The Willow On The Farm Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are highly confident, enthusiastic and resilient learners.

They benefit from a wonderful range of awe-inspiring learning opportunities in their unique environment. This helps to prepare them for their future lives. For example, children make decisions and manage risks exceptionally well.

They recognise changes in their environment, such as the speed and depth of flowing water. They walk safely step-by- step down the local stream. When they near the end of the stream, children think critically.

They make predictions about how far their sticks, pots and ducks will travel in the water. They look o...n excitedly as they observe and describe what happens.Children are exceptionally safe and happy.

Staff are highly reflective and they minimise risks effectively. They have high expectations and children listen and respond to safety rules superbly. Children demonstrate high levels of confidence.

This is illustrated as they talk passionately about their experiences at forest school. They enthusiastically describe how they use the fire pit safely to make porridge and blackberry juice. Children recall their previous knowledge and tell visitors about their visits to the apple orchard.

They explain how they identify if apples are good to eat, such as by looking for any holes in them.

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

The whole staff team shares an exceptional understanding of their vision for the curriculum. They promote opportunities for children to be curious learners.

They help them develop an appreciation for themselves, each other and their natural world. Staff implement this vision securely and consistently and it underpins every element of their practice. For instance, children learn first-hand about life cycles and where food comes from.

They learn to look after plants and animals on the farm. Children delight in collecting eggs from the chickens. They learn how to use these to make food, such as scrambled egg and cakes.

Staff provide an abundant array of opportunities for children to be physically active. This helps to promote children's health and well-being extremely well. For example, children enjoy the challenge of climbing up trees.

Staff encourage them to keep trying when they encounter difficulties, such as when they need to plan a safe route to return to the ground. Children are highly motivated and they are eager to work with their friends to make dens for their play. They cooperate with others superbly and persevere as they gather and transport sticks for their den.

Staff help children to manage their emotions highly effectively. For example, they teach children the language of feelings. Staff use this language in their everyday practice to talk about their own emotions.

They help children identify how they are feeling. Children share their emotions and identify them on a 'mood meter'. Younger children begin to understand the impact that their behaviour has on other children's feelings.

Staff support them exceptionally well to solve problems with their peers.Staff develop exemplary partnerships with parents. They provide timely support where needed, such as to support toilet training.

Staff lead workshops to help parents understand how their children express their feelings and emotions in nursery. Parents report that this has had a significant impact on their approach at home. They say that they now feel confident to talk to their children about their emotions and mood.

This is helping to give children a consistent approach at home and nursery.Leaders foster an outstanding culture of continuous improvement in the setting. They create, implement and monitor precise action plans for improvement with their team.

They provide exceptional support to staff, organising training to enhance their subject knowledge. For instance, staff complete letters and sounds training. This gives them the essential knowledge and skills to help them to teach this accurately.

Children are exceptionally well prepared for their future learning. This is demonstrated when they confidently use letters and sounds to read and write simple words in their play.Leaders act with integrity and respect staff well-being.

For example, they mentor staff to help them confidently manage the different requirements of their role. They talk to staff about their workload and provide planning and preparation time to help them complete work during the nursery day.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have an exceptional understanding of the signs and symptoms which may indicate that children are at risk of harm, including of radical and extreme views or behaviours. They know how to deal with concerns about children's welfare and have a secure understanding of local authority procedures for reporting allegations. Leaders ensure that recruitment procedures are robust.

This helps them to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff identify, reflect on and minimise the risks of the activities that they provide in their unique environment superbly. This helps to keep children safe in nursery.