Green Lane Nursery and Childcare Centre

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and the staff team know children extremely well. They build trusting relationships with families and gather detailed information about children's development when they first start at the nursery. This enables them to have sensitive discussions swiftly and identify the areas children may need support in. Staff recognise when families have barriers to supporting their children's learning. They swiftly make adaptations to how they communicate with children and ensure every parent is valued and included in their child's development. Leaders talk to parents and other professionals to decide on the best way to use funding. This has a positive impact for the individual child because children will receive targeted support and experiences to help them make timely progress.

Staff use a range of assessments to help children understand the exact type of support children need. For example, leaders have recently attended training to use specific assessments of children's speech, understanding and listening skills. This has helped them to target support on specific areas of children's language development. Children with identified delay benefit from support from staff and other professionals. Staff work hard to ensure they implement detailed and comprehensive support plans for children, and regularly share these with everyone involved with the child. This promotes consistency and helps to close gaps in children's learning quickly.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders consistently review and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum for the children. Staff participate in training and implement changes in their room, such as adapting the layout or curriculum to further support children. For instance, staff have created resource baskets for children to explore and play with independently. Staff encourage children to lead their own play and make choices about how they would like to learn.

Children show skills across every area of their learning. For instance, young children and toddlers begin to make marks with chalks and staff regularly use mathematical and positional language as children play. Staff use familiar books with all children, and they begin to develop a love of stories. Young children enjoy exploring the sensory pots with twigs and snow, while toddlers go on a bear hunt in the local woods to see how many bears they can find. Staff regularly use the local area and books to teach children about their own community. For instance, older children point out the recognisable landmarks in Durham through a story. However, there is scope for staff to plan even more experiences to deepen children's knowledge and understanding of the wider world around them.

Staff support children to develop positive personal, social and emotional skills. They help children to learn how to share and take turns and teach them about how they are feeling from a young age. Children show confidence and high levels of self-esteem. They are keen to express themselves and show they feel safe with staff. Staff evaluate the curriculum continuously, observing how children respond and identifying areas to adapt their teaching. For example, they listen carefully and adapt questioning to match each child's level of confidence, celebrating every contribution.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make timely progress in relation to their starting points, particularly in their communication and language development. Babies show consistently high levels of engagement during singing and stories. They listen, observe and copy the actions. Children contribute to circle times by choosing their favourite songs and answering questions posed. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to their learning are making progress from their starting points.

Children are learning the skills that they need to be well prepared to start school. For instance, older children show high levels of concentration as they work with staff to operate the sewing machine. They listen with interest to stories and can communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively.

Children listen to staff when they ask them to join together for large-group activities. However, there are inconsistencies in staff practice and the quality of interactions with children. For example, children spend long periods of time engaged in independent play. During these times, some children are not fully supported by high-quality interactions to make the progress of which they are capable.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff provide a positive environment that fully supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Staff support children to manage and recognise their emotions from an early age. For instance, toddlers are keen to participate in yoga sessions and know how to start the sessions. Staff help them to remember when to use the breathing strategies during their play, which helps them to stay calm and focused. Staff encourage children's self-awareness and resilience by encouraging them to persist with tasks and collaborate. Leaders place the utmost priority on children's attendance. This promotes the best possible standards for children's attendance to ensure they reach their full potential.

Children demonstrate an excellent attitude to learning and their behaviour is consistently exemplary. Staff are skilled at helping children with any emotional struggles and children benefit from clear, consistent boundaries and expectations. Children are enthusiastic and proud of their achievements. They develop excellent levels of focus and concentration, beyond the typical expectations for their age. For example, older children use the resources in the mark-making area independently. They practise their early writing skills and show staff how they have formed the letters in their name. Staff respond with high levels of praise, which match children's enthusiasm. Children gain confidence in group participation, develop social skills and are encouraged to express themselves.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's safety and good health. For instance, they teach children about making healthy food choices from a young age and talk to children about how food helps us to 'grow big and strong'. Parents are supported to provide healthy packed lunches. Leaders and staff have a robust process for managing children's allergies in the nursery. Staff discuss the importance of attending dental appointments and help families to find a dentist to register with. This has had a positive impact on oral health in the community. Young children learn how to stay safe in the environment. They show awareness of risks as they practise road safety skills and tell staff when it is safe to cross the road. Older children show an understanding of how to use resources safely and manage appropriate risk for themselves. Staff support children to explore and express their emotions through structured activities, such as identifying feelings and reading stories.

Children show that they feel safe with staff and build strong bonds with them. They know who to go to if they need help and staff provide reassurance for children. Young children and babies settle in swiftly and quickly form relationships with their key person. Staff support children as they move through the nursery and ensure children are emotionally prepared to move on. Staff make regular adjustments to ensure they meet children's changing circumstances and routines. They work closely with other medical professionals involved with children and follow detailed care plans to ensure children's care and health needs are consistently managed. The setting seeks and listens to the views of parents on children's sleeping arrangements. Staff diligently check sleeping babies.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate high levels of commitment and are passionate about making changes, which continually develop and improve the provision for children and families. They evaluate the provision effectively, regularly reviewing what is working well. Since the last inspection, leaders have supported staff to develop their skills in providing safe sensory play for young children and helped staff to consider how they are deployed across the nursery. Staff and children benefit from highly effective communication that promotes children's safety.

Staff are highly experienced and well qualified. They benefit from a range of opportunities to access professional development, and they say they feel valued by leaders. Staff report high levels of wellbeing and demonstrate they are a strong, well-established team. This has a positive impact for children as they are surrounded by a respectful and empathic environment.

Leaders and staff understand how to meet the needs of the children and families who attend. They have a positive impact on the local community and complete 'acts of kindness'. For instance, children visit the old people in the local care home and take donations to the food bank. Parents feel the staff go above and beyond to help their children thrive. They are very happy with how well prepared they are to move on to school and how staff have closed gaps in children's learning though effective partnership working.