Greenwood Nursery School

Inclusion: Expected standard

The setting has implemented effective systems to identify, assess and meet children's needs, addressing potential barriers to learning. Leaders and staff work closely with children and their families to identify needs early, ensuring that appropriate support is accessed promptly. For example, children who have speech and communication delays have been referred, and staff support their continued development alongside a speech and language therapist. Leaders have effective strategies in place to ensure that barriers that children face in their learning or wellbeing are removed to support an inclusive approach. Staff also adapt activities, including sensory resources, to promote meaningful interactions that meet individual needs and enable all children to fully participate in daily routines and learning.

Children who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively through tailored strategies that enable them to access the curriculum. Staff use a range of approaches, including visual resources, photo albums and Makaton signing, to strengthen children's communication and language development. These strategies are shared with parents to promote consistency between home and the setting and support children's ongoing progress.

Leaders provide staff training and proactively work with the local authority and external professionals to shape children's support, opportunities and learning experiences. Those children and families are welcomed into the setting. All children, including those receiving funding and those who access sessions in the afternoon, are actively engaged in learning opportunities, promoting a sense of belonging and creating positive outcomes in their learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Children are well supported by staff, who teach in a calm, consistent and purposeful way. Older children benefit from language modelling, open-ended questioning and sensitive guidance to support them in extending their thinking and maintaining involvement. However, some younger children do not always receive the clear, repeated language input they need to fully support their understanding and spoken language development.

Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of the curriculum and effective teaching, with a clear focus on securing children's learning and progress. They thoughtfully design both the curriculum and the environment to support and extend children's development. As a result, all children feel included and valued, developing a sense of belonging in the setting. The curriculum is carefully planned and enriched with meaningful experiences, particularly through an emphasis on learning in nature and the outdoors. Children regularly engage in forest school activities and take responsibility for caring for living things, including rabbits and a range of plants, flowers and vegetables. For example, children deepen their understanding of growth and responsibility as they plant, water and observe these living things over time, fostering curiosity, care and respect for the natural world.

Staff adapt activities so that all children can access them and experience positive outcomes. For example, children move confidently between indoor and outdoor spaces, accessing a range of experiences such as play dough, measuring water using different pots and funnels, moulding sand, reading stories in a hidden place and creating marks using chalk. These experiences foster a sense of belonging among children and help them build confidence and self-esteem in a setting that respects and supports their learning needs.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress through a balanced curriculum and from their starting points. This supports their development at their own pace, particularly in communication and language. Most children benefit from opportunities to use language to develop their vocabulary. However, some younger children do not always receive sufficiently clear and repeated language input to support their understanding and spoken language development fully.

Gaps in children's speech and language are identified early to ensure consistent learning. Children develop early reading skills. They can recall stories and share their thinking during group time. Older children can share their ideas through meaningful conversations, which helps them to build confidence and extend their vocabulary. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities particularly benefit from sensory experiences, helping them to communicate and engage more confidently in their learning.

School readiness is promoted well. Children develop independence through everyday routines, such as serving themselves at mealtimes and taking responsibility during the day. Children gain their skills, confidence and independence through reading, self-care, building blocks, creating structures and modelling malleable dough using tools to develop their growing skills and curiosity.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders consistently focus on establishing and promoting positive behaviour and attitudes towards learning. Children show positive relationships with staff, which support their emotional wellbeing and allow them to access learning confidently. Staff understand the children's behaviour and provide calm, consistent support, creating clear expectations.

Children demonstrate that they can sustain their engagement during activities. For example, older children confidently discuss 'Black Beauty' during group time, describing the horse's appearance and sharing their prior knowledge of the story. Staff extend this discussion, encouraging children to express their ideas and further develop their vocabulary. After forest school, staff use open-ended questions such as, 'Would you like to tell me anything else?' to encourage children to lead the conversation, enabling them to reflect on and deepen their experiences of the visit.

Younger children demonstrate an understanding of daily routines. For example, during a search for 'Honey Bear', they confidently recognise that once 'Honey Bear' is found, it is time for tea. They also clearly articulate the importance of washing their hands with soap and water before eating, demonstrating an early understanding of hygiene and self-care.

Safe practices during mealtimes are consistently promoted, and children engage in meaningful and constructive conversations while eating. Leaders monitor children's attendance and work closely with parents to encourage regular attendance, recognising the positive impact this has on children's learning, development and overall progress.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of promoting children's welfare and wellbeing, ensuring that their safety and emotional security are prioritised within their practice. Safeguarding is paramount, and leaders ensure that staff receive regular training so they have a clear and up-to-date understanding of their responsibilities, including recognising concerns. Staff are confident in discussing safeguarding matters and understand when and how to escalate concerns, including when to work effectively with the local authority designated officer.

Care practices are effective in meeting the individual needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and relevant professionals to identify needs early and implement timely, tailored support plans that are regularly reviewed. This ensures that all children are making steady progress from their starting points.

The setting provides an inclusive and nurturing environment where children form secure attachments. They show clear signs of forming positive attachments to staff, which enhances their sense of emotional security and allows them to confidently explore, communicate and learn. Staff respond sensitively to children's emotional needs, supporting them to recognise and manage feelings, develop self-regulation and build resilience.

Opportunities are created for children to be active and make healthy choices through consistent routines, clear boundaries and appropriate risk-taking. The setting promotes safe sleeping practices, and individual children are monitored closely during nap times. As a result, children feel secure, included and valued, and thrive emotionally, socially and across all areas of learning within the early years foundation stage.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders emphasise the importance of safety for children and staff training. However, this does not always translate into monitoring and supporting staff to consistently manage performance. Where individual members of staff need additional support, leaders do not always provide relevant training to address gaps in practice. This limits the impact of training and development for staff to ensure that practices are in line with procedures.

Leaders show a commitment to children's wellbeing and have ensured that systems are in place to support safeguarding, staff training and development. However, these systems are not always followed through effectively to ensure consistency across the setting when concerns arise.

Leaders do not consistently work well in partnership with all parents when concerns are raised. Communication with parents is not always timely, transparent or consistent enough to give them confidence that concerns are being addressed effectively. Although leaders seek advice from external professionals when necessary, they do not always follow the setting's safeguarding procedures, such as notifying Ofsted of concerns, thereby reducing oversight and accountability.