The Woodland Nursery

Inspection of The Woodland Nursery St. James Rectory, 62 Kidbrooke Park Road, London, Kent SE3 0DU

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not applicable

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The provision is outstanding

Children flourish and make excellent progress in this highly unique and enriching outdoor learning environment. Staff are fully attentive and responsive to children's individual needs and know their characters and personal learning styles exceptionally well. A real strength is the respect and amount of time staff give to the children. This creates a trusting, loving and calm atmosphere where children show high levels of confidence and enthusiasm to learn. Children have strong bonds with staff and show that they are happy and secure. Staff have extremely high expectations for children and are successful in supporting them to reach their full potential. During their play, children show incredibly high levels of curiosity and engagement when exploring a wide variety of interesting resources. For instance, they delight in transporting plants in a wheelbarrow and plant them with great care and concentration. Their knowledge and understanding of different plants and

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The provision is outstanding

what they need to grow is skilfully supported by staff. There is a real sense of fun and enjoyment. Children laugh and smile as they play hide and seek and climb in the tree-house. Their opportunities to be physically active and take risks are abundant. Parents describe exceptionally high levels of satisfaction with the provision. They report that due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, they are no longer allowed into the setting. However, this has not effected them feeling involved in their children's learning and progress. They describe excellent communication and feedback, and praise how personal, professional and nurturing the staff are in understanding their children's needs.

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need to do better?

n Children show enjoyment, and a real sense of adventure and fun as they explore this wonderfully inspiring environment. Staff are advocates for outdoor learning and plan an innovative and ambitious curriculum. It is evident that children make strong progress in relation to their starting points. n Children's physical development and well-being are supported to an impressive level. For instance, children climb rope ladders in to tree-houses and balance on obstacle courses with tyres and planks. Children are physically confident and show excellent risk-taking skills and coordination. n Opportunities are fully maximised to enrich and extend children's language and communication skills. This is evident when a staff member reads a story about dinosaurs and other historic periods of time and children are encouraged to discuss the meaning of words such as 'ancestors', 'archaeologists' and 'extinct'. n Children's imagination and creativity is fully nurtured. For instance, this is

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need to do better?

apparent when children make mud pies in the mud kitchen and explore exciting sensory play trays. Children also enthuse about making dinosaur fossils with salt dough and discuss the different types of dinosaurs and which are carnivores and herbivores.

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need to do better?

29 July 2021 n Staff provide children with a superb foundation in early literacy and mathematics. This is illustrated when children actively participate in singing songs, rhymes and stories. They also show a depth of knowledge when making comparisons, exploring shapes and using mathematical language. n High priority is given to promoting children's personal, social and emotional development. Children's efforts and achievements are highly valued and they are skilfully supported to understand and manage their feelings and emotions. As a result, children show high levels of confidence and willingness to have a go. They also behave impeccably and show kindness towards each other. n Staff are excellent role models for children. Teaching is strong and staff provide sensitive care and guidance to children. This is particularly true for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n There is a very strong focus on teaching children about the world in which they

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need to do better?

live and the importance of looking after it. For instance, children learn about respecting trees, insects and woodland animals that they share the environment with, and regularly participate in projects about recycling and reducing global warming. n Partnerships with parents and other professionals are exceptional. There are excellent arrangements in place for sharing information and planning for children's future learning. This helps children to reach their full potential. n Leaders constantly evaluate the provision and make ongoing improvements. For instance, they have listened to parents views about having extended hours to fit in better with the needs of working families. There are highly effective systems in place for mentoring and supervising newer staff and an excellent culture of supporting staff members professional development and skills.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have excellent knowledge of their roles and responsibilities to protect children from harm and they view this as a collective responsibility. Staff are knowledgeable about the potential signs and symptoms that may indicate a child's safety or well- being is being compromised. They also show clear understanding of how to report any concerns to receive expert advice and guidance. There are rigorous vetting checks and recruitment procedures in place to help ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. Daily risk assessments are completed to help to ensure that the outdoor learning environment is free from any hazards, such as poisonous berries or plants. Children are taught to take responsibility for their own personal safety. For example, they are supported to assess risks involved in climbing trees, building fires and using a range of tools.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2502948 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 10191709 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 15 Number of children on roll 28 Name of registered person TKP Partners Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07575381795 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The Woodland Nursery registered in 2019. It is located in the Kidbrooke area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The setting operates from 8am to 4pm, for 48 weeks of the year. There are six members of staff, four of whom hold a relevant childcare qualification at level 3. The nursery follows the forest school approach to outdoor learning.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed how the curriculum is planned to meet the children's individual needs. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching and interactions during a range of activities and assessed the impact this has on the children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation together and discussed the quality of teaching. n A range of documentation was viewed, including evidence of the suitability of the staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

29 July 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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