Acorn at Kents Hill

Activities: Staff take children to buy bird feeders. Children hang these in the trees and eagerly use binoculars to observe and identify birds.

Skills , Knowledge and Behavior: Staff provide high-quality real-life opportunities for children to build on their prior learning. For example, children learn how to look after chickens in their garden.

Communication: Staff develop outstanding partnerships with parents. They arrange parent meetings with teachers from schools that children transfer to.

Community Building: Children enjoy singing to residents, reading stories with them and showing them their learning. Residents also visit the nursery and join in with children's messy play.

Programs and Resources: Staff work with parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities exceptionally well to help to ensure that their provision is inclusive.

Staff Training: Following discussions, staff adapt their environment, resources and approaches to help to support children superbly.

Welcoming and Professional Staff: All staff share consistently high expectations for children's learning. They provide a highly stimulating environment.

Safeguarding Training: The management team ensures that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date.

Play and Learning Integration: Staff create an exceptionally calming and safe outdoor sleep environment and children benefit from high-quality rest and relaxation time in the fresh air.

Transition to Primary School: Staff arrange parent meetings with teachers from schools that children transfer to, to help parents understand how they can help prepare children for school.

Diversity Management: Children have a highly effective understanding of people and families beyond their own.

Child Safety Management: The management team ensures that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date.

Children's Safety and Security: Children are highly motivated, happy learners who cooperate with others superbly.

Happiness and Settling: Children select books together and become engrossed in their self-chosen learning, taking turns to hold 'The Gruffalo's Child'.

Nutritional Menu: Children collect their eggs and use them in their own cooking activities.