children to learn. Staff demonstrate high levels of commitment to help all children succeed in life. For example, they build incredibly well on the skills and knowledge c...hildren start with, to ensure they all make exceptional progress.

The highly interesting and wide range of resources entice children to play and learn independently. For example, children choose resources and use these to follow their own ideas, such as safely using tools to make holes in a box. Children's engagement in their learning is exceptional.

During large-group activities, they listen, concentrate and follow instructions extremely well. Children know and follow the routines with exceptional ease. For example, they immediately respond when music plays, including going to the carpet area to sit down for a group activity.

They behave with the utmost respect for others, wait patiently and show an admirable understanding of the behaviour expectations.

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

Staff provide impressive interactions with children. They expertly use their tone of voice to help children to listen to them.

In addition, they get down to the same level as the children to speak and make eye contact with them. This helps children to very successfully 'tune in' and maintain high levels of attention during individual, small-group and large-group activities. Children thoroughly enjoy 'rainbow time' where they have one-to-one sessions with their key person to extend their individual learning.

This helps staff to provide excellent targeted support to children.The owners and staff have an incredible knowledge of how activities support children's learning and development. For example, they understand that children's large arm movements help them to develop their muscles and control to support early writing skills.

They provide fantastic resources to help children move their arm joints, such as making 'bead towers' with different sizes of beads. This helps children to refine their movements as they become more adept at this task, for example the use of their hands and fingers when using the very small beads.Children are exceptionally curious and inquisitive.

They are incredibly motivated in their learning and show an remarkable interest in both their own choices of activities and those that are adult led. Staff provide an excellent balance of child- initiated and adult-planned activities. They are highly sensitive to the timings and organisation of group activities to enable children to engage in these extremely successfully.

Children are excited to attend the nursery. They settle exceedingly well on arrival and are highly confident to leave their parents and carers. The superb settling-in arrangements with 'little explorer' sessions mean that there is a seamless transition for new children.

For example, children attend with a parent or carer each week over a few weeks. This enables staff to develop excellent relationships with parents and children from the start. In addition, the settling-in arrangements help children to become extremely familiar with the routines and their key person.

As a result, there is a harmonious transition and children settle incredibly quickly.The staff team meticulously observes, assesses and plans for children's development and progress. This helps staff to rapidly identify and address any gaps in children's learning.

For example, they provide exceptional support for children's speech and language development through a wide range of strategies. This includes activities with staff who have specific speech and language training and qualifications. As a result, children make excellent progress in their language development from their starting points.

The owners and staff form outstanding partnerships with parents, other professionals and agencies involved in children's care and learning. The highly effective communication with all those involved promotes exceptional consistency and continuity to support children's learning and well-being. For example, there is a wealth of information available to parents about children's learning and well-being, including through a secure online app.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The owners have a superb understanding of their responsibilities to safeguard children. They rigorously review staff's ongoing suitability.

They ensure staff maintain their extremely strong understanding of their responsibilities to report any changes that could have an impact on their suitability. The owners ensure staff are continually aware of children's well-being needs. For example, daily staff briefings ensure all staff are fully informed about any children attending with allergies and their individual care plans.

When needed, the owners and staff work exceptionally well with other agencies and professionals to protect children's welfare. The owners ensure staff maintain a very secure understanding of safeguarding matters. They frequently check their understanding, such as through quizzes and questions.