Creative Explorers Preschool - Crouch End

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are committed to ensuring children consistently experience inclusive practice. The nursery is inviting and welcoming for all children. There is an inclusive culture that is understood by all. Staff complete robust assessments and ongoing observations of children. Highly skilled staff demonstrate a secure knowledge of child development, enabling children's individual needs to be swiftly identified. Information gathered from parents, together with ongoing discussions, ensures precise next steps for learning are in place. Stringent monitoring enables leaders to evaluate children's progress effectively and ensure they make strong progress from their starting points.

Staff adhere to personalised routines and implement targeted interventions. Resources, visual prompts and dedicated sensory spaces, both indoors and outdoors, support all children to access and succeed from their starting points. Leaders and staff are highly effective at breaking down barriers to learning, enabling children to participate fully, develop confidence and achieve positive outcomes.

Leaders ensure staff feel confident in their role and receive ongoing training and support so they are highly effective in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. High priority is given to maintaining a consistent and inclusive approach. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to ensure continuity, regularly review children's progress and secure the best possible outcomes for children.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders ensure learning opportunities ignite children's interest and curiosity and provide all children with high-quality teaching consistently. Staff provide a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum that reflects children's interests and supports their development across the areas of learning. They understand how children learn, and plan experiences that build on what children already know and can do. As a result, all children build securely on their knowledge and skills over time.

Staff provide quality teaching and interactions that are purposeful and build on children's interests and developmental stages. For example, during a 'mix, make and imagine' activity, children independently select herbs, petals and natural materials to create their own potions. They confidently predict what might happen as they mix ingredients together and compare quantities using mathematical language such as 'more', 'less', 'full' and 'empty'. Children eagerly share their ideas with staff and their friends. Staff skilfully extend children's thinking through carefully timed questions, giving children time to think before responding. These experiences develop children's communication, mathematical understanding and curiosity.

Children's communication and language flourish through engaging experiences throughout the day. Staff model language well and introduce ambitious vocabulary through stories, investigations and group discussions. Children confidently recall previous learning, ask questions, explain their thinking and revisit learning through play, strengthening their confidence, independence and positive attitudes towards learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make significant progress as a result of attending the nursery. They make excellent progress in relation to their starting points. Children are well prepared and ready for the next stage in learning and transition to school.

Children communicate confidently and use an increasingly broad vocabulary to express their ideas, needs and experiences. They listen attentively, engage in meaningful conversations and develop the communication skills needed for future learning. Children confidently join in all aspects of the pre-school day and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

Children develop independence through everyday routines and confidently manage tasks appropriate to their age and stage of development. They demonstrate resilience, concentration and perseverance when faced with new challenges and apply these skills across their learning. They are well prepared for the next stage in their learning, including their transition to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children flourish in the positive learning environment provided by staff. Leaders and staff consistently model the high expectations for all attending. Staff are calm and reassuring and children's behaviour is exemplary. Children thrive on the encouragement and frequent praise they receive from staff and this also significantly contributes to their confidence and self-esteem. Children demonstrate a real desire to focus on their learning. They demonstrate they are confident and eager to contribute their ideas and take an active part in their learning. For example, they enthusiastically join in discussions about keeping themselves safe, confidently sharing their own ideas while listening respectfully to the views of others.

Staff anticipate and swiftly identify children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. They ensure consistent guidance, time and support is provided so that children fully participate. Staff help build on children's skills gradually, to help them settle into the daily routines. Leaders ensure there is a mutually respectful atmosphere throughout. Children demonstrate good manners and understand the high expectations for behaviour that are fully embedded in practice. Children have formed friendships with others attending and are caring toward one another. Staff are skilled in recognising when children need support to manage conflicts. They thoroughly praise them when they resolve issues independently.

Leaders work effectively with families to ensure that they understand the importance of regular attendance. They support families to ensure that children benefit from their time at the setting. Staff are aware of the policy and procedures in place and take swift and thoughtful action if needed.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff consistently recognise and use additional learning opportunities during everyday routines, such as nappy changing, handwashing and mealtimes. This highly effective approach supports children to develop key life skills for the future. Staff fully understand and swiftly identify the unique needs of all children. They adapt care routines to ensure children are fully supported and that their wellbeing is prioritised. Staff are nurturing, respectful and maintain children's dignity and privacy during personal care routines. Ongoing interactions contribute significantly to children's emotional wellbeing.

Children enthusiastically and confidently prepare their own healthy snacks. They proudly put on their chef's hats and aprons before chopping fresh fruit, pouring their own drinks and tidying away afterwards. Meaningful conversations help children develop an understanding of healthy eating, oral health and the importance of vitamins in keeping their bodies healthy. Children benefit from consistent praise and reassurance and have formed close and trusting bonds with their key persons.

Leaders provide high-quality learning environments indoors and outdoors. Children thoroughly enjoy spending time in the nursery garden, where they care for plants, observe vegetables as they grow, and develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles, nature, and the importance of physical health and wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders respect and value the contribution that staff make and thoughtfully consider their wellbeing and workloads. Staff are highly dedicated to providing the best possible outcomes for children. They comment positively on the support and encouragement leaders provide. They are motivated and keen to continue to build on their own skills and welcome opportunities to participate in purposeful professional development. Leaders have a robust knowledge and understanding of the importance of self-reflection and are highly effective in identifying areas of strength and areas to develop further. They fully understand how to provide inspiring, high-quality teaching for all children attending the nursery. This is successfully achieved through robust monitoring of practice. Leaders seek relevant training to ensure staff have the knowledge and understanding to meet children's specific and emerging needs. For example, leaders have prioritised special educational needs and/or disabilities training, strengthening staff's understanding of meeting children's individual needs. As a result, staff make timely adaptations to their practice so all children participate fully in learning.

Leaders ensure children are at the heart of all decisions made and this has a positive impact on their outcomes. For example, when enhancing the garden, leaders considered children's preferred ways of learning to ensure they thrive in the outdoor environment. In addition, leaders provide parents and families with flexibility to effectively promote children's regular attendance. Leaders are proactive in securing meaningful working relationships with external professionals so they work collaboratively and provide children with consistent, high-quality support. Highly effective communication and partnerships with parents, together with other professionals involved with the family, have a positive impact on children's wellbeing and enable them to thrive.