Goosehill Private Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Gaps in children's learning are identified quickly through robust monitoring. Staff take swift, targeted action to ensure that each child receives the help they need, and any barriers to learning are promptly addressed. Staff use sign language confidently across the setting, enabling children with delayed speech and language to communicate effectively. This approach is highly successful, for example, babies can sign for 'more' at snack time before they are able to speak.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those previously known to children's social care, receive sensitive and effective support. External professionals, such as speech and language therapists and physiotherapists, are welcomed into the setting so staff can work collaboratively and use shared strategies. Strong partnerships with parents further help staff tailor support to each child's needs. The team is committed to ongoing professional development and eagerly attends training that enhances its work with children. Leaders have implemented a training and coaching programme that ensures staff consistently help children regulate their emotions. Children use these strategies confidently. For instance, when staff notice a child wanting to push, they offer stretchy fabric for the child to push their whole body into, helping them feel calm and organised.

Staff have a strong understanding of every child's development and adapt their practice quickly to ensure that all children are fully included. Additional funding is used effectively to enrich children's learning. Early years pupil premium funding supports children who speak English as an additional language. For example, books in their home language have been purchased. This benefits all children, who enjoy hearing and learning new words from another language.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all children and meets their needs. Staff implement this to the highest standards. Children's development is monitored well, and leaders have an overall view of how each child is making progress. Staff follow children's interests and are highly adaptive to individual children's needs. They understand that every interaction is a teaching opportunity. Children are encouraged to find out all they can about a kestrel after seeing one during a forest school session. They draw pictures and build nesting boxes out of wood. This also helps children to develop their communication and language skills, and they excel in their learning.

Staff use the outdoors and nature extremely well to support the curriculum. They provide clear guidance at forest school on safe practice. This helps children to manage risks themselves. High priority is given to children's emotional wellbeing and physical development. Indoors, children develop large-muscle skills. Staff provide high and low steps and large sheets of paper on the wall for children to reach up high or down low as they make marks. Mathematics is integrated well, for instance, when a child draws a line, staff suggest children get a tape measure to measure the distance.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children, including those who are disadvantaged or have barriers to their learning, make rapid progress from their starting points. Children engage in activities that encourage them to think for themselves. They have countless opportunities to make marks and experiment with early writing. They frequently engage in singing and story time. Children remain absorbed in books and listen intently to staff. They develop a love of reading. This all helps them to develop their communication and language skills. Children are given time to consolidate their ideas. For example, staff preserve models that children make so they can come back and continue later. Children's interests are deeply engaged. They spend concentrated effort on what they do, such as building a bridge with construction resources, throughout the day. They develop the skills they need so they are ready when they move on to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff have consistently high expectations for children's behaviour. They skilfully adapt their approaches to meet the needs of children at different stages of development, ensuring that strategies are highly responsive and individualised. Staff create exceptionally calm and nurturing spaces where children can retreat when they need time to regulate. They provide sensitive, timely guidance, helping children learn to self-regulate when they feel sad or angry. Children develop effective coping strategies, such as tracing their fingers, which gives them valuable thinking time and supports emotional control. Staff have embedded well-designed and highly purposeful movement plans throughout the day, underpinned by a secure understanding of how physical development supports neurological growth. Each room includes thoughtfully planned movement areas that refine children's emerging movement patterns, strengthen reflexes, support communication and language and significantly boost self-esteem through positive physical experiences. As a result, children play cooperatively, show kindness and demonstrate genuine empathy for one another.

Leaders and staff are deeply committed to ensuring that all children can access forest school. They use this provision highly effectively to promote emotional regulation, build mindfulness and provide strong support for vulnerable children. Staff foster warm, trusting relationships with children. As a result, children are eager to engage in activities and relish the enthusiastic involvement of staff who join in with their play. Leaders work proactively with parents from the start, ensuring they understand the crucial importance of regular attendance in supporting their child's development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff show a clear and consistent commitment to support children's wellbeing. Settling-in visits are carefully tailored to each child's needs. They are designed to help children form positive relationships with staff and settle into the setting quickly. When children are ready to move rooms, they have visits with their key person, ensuring a smooth and reassuring move. Children become confident learners. The well-thought-out environment helps children to feel safe and thrive. Babies choose when they need to sleep. They crawl into a coracle bed and happily settle down to sleep.

All children enjoy physical activity, either in the movement area in their rooms, in the outdoor area or at forest school. This helps children build important physical skills. Staff focus on children managing their emotions and recognising when they feel happy or sad. Staff guide children to understand what is safe or unsafe in nursery. Pre-school children show an impressive understanding. They draw warning triangles and display these on the doors to remind others to be careful not to trap their fingers. Meals are healthy and nutritious and adapted for the age and stage of the child. Babies learn to feed themselves, and older children use cutlery with confidence and skill.

Leadership and governance: Exceptional

Leaders are dedicated to driving excellence in the nursery. Staff are enthusiastic in their work and say their wellbeing is supported and they love to work here. Self-evaluation is highly evident and impacts on all they do. Children and parents are consulted and their views are considered when changes are made. For example, when children asked for easier access to water in the mud kitchen, leaders responded swiftly by installing new plumbing so water is readily available. Professional development is a high priority. Staff eagerly attend training courses and comment on the impact of what they learn on their work. For example, training on how movement supports brain development and builds neurological pathways prompted them to create movement areas in each room. These are spaces designed to support children's emerging movement patterns, strengthen reflexes, support communication and language and boost self-esteem through positive physical experiences.

Leaders are passionate about sharing their knowledge and understanding with the wider early years workforce. They deliver numerous training sessions to other professionals, which have a transformational impact on early years practitioners who go on to develop movement areas in their own settings. Their feedback is extremely positive and has provided them with a range of ideas to support their own children and practice. Other professionals have reported how it has helped them learn how important aspects of movement are crucial for brain development. The dedicated staff work hard with parents to ensure that they meet the needs of their children. Early identification of any gaps in a child's development is swiftly addressed. This includes children who face barriers to their learning. Parents are highly complimentary about the support they receive.