Natural Wonder - Earlywood

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is inadequate

There are weaknesses in the arrangements to safeguard children, which compromise their safety and welfare.

The manager has not followed the correct procedures to manage safeguarding concerns. Staff and volunteers also do not have secure safeguarding knowledge. In addition, unchecked volunteers are sometimes left unsupervised with children.

Despite this, children enjoy the forest school experience that the setting provides and teaching is effective. Staff have considered ways to make the learning environment more accessible for all children. For instance, they have introduced visual prompts during the initial welc...ome group time.

This helps children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to remember important information, such as the forest school rules. This promotes group discussions and children enjoy sharing their knowledge. Staff support children to wait their turn to speak by encouraging them to hold up their thumbs if they have something to say.

This enables children to understand how they are expected to behave. Children show positive behaviour as they listen to their friends and wait patiently while they wait to speak. Children learn to take appropriate risks with guidance from staff.

For example, children enjoy using tools to cut up pieces of cardboard. Staff remind them how to use the equipment safely, which supports children to develop an understanding of how to manage risks for themselves.

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

The manager recognises the signs and symptoms of abuse.

However, she has not referred child protection concerns in a timely manner. She also has not ensured that all staff and volunteers have secure safeguarding knowledge. The manager understands her responsibilities to check the suitability of staff and volunteers.

She assesses the risks of unchecked adults working with children. However, she does not implement the plans to reduce any risks effectively. This results in adults without appropriate suitability checks having unsupervised contact with children.

This does not ensure children's safety and welfare.The manager and staff share their knowledge and expertise with each other. This has a positive impact on the quality of experiences that children receive.

For instance, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) supports staff to implement effective teaching strategies for children with SEND.Staff review children's progress on a termly basis. This enables them to identify what children have learned and what they want them to learn next.

Staff share this information with parents so that they can work together to promote children's development.Staff help children to settle when they arrive in the morning. For instance, they welcome children during their initial chat around the 'fire circle'.

Staff encourage them to introduce themselves and think of an animal that begins with the same letter as their first name. Staff support younger children to join in with this activity, which enables them to develop their confidence.Staff plan activities that spark children's creativity.

Staff introduce activities well which helps children to understand what they are expected to do. For example, staff explain that they will be creating their own 'flick painting' pictures. Children demonstrate high levels of curiosity and engagement as they decide how to create their artwork.

However, sometimes staff do not recognise when to interact with children. This does not fully enable staff to extend children's learning even further.Children enjoy listening to books being read by staff.

Children eagerly gather round and focus their attention on the story. Staff encourage them to talk about what they know about the book, which promotes children's language skills.Staff support children to learn about their world around them.

For example, when children find a seed and plant it in the ground, staff encourage them to think about how to take care of it. This helps children to learn about how to care for nature.Children benefit from teaching that helps them to develop an understanding of how to resolve conflicts for themselves.

For example, staff encourage them to think about the impact of their behaviour. Children respond positively and this helps them to regulate their behaviour.Staff implement strategies that enable children to make their own choices.

This includes introducing a 'choices board', where children can select which resources they would like to play with. This provides children with opportunities to follow their interests and engage in their learning environment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

There is not an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure designated safeguarding leads have a secure understanding of when to make referrals 01/05/2024 ensure all adults working with children have a robust knowledge of the procedures to follow to manage child protection concerns and allegations against adults 01/05/2024 ensure adults without suitability checks are not left unsupervised with children.01/05/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to engage with children during group activities to extend learning even further.