Alphablocks Nursery School at the Hadley Wood Association Centre

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have established an inclusive culture where every child is welcomed, valued and supported to participate fully in nursery life. They identify emerging and changing needs quickly through accurate assessment and close partnership with families, ensuring that children receive timely support that reduces barriers to learning and wellbeing. Leaders have high expectations for every child and continually review the impact of support so that children make good progress from their individual starting points.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from carefully tailored support that responds to their individual strengths and needs. Leaders work closely with the local special educational needs advisory service, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, children's social care, where appropriate, and other professionals to implement specialist advice and review children's progress. For example, personalised care plans, specialist communication strategies and carefully planned transition arrangements enable children to participate confidently, develop independence and prepare successfully for their next stage of learning.

Leaders use additional funding and targeted support purposefully to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children and those facing barriers to learning or wellbeing. They work closely with families, local schools and external agencies to ensure support remains responsive as children's needs change. As a result, children access the ambitious curriculum alongside their peers, participate fully in nursery life and achieve well.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders design an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum based on core books that progressively develops children's knowledge, skills and vocabulary across all areas of learning. They continually evaluate how effectively practitioners implement the curriculum through monitoring, professional dialogue and feedback from families and local schools. This ensures the curriculum reflects children's interests, starting points and next steps so that every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the full curriculum and are well prepared for the next stage of education.

Practitioners have a secure understanding of the curriculum and use accurate assessment to build on what children already know and can do. They observe children's play carefully and intervene at the right moment to extend learning through purposeful questioning, skilled modelling and sustained shared thinking. For example, while children water nursery plants, practitioners introduce ambitious vocabulary, reinforce mathematical language and encourage children to predict, investigate and explain what they observe, enabling children to deepen their understanding through first-hand experiences.

Practitioners maximise both planned and spontaneous opportunities to deepen learning. For example, when a deer appears near the nursery garden, they adapt teaching immediately, encouraging children to recall previous learning, apply new vocabulary and make meaningful connections while exploring the natural world. High-quality interactions enable children to remember, apply and extend their knowledge confidently across the curriculum.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children achieve well from their individual starting points and develop secure knowledge and skills across all areas of learning and development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who speak English as an additional language and those facing barriers to learning, access the curriculum successfully and build securely on what they already know and can do.

Children confidently remember and apply previous learning in different situations. As they prepare for school, they independently recognise their names, complete self-registration, organise their belongings and confidently explain familiar school routines. During role play, they explain why different clothing is worn in different seasons, drawing on previous learning and make meaningful connections with their own experiences. They communicate confidently, use mathematical language accurately, solve problems, think critically and apply their physical, social and creative skills purposefully during play. Consequently, children develop the age-appropriate knowledge, skills, confidence and independence they need for a successful transition to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders establish a positive culture where high expectations for behaviour, attitudes and learning are understood and applied consistently across the nursery. They regularly evaluate the impact of behaviour strategies and routines, making timely refinements that help children develop self-regulation, resilience and positive attitudes to learning. Leaders work closely with families to promote regular attendance, recognising its positive impact on children's learning, wellbeing and relationships. As a result, children confidently participate in all aspects of nursery life.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and remain highly engaged throughout the day. They listen attentively, sustain concentration, persevere when activities become challenging and take pride in their achievements. They cooperate well, share ideas respectfully and increasingly take responsibility for their own behaviour, developing positive relationships with adults and their peers.

Leaders have established a consistent approach to supporting children's emotional development through a recognised emotional well-being programme. Children learn to recognise and understand their emotions, use breathing techniques to regulate their feelings and reflect on their experiences. For example by explaining, 'I felt sad today because…'. They become increasingly confident in managing their emotions independently, resolve disagreements respectfully and demonstrate empathy towards others. Leaders further strengthen children's positive behaviour and emotional wellbeing through the consistent use of visual timetables and 'now-and-next' boards, which are shared with families to promote continuity between home and nursery, support children's understanding of routines and expectations, and help them manage transitions with increasing confidence.

Inclusive approaches ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing barriers to learning, develop the confidence, resilience and independence needed for the next stage of their education.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of the nursery's work. They establish a culture where children's physical health, emotional wellbeing and safety underpin daily practice. Leaders regularly review welfare arrangements and work closely with families and external professionals to ensure care responds promptly to children's changing needs. As a result, children feel safe, are healthy and receive consistently high-quality care that enables them to thrive physically, emotionally and socially.

Children develop healthy lifestyles through well-established routines and meaningful experiences. They independently follow good hygiene practices, make healthy choices at mealtimes and increasingly manage their own personal care. Regular sports and forest-school sessions make a significant contribution to children's welfare and wellbeing. Children develop confidence, resilience and physical competence as they explore the natural environment, strengthen their balance and coordination, and learn to assess and manage appropriate risks. These experiences promote emotional wellbeing, perseverance and healthy lifestyles.

Children benefit from personalised care that enables them to participate fully in nursery life. Practitioners implement individual care plans consistently and work closely with families to meet children's medical needs while encouraging children to communicate confidently about their own care. Inclusive welfare arrangements ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing barriers to learning, receive the support they need to thrive and develop the confidence, healthy habits and independence that prepare them well for future learning and life.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders provide clear strategic direction through a well-defined educational vision that draws on Reggio Emilia, Montessori, HighScope and Forest School principles. They continually evaluate the quality of education through monitoring, professional dialogue and reflective practice, using their accurate understanding of the nursery's strengths and priorities to refine provision and improve children's learning, welfare and wellbeing.

Leaders provide effective support and challenge, maintaining close oversight of safeguarding, the curriculum and children's experiences. They hold leaders to account for the quality of provision while supporting continual improvement, ensuring that strategic decisions remain firmly focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for children.

Leaders invest purposefully in staff development. Regular coaching, supervision, peer reflection and targeted professional learning strengthen practitioners' curriculum knowledge, assessment and teaching, enabling them to respond confidently to children's changing needs. Leaders actively support staff to extend their professional expertise, including enabling practitioners to achieve graduate qualifications through Early Years Teacher training and undertake specialist training, such as SENCO Level 3 qualifications, further strengthening the quality of provision for all children. Leaders also place high importance on staff wellbeing, reviewing workload and fostering a highly positive culture where staff feel extremely valued, listened to and supported.

Leaders establish highly effective partnerships with families, local schools and external professionals. Transition events, various workshops and ongoing communication help parents contribute to their children's learning and wellbeing, while close collaboration with schools, and other partnerships ensures children and families receive timely support. This shared commitment to continual improvement enables staff to continue developing their expertise and ensures children benefit from consistently high-quality experiences. Leaders remain focused on refining their practice so that every child continues to achieve well and is fully supported to realise their potential.