Foreign And Commonwealth Office Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children and their parents with enthusiasm when they arrive at this outstanding nursery. Passionate leaders set an aspirational curriculum with a strong focus on children's overall well-being. Children flourish because staff have very high expectations, which children achieve during their time at the nursery. Staff create a rich variety of activities that support children to feel relaxed and able to access resources with confidence.

Behaviour in the nursery is excellent because staff set clear rules, which all children understand and demonstrate consistently. The nursery has a strong presence in the wider community and children are excited to greet the security guards working in the building. They go on daily adventures with staff to explore London. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe. For example, they talk about the risks of the busy roads while they are on their daily 'awe and wonder' walks and find safe places to stop to look more closely at landmarks.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are immersed in learning throughout the day and make rapid progress. Staff praise them for the things they can do independently, and children are proud of themselves and encouraged to do even more than they thought they could. Staff ensure that children's voices are heard and that they feel fully involved in every aspect of nursery life.

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

• Staff are playful companions for children. Children take a lead in their play and staff act as constant communication partners. They immerse children in a language-rich environment, narrating the things they do throughout the day and modelling their thinking. This means that children are constantly exposed to new language and vocabulary. Staff animatedly retell stories, which supports children to develop a lifelong connection with books and reading.
• Staff constantly promote children's independence skills through the routines of the day. They set up the table for mealtimes, placing a vase of flowers alongside the plates and cutlery. They serve their own food and pour water from a jug. Staff are excellent role models for children and teach them to understand the impact their behaviour can have on other people. For example, when children scrape their plates after their meal, staff comment that the chef will be so happy because it will make it easier for her when she washes up later.
• Children remember the things they have learnt and apply this in their play. For example, when staff set a challenge to create an obstacle course, a child recalls that red and blue make purple from when they were learning about mixing colours in the morning. They explain that they want to place the coloured stepping stones in the order red, blue, then purple to recreate this pattern.
• Children's emotional well-being is exceptionally well supported by staff. They encourage children to decide if they want to take risks and position themselves close by so that children are safe to explore their capabilities. Children persevere when they find things hard. For example, when tackling some high steps that they need to climb to get back to the nursery, children set their sights on reaching the top without stopping. Staff celebrate children's accomplishments when they achieve what they set out to.
• There is a highly effective key-person system in place and relationships are exceptionally warm. Parents give fantastic feedback about the nursery and are highly appreciative of the wide range of opportunities their children have to spend time in the city every day while they are at the nursery. They comment that their children love it here, and this is clearly demonstrated by children throughout the day. Staff create a 'day in the life' video to share with parents so they can see what it is like for their child in the nursery.
• Leaders are exceptionally passionate about supporting the children, families and staff at the nursery. Staff feel that their well-being is a high priority for leaders, who regularly arrange formal supervision meetings as well as additional well-being 'check-ins', which enable staff to discuss how they are feeling and any challenges happening in their home lives, as well as at work. Staff receive a wide range of training to further enhance their already high-quality practice.