Ghanshyam Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff have created a warm and stimulating environment that ignites children's curiosity and interest. Children show high levels of enjoyment as they make choices from a range of engaging activities and invitations to play. Staff are clear about the learning intents behind activities, which they develop with children's interests in mind. For example, staff support children to make edible snowballs after they were excited by the recent snowy weather.

The leadership team has developed a curriculum that is ambitious and coherently sequenced to support children to make progress over time. For example, younger children learn the names and sounds that farm animals make, while older children learn about animals and their habitats. Staff identify key vocabulary and core books that support this learning and reflect how expectations increase over time.

Leaders and staff share high expectations of children's behaviour. Staff have embedded the routines and rules of the setting to ensure children know what is expected of them. This is reflected in children's positive behaviour and conduct. When there are minor disagreements, staff are quick to support children to resolve these. As a result, the nursery feels consistently calm and purposeful.

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

• Leaders and staff have developed clear curriculum priorities. They focus on supporting children to become independent and confident learners. Staff encourage children to make choices and take ownership of their learning. For example, children take turns to lead circle time discussions and to read stories to their peers. However, staff sometimes deliver learning in large groups, which does not meet the needs of all children.
• Staff are skilled at building children's communication and language skills. They constantly narrate, introducing new vocabulary and asking questions to promote thought and conversation. Staff develop inviting role-play areas that provide rich opportunities for imaginative play and language development. However, staff sometimes model language incorrectly, making repeated speech errors. Nonetheless, children develop into confident communicators over time.
• Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being. For example, after meditating together, children are then encouraged to give themselves positive affirmations, which is then followed by enthusiastic praise from staff. This supports children to feel valued and builds their confidence and self-esteem.
• Staff can talk confidently about their key children's interests, progress, and next steps. Interactions between staff and children are consistently warm and reassuring. This supports children to feel safe and secure. For instance, babies in their first week of nursery happily explore their environment, with their key workers nearby for reassurance. As such, the key-worker system is highly effective.
• The setting benefits from lots of space, and staff utilise this well. For example, there is a dedicated room for physical activity, such as yoga and aerobic dance. Children enjoy fresh air and active play in the spacious and well-resourced outside area. Nursery chefs provide home-cooked food that is healthy and balanced. As such, children are supported to develop healthy habits from a young age.
• The manager is quick to secure external support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She works alongside parents and other professionals to ensure a cohesive approach towards shared targets. She prioritises the needs of individual children. For example, extra staff are brought in to ensure children get the additional time and support they need. As such, children with SEND make strong progress.
• Leaders and staff work in partnership with parents. For instance, parents were recently invited to a curriculum event in which staff shared the learning intents behind various activities, such as play dough. Parents comment positively on the setting, sharing that they are delighted with the progress their children have made and that they trust the setting completely with their children.
• The manager has a clear vision for the nursery and has made significant improvements since the last inspection. She has prioritised the well-being of staff, ensuring that changes have been made as a team. Staff comment that the manager is approachable and that they feel well supported. An experienced team of governors has a strong oversight of the nursery school and provides the manager with valuable support and guidance.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the organisation of group times to ensure all children can participate and benefit from the learning on offer
• ensure that staff model correct spoken English to prevent children from learning speech errors.