Highfield Lane Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this exceptional learning environment. They are excited to arrive and become deeply absorbed in the wonderful learning opportunities staff provide. Energetic staff embrace children's interests and create inspirational learning opportunities that support their learning. For example, nursery children create their own air hockey table out of boxes, chalk and wooden blocks. Staff extend children's learning by encouraging them to create and update scoreboards. This enhances children's mathematical understanding.

Managers work hard to establish a highly effective key-person system. This means children form exceptionally close bonds with staff and flourish in their nurturing care. Babies beam with delight when they wake from naps and see their key person. Older children cuddle up to staff and explore books together in cosy reading dens. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from highly experienced and knowledgeable one-to-one support. This enables them to settle well and make excellent progress from their starting points.

The nursery promotes children's self-confidence in exceptional ways. Children proudly show off their achievements on the 'learning tree'. The nursery's mascots, 'Tryasaurus', 'Thinkasaurus' and 'Explorasaurus', celebrate children's skills and efforts during activities. Staff encourage all children to complete age-appropriate tasks. Toddlers demonstrate a deep sense of accomplishment by feeding themselves at mealtimes. Older children are encouraged to change their clothes for sports sessions and take responsibility for their possessions.

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

• Partnerships with parents are of an exceptionally high standard. Parents are encouraged to play an active role in children's learning. They visit the nursery to read stories with children and explore their unique customs. Parents access online information sessions to support their knowledge, and they welcome opportunities to have input into the nursery's routines. For example, parents attend tasting sessions when the nursery updates its delicious menus.
• Children's transitions through the nursery are exceptionally well managed. Children spend time familiarising themselves with their new environment alongside their supportive key staff. Parents have access to 'borrow bags' to help manage changes in children's routines. These bags contain books and resources around topics such as potty training and the arrival of new siblings. They provide support and advice for both parents and children.
• Inspirational leaders and managers are passionate about their role in supporting staff development. Staff benefit from highly effective training programmes. These support them in delivering exceptional care and teaching to all children.
• Staff embrace opportunities to take on additional responsibilities in the nursery. They talk passionately about the projects they undertake around supporting diversity, healthy eating and promoting fundamental British values.
• Highly effective strategies are in place to support children's behaviour. Children explore their emotions and are supported to understand the impact the resulting behaviours can have on others. These strategies are used across the nursery and are adapted well to support the needs of all children. For example, babies and toddlers investigate soft toys and sensory resources depicting characters that reflect their moods. Older children explore the same characters in books and discuss their characteristics with staff. As a result of this consistent approach, children are kind and behave well. Babies play happily alongside one another, and older children take turns well in activities.
• The nursery supports children's communication and language development superbly. Staff in all rooms use sign language during interactions with children. Children respond well to this. They reply verbally and using signs, enabling them to communicate their needs from a very early age. Staff role model complex language that supports children to develop an extensive vocabulary. For example, young children use words such as 'capacity' and 'overflow' when exploring different containers in a science activity. Staff practice is particularly strong when supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Their outstanding relationships with families and innovative strategies support children to make excellent progress from their starting points.
• Staff embrace children's curiosity and develop their critical thinking skills incredibly well. They plan exciting activities that build on what children know and need to learn next. For example, children are re-visiting a construction activity where they create a bridge using wooden sticks. Together they explore how they can make it strong enough to support models of various animals. Once complete, children delight at observing those models that balance and those that fall into the water below.