Grayswood Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this outstanding nursery. They are full of enthusiasm as they arrive and immerse themselves deeply in free play and group time sessions. They come together with staff to share thoughts, review the day ahead and discuss rules and boundaries. Managers and staff have created a calm, nurturing and respectful environment where children develop a strong sense of belonging and feel cherished. This contributes to their positive emotional well-being and self-assurance.

Children thrive in the outdoor spaces that are available to them, and staff seamlessly challenge them in their learning. Highly experienced staff provide extensive opportunities to develop physical skills, such as balancing, core strength, coordination and agility. For instance, children gain confidence and persevere as staff guide them to walk along slacklines stretched and fixed between two trees. They are comforted, reassured and directed exceptionally well by staff, who encourage them to think about each step and hand movement they make. This helps children to develop trust and feel secure as they push themselves further to acquire new skills. Children's concentration and determination is to be admired.

Staff are excellent role models, and children rise to staff's high expectations for behaviour. The strong, trusting relationships that staff have built with children help them feel safe and promote positive behaviour and attitudes. In turn, children are highly motivated to learn. They are polite, kind and courteous.

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

• The exceptional leadership and management team provides excellent enabling environments for children and staff. Staff receive tailored training to help them enhance their expertise further. For example, staff share their enthusiasm for attending the upcoming training, which is about ropes and ladders. They are keen to learn new skills to support children's physical development in the forest school area. The managers and leaders are highly reflective. They work closely with the staff team and strive for excellence. Staff are valued and share they are proud to be part of the team.
• Dedicated staff undertake training and work closely with other professionals and parents to create individual learning support plans for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff thoughtfully adapt activities and the environment to ensure that children with SEND receive the same opportunities for challenge, goals and aspirations as their friends. As a result, children with SEND make excellent progress from their starting points.
• Managers and staff are committed to providing exceptional care and learning for all children. They have created a curriculum that helps children remember, challenges their learning and builds on what they know. Attention is given to supporting children's personal development. Children stay at activities for sustained periods and show high levels of engagement. The intention for children's learning is securely understood and embedded through staff interactions, activities and provision. Children's learning is limitless and promoted in all areas of development.
• Staff interact with children in a way that excites and inspires them. The consistent flow of conversations helps children to learn how to add and respond effectively to spoken words. Furthermore, children's communication and language skills are developed through staff reading stories and singing. The library system in place supports targeted home-reading strategies, which encourage children to develop a love of books.
• Children demonstrate impressive behaviours as they offer to help at mealtimes, tidy up and display superb manners. Staff teach children the importance of oral health and sing songs about brushing their teeth. In addition, healthy lifestyles are promoted as children grow their own vegetables from seeds. Children are heavily involved in the whole process, from choosing what they would like to grow to buying the seeds from the local garden centre. They relish the responsibility of watering and monitoring the vegetables. The child's voice is valued, and children learn cause and effect as they develop a sense of achievement.
• Staff appreciate each child's individual interests, cultures and beliefs. Staff know children incredibly well and understand their unique characters and lived experiences. Knowledge is used to strengthen areas needed to develop further. Managers and staff go above and beyond to promote children's experiences outside the setting. For instance, they plan trips around children's fascinations, such as going on the train to view buildings of interest in big cities and visiting butterfly sanctuaries. The children's understanding of the world is supported remarkably well.
• Parent partnerships are highly effective and exceptionally well-established. Relationships with parents and other professionals are trusting and respectful and help children thrive in their learning as they work together on shared goals and support smooth transitions. Parents are exceedingly happy with the care and education their children are receiving and are eager to share their views.