Splat Day Nursery & Forest School

Splat Day Nursery & Forest School

Unique reference number (URN): EY557213 Address: Bridge End Road, Henlow, SG16 6DD Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 30/01/2018 Registers: EYR Registered person: Specialist Play Learning & Activity Team Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Strong standard

From the start of their education in the nursery, children develop a sense of belonging and security, which means they are open to learning and achieve well. Older children recall their learning from previous topics and talk confidently about what a fire needs, reminding staff to blow on it as it needs air.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children know how to manage their emotions and learn strategies to deal with frustrations. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress from their starting point due to clear targets and ongoing assessment.

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Achievement Strong standard

Transitions across the rooms are particularly seamless, especially between the toddler and pre-school room. Children know and understand the established routines. Toddlers are extremely confident to join the older children in their forest school experience. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff have created a positive and calm environment where children feel safe to try new things and play with others. Staff role model kindness, care and respect to each other and to the children. They are passionate about creating a culture where children thrive, and children are especially receptive to this. Children are extremely well behaved because they fully know and understand the rules of the nursery.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff share the rules daily in the nursery routines, and children respond very well. Children are specifically taught how to express their emotions and to ask for help when upset. They have excellent attitudes to learning because activities are exciting, engaging and appropriately challenging. Learning and remembering are celebrated, and children are proud of their abilities and have high self-esteem.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children play cooperatively in joint games and are respectful and kind. When children do need to be reminded, staff give appropriate explanations to ensure they understand why a particular behaviour is not desired. They also work closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach. Leaders closely monitor attendance and swiftly implement procedures to address absences.

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Children's welfare and well-being Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are at the heart of the nursery. All staff are very nurturing and caring. Parents comment that staff seem to love being here and really value and welcome their child as an individual. They feel that their children receive 'home-from-home' care. The key-worker system is well established, and babies form secure attachments to staff, sitting on their knees for yoga and snuggling next to them to share a favourite story.

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Children's welfare and well-being Strong standard

Relatively new staff know the children and the family circumstances well and can say what they are doing to support them. There are strong settling-in procedures, which make staff highly receptive to children's varying needs. Children with barriers to their learning or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified speedily, and staff monitor their wellbeing with extreme care.

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Children's welfare and well-being Strong standard

Staff follow parents' care routines as much as possible and stay with and soothe sleeping children. Leaders and staff work closely together to provide a nutritious, locally sourced and varied menu. They have a secure knowledge of nutrition. Staff have a good knowledge of weaning procedures and are alert to issues such as allergies and choking.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Curriculum and teaching are a strength of the setting. Leaders have researched a range of theories of early years practice and taken what they think is the best fit for their nursery to create their own unique, ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is play based, focusing on nature and the outdoors and encompassing all areas of learning. It is well sequenced, and the aims are for children to become confident, independent, resilient and kind.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff assess children's progress and development exceptionally well, establishing individual starting points and checking what children know and can do throughout the different stages of development. This means that disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning are quickly identified so that the necessary adaptations are made to ensure those children also make rapid progress against their starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children take autonomy over their learning with individual support and scaffolding from knowledgeable staff who make every interaction a teaching opportunity. Staff extend communication skills and support this with sign language. Children develop strong mathematical skills, such as measuring and counting through their play. The forest school experience is evident even in indoor sessions, and children take risks and explore with gentle guidance, strengthening both their large- and small-muscle skills.

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Inclusion Strong standard

There are robust procedures in place for identifying children with barriers to their learning. Staff's knowledge is secure, and procedures are in place to ensure that children who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same learning as their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Strong staff interactions with children, monitoring and assessment help children to reach their targets and ensure progress. Leaders and staff fully support the families of children with SEND, and parents are very happy with the support they and their children receive. Staff work with parents to provide the necessary paperwork to ensure that children receive the same level of support when making the transition to school.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The nursery shares resources with families to ensure that there is a consistent approach to children's learning. When necessary, leaders and staff work with outside agencies and the local authority to best support children with SEND. The nursery uses extra funding exceptionally well in ensuring that children with SEND have one-to-one support in order to access the curriculum fully. Staff access training on supporting children with SEND and those who have other barriers to their learning, and this has a highly positive impact on their practice. Children with SEND make rapid progress from their starting point.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership is extremely strong, and the team is incredibly passionate about promoting a love for outdoors and developing the forest school. Leaders are continually striving to improve their practice, and staff's professional development is a high priority. Staff have regular supervisions so leaders can monitor their practice and offer targeted training to ensure continual professional development.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders frequently reflect on the quality of teaching and the routines of the nursery, noting when changes to routines may be beneficial to the children. They put steps in place and have regular meetings with staff to ensure there is continual improvement in practice. Their aim is to help children and staff to become the best version of themselves, and their practice and decisions reflect this, particularly for those children facing barriers to their learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff wellbeing is a high priority, and all staff report that they feel well looked after and really valued working in this environment. They comment that the cohesiveness of the team is unique to the setting and appreciate that they can be fully open with leaders. The leadership team fully engages with parents. Leaders support parents who need help and have excellent communication. Parents are extremely happy with the nursery as they see their children making excellent progress.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children flourish and thrive in this incredibly warm and nurturing nursery. They build positive and trusting relationships with their key worker and other staff. Their individual needs are extremely well met by the caring staff, who are passionate about children doing their best. Therefore, children feel a solid sense of security and belonging, which gives them high levels of confidence to try new activities and to persevere at more challenging tasks. For example, children make small dens from sticks. They learn how to balance them, so they stay upright, showing perseverance and resilience until they manage to achieve this. Staff know exactly when to step in and support them and when to let children keep on trying.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children have excellent attitudes to learning and talk about learning from previous topics, such as being able to name the cloud shapes. Younger children learn how to cut carefully with gentle and patient guidance from staff, who step in only when necessary. Babies develop language well; staff model and repeat what the child says, extending their language at every opportunity.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children behave exceptionally well. They are kind and helpful, following the role modelling of staff. Staff teach children explicitly how to manage their emotions using stories and familiar routines to deepen their understanding. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported where necessary to access the same learning as their peers. Children play collaboratively with each other with little need for adult support. They take turns and share resources easily.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children thoroughly enjoy the forest school sessions. They show independence and resilience when knocking poles into the ground for their den. With guidance, they cut vegetables safely, strengthening the muscles in their hands. They use their large-muscle skills when balancing and climbing over equipment.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Leaders and staff work closely with families in promoting children's attendance to ensure that children can build the trusting relationships that enable deeper learning.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Specialist Play Learning & Activity Team Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 06:45 - 19:15

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

A quality assurance visit by an additional inspector was carried out at this inspection.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standards expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standards set out in statutory and non-statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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