Wildawood Forest School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children thrive and flourish in this highly nurturing and enabling environment. The manager and staff team have developed a highly ambitious curriculum for children. They take time to get to know children and their families incredibly well.

This helps them to plan effectively to support children's emotional well-being from the start. Children are happy and eager as they arrive. They are highly motivated to join in with the stimulating, hands-on experiences that staff provide.

Children show incredible self-control and respect towards each other and the environment. They learn how to challenge themselves and keep ...themselves safe as they climb trees and explore the natural environment. Children build extremely strong bonds with staff, who help them to develop the confidence to try new things in a safe environment.

Children show that they feel safe and secure.Children show very positive attitudes and are keen to learn. They are curious about the world around them.

They ask questions and find ways to achieve their goals. Children develop highly imaginative play. They hunt for dinosaur bones in mud.

They develop exciting pirate games, creating treasure maps and singing songs about the sea. Children build high levels of self-esteem, resilience and motivation. They acquire excellent skills to support the next stage in their learning and to be 'life ready'.

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

The manager is deeply passionate about her role and the ethos of the nursery. She highly values the members of the staff team, who are equally enthusiastic in their roles. There is an exceptional drive to target professional development that enhances the experiences for children and helps them to achieve their best.

Staff consistently place a strong priority on children's communication and language development. They sensitively join in with children's play. They introduce new words to describe what children do.

They ask questions that encourage children to think and develop their ideas. Children make significant progress. They express their ideas clearly and use a wide range of words, which shows that their prior learning is well embedded.

Children hear lots of mathematical language. Staff effortlessly and consistently weave mathematical ideas and concepts as children play. Children use numbers and count routinely.

They compare the size of conkers and sticks they find. They order pumpkins by size and build towers with them.Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to be physically active.

They use the 'forest as a teacher' approach and follow children's lead as they explore. For instance, children carefully position large sticks in the ground. Under adult supervision, they hold two sticks and keep trying as they turn themselves upside down and successfully somersault.

Children learn about what their bodies can achieve. This also helps to build the skills to support children's interest in writing.Staff build highly effective partnerships with parents and other providers that children also attend.

They share information about the progress children make and how parents may support children's ongoing learning at home. For instance, parents borrow books and games from the 'learning shed' that build on what children learn at nursery.Staff skilfully plan to build on what children know.

For instance, they ignite children's interest in literacy. Children proudly show the inspector the recipe they are following as they create a 'cake' in the mud kitchen. Children use sticks to draw smiley faces in the mud and some children write their names.

Children re-enact favourite stories, such as 'The Gruffalo'. They make up their own stories and songs as they play on the boat or snuggle together around the open fire.Children greatly benefit from the consistency and continuity that regular attendance brings.

They are highly motivated, confident and independent learners, who develop empathy and respect for each other and the world.Staff provide children with a rich range of experiences that broaden children's understanding and ignite awe and wonder. Children learn about communities that are different to their own.

For instance, they experience Chinese food cooked over a fire, they grow vegetables with retired members of the local community and explore festivals such as the Bengali festival of Dolyatra. Staff provide children with a range of books that help to portray an image of society they will walk into as an adult.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have an excellent knowledge of the possible indicators of abuse. They attend regular training about child protection and wider safeguarding issues. The manager encourages staff to discuss safeguarding updates and different scenarios.

Staff confidently fulfil their role to protect children from harm. They are highly vigilant to potential hazards in the environment and provide a safe and secure place for children. The manager follows robust recruitment processes that help to ensure the suitability of adults working with children.