Hemsley House Nursery School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders ensure children facing barriers and challenges to their learning are prioritised, developing a culture of inclusion and respect. For example, babies eagerly toddle to find pictures of their friends' families, where staff encourage them to value similarities and differences. Leaders ensure funding is used effectively to purchase equipment to support individual needs. For example, children enjoy exploring a puppet show, developing important personal, social and emotional skills and developing their friendships. Leaders ensure they swiftly and effectively identify and reduce barriers to learning and development. For example, children learn to care for baby chicks, supporting their understanding of being kind and caring for things. This successfully supports their understanding.

Leaders rigorously monitor support in place, making adjustments where needed to ensure they make a significant difference to children's outcomes. For example, staff create cosy spaces for children to rest and relax to help them manage their behaviour and emotions and their 'big' feelings. Staff provide sensitive support to help for individual children succeed. Leaders review staff training and work closely with a range of specialists, schools, shared care providers and other professionals to ensure children and families receive tailored support, help and guidance. This ensures all children make very positive progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a very accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and of teaching and learning. For example, they recognise that at times, some staff require further training to develop their confidence in recognising how to further enhance opportunities for children to develop their independence skills even more. However, leaders have clear action plans in place to support this. Leaders ensure children are provided with a curriculum which supports them to develop their knowledge and skills across all areas learning and development. For example, babies are encouraged to roll balls with staff, supporting their physical skills successfully. Older children collaborate to move wooden plans to make an obstacle course, developing their movement and coordination skills effectively.

Staff prioritise children's language skills. For example, staff talk with babies, encouraging them to babble and make first sounds. Older children snuggle with staff to share stories, developing a love of books. Staff use effective assessment and tracking information to identify children's next learning steps and to tailor their teaching to meet individual needs. For example, staff model counting and use language such as more and less when playing alongside children, supporting their mathematical understanding successfully. All children make very positive progress from the start.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers and challenges to their learning and development make significant progress from their starting points. For example, children who found it difficult to regulate their emotions and behaviour when they started, have now made firm friendships. Children who struggled with consistent sleep routines have been supported to sleep regularly, supporting positive habits for the future. Children who did not have language when they started now communicate effectively. Children benefit from a wide range of activities and experiences supporting their knowledge and skills across all areas of the curriculum ensuring they are very well prepared for their next learning stage and for school. For example, babies learn to lift themselves up developing their coordination and balance. Older children learn to use cutlery with skill. These opportunities ensure all children develop high levels of confidence. All children thrive and flourish.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders ensure staff have high expectations for all children. They recognise accurately where staff need further support to develop their confidence in recognising when they can further support individual needs during daily routines. Nonetheless, staff are good role models, supporting children to treat their friends with kindness and care. For example, babies help their friends to brush their hair. Older children pass their friends cutlery and food during mealtimes, developing their understanding of turn taking and sharing effectively. Staff work closely with each other to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers and disadvantage to understand expectations and rules of the setting. As such, all children play well together and display very positive attitudes to learning. Staff ensure they review regularly what they offer to ensure any adaptions or adjustments support children's best interests. For example, leaders have invested heavily in developing different spaces outside, promoting the importance of being outdoors daily and supporting children's individual interests and needs.

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. They adapt sessions to offer flexibility to parents, encouraging them to develop positive routines for the future and when starting school. As such, children's attendance is now regular, and children are eager to attend.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders ensure they prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers and disadvantage are supported very well to develop long lasting healthy habits. Leaders skilfully utilise staffs' strengths to provide children with regular cooking activities to support healthy choices successfully. As such, all children including babies consistently make healthy choices about what they eat and drink. Children are encouraged to develop effective self-care practices and as such, understand the importance of hand washing and applying sun cream to keep safe outside. Older children learn how to safely wash their hair, learning about the dangers of different chemicals. All children, including babies develop very strong bonds and attachments. New babies settle very well and demonstrate high levels of emotional wellbeing. Staff are highly responsive to families changing needs. For example, staff work very closely with parents to support babies sleeping, weaning and feeding routines so that they feel secure, settled and happy. Other children are supported very well to manage and understand their own and others' feelings and behaviour. This very successfully supports their emotional health. Staff are very sensitive, calm and caring in their approach and as such, all children demonstrate very high levels of wellbeing and security.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders and managers are dedicated and committed. They recognise the challenges they face. For example, this inspection was a result of a risk assessment following information received about the provider. Following this, leaders are proactive and motivated in focussing on securing excellence for all children and families. Leaders continuously review what they offer, making changes and adaptations where necessary to ensure staff continue to develop their practice. For example, leaders have developed a bespoke mentorship programme to support new staff, including apprentices, to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. Leaders have effective plans to further develop their coaching roles to support consistent high-quality practice and provision.

Leaders work very closely with other professional partners and parents to ensure families receive very swift and highly effective support. For example, they work very closely with schools and settings to support seamless transitions. As such, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those facing barriers and challenges are provided with access to tailored support where needed to meet their individual milestones. Leaders regularly review staff workloads and staff appreciate this focus on their wellbeing. Parents speak incredibly highly of the dedication of staff and how as parents, they feel very valued and included. They specifically praise the excellent support for children with SEND.