The Learning Tree Holmfirth

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are very settled, happy and ready to learn at this very friendly and welcoming setting. They show extremely high levels of focus and engagement during activities and their play. Highly skilled staff plan very creative, fun and challenging activities that they know will ignite children's curiosity and imaginations.

For example, following reading of a book about space, children are fascinated to discover a spaceship that staff have made from tin foil outside their classroom. They delight in the experience which staff have created and excitedly share with them their ideas about how it got there. Staff follow childr...en's lead in play and provide magnifying glasses to help children to look for clues.

Relationships between children and staff are superb. Staff are very kind, calm and patient. They form strong bonds with children in their care.

Children are very confident as they explore with ice cubes and search for worms in trays filled with soil and leaves. Staff provide clear praise, so that children can easily recognise their achievements. They use a variety of strategies to help children to understand how best to behave and be kind to their friends.

Children learn to share, use manners and take turns to talk and listen. Their behaviour is excellent. Children grow rapidly in their independence.

Staff support them to put on their shoes, zip up their coats and pour their own drinks at mealtimes.

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

Interactions between staff and children are very respectful and responsive. Staff provide outstanding support for children's learning by providing clear instructions and modelling new skills.

Their teaching is of a consistently high standard.Children are encouraged to solve their own problems when they arise. For example, when children's coat sleeves are inside out, staff very patiently support children to work out the best way to rectify this.

Children show very high levels of concentration as they take part in story time. Staff help to prepare children to be ready to listen and learn. For example, they gently remind children to place their hands in their laps, cross their legs and to use their eyes and ears.

Support for children's developing communication and language skills is outstanding. Staff introduce new and descriptive words to children as they play. This provides rich opportunities for children to develop their vocabularies.

There is a very strong focus on early literacy. Staff help to instil a love of books and storytelling for children at all stages of their development. They use books as starting points for activities and include them in all spaces which children use.

Children learn that books are special and need to be looked after.Staff plan excellent support for children's physical development. Children climb steps and crawl through tunnels in the enclosed garden.

Staff support children to carefully take small steps and stretch out their arms as they balance on beams. They encourage babies to reach, stand and use their whole bodies as they explore with water and brushes.Staff carefully weave very strong support for children's understanding of mathematics through activities and their play.

For example, they encourage children to count butterflies in the garden. Children learn about colour as they use mirrors to investigate the colour of their own eyes and those of their friends. They discuss which eye colours are the most common and which are the least.

Children benefit from rich opportunities to learn about their local community and life outside the setting. They go on countryside walks and trips to the local book shop, market and theatre. Staff encourage children to write letters and post them at the local post office.

Children learn about healthy eating and where their food comes from. They visit the greengrocer and make a salad with the fruits they buy. Children buy eggs from the local shop to use in baking activities.

In the nursery garden, children help to grow herbs and carrots. They benefit from home-made, healthy, balanced and nutritious meals.The manager and staff have experience of working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They understand the importance of working closely with other partners in education and health to create a consistent approach to support for children.Parents speak very highly of the nursery. Families are invited to take part in the life of the nursery.

For example, grandparents are invited to a gardening day, where they help to plant bulbs with their grandchildren.The manager provides excellent support to her staff team in terms of their professional development and well-being. For example, she provides observations of practice, supervision sessions, meetings and well-planned opportunities for training.

The manager and staff are very reflective and have a positive attitude towards continuous improvement. They are committed to providing outstanding support for children in their care.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff complete safeguarding training and hold certificates in first aid. The manager and staff know what might concern them about a child. They know who to contact and the processes to take to help to keep children safe.

The manager has a thorough understanding of her own role and responsibilities in all aspects of safeguarding. Staff understand the importance of teaching children to assess risks and keep themselves safe. For example, they encourage children to hold on to railings as they climb steps and to move slowly as they balance on beams in the garden, so that they do not fall.