Houghton Community Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The experience this nursery provides for children and their families is of the very highest standard and is worthy of dissemination to others. The outstanding provision is built around a well-established culture, that holds the care of children and families at its core.

The curriculum is exceptionally broad. Children are immersed in a range of off-site visits, including the forest and the beach where they develop a vast array of knowledge and skills, including an extensive vocabulary. Furthermore, they gain a deep understanding of how to stay safe in these environments. These enriching experiences have a powerful impact on the most vulnerable children. For instance children express their awe and wonder of the surroundings in forest school, as they investigate the different types of trees with magnifying glasses.

Every aspect of children's care and education is meticulously planned to ensure that all children make excellent progress from their starting points. The ambitious curriculum is expertly delivered by a team of highly qualified, passionate staff. Their enthusiasm and joy for learning is infectious. They provide stimulating learning experiences which ignite children's fascinations and promote deep levels of curiosity. Furthermore, staff provide children with time to explore and process new learning at their own pace. Children are provided with opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior learning. Staff pay close attention in these moments and readily facilitate and extend children's knowledge further. Parents and carers describe the care and support their children receive in this nursery as being exceptional.

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

• Leaders are deeply involved in all aspects of the nursery. Their expertise and ongoing investment in staff training and continuous professional development, ensures that the nursery continues to evolve, resulting in ever-greater experiences and outcomes for children. Leaders say they cherish the one-to-one time they spend with staff, where they focus on extending the quality of their practice even further, including pursuing additional qualifications. The qualifications undertaken by staff result in learning experiences that are of the highest quality. This is demonstrated in the well-planned approach to forest school provision.
• The curriculum is research-led and bespoke to the individual needs of the children and families. Ongoing support for the progression of children's knowledge and skills across all areas of learning is well embedded into daily practice. For instance, additional funding is utilised to provide all children with copies of the focus texts used in the nursery. This means children have the opportunity to immerse themselves in stories at home and can share their learning with their families. Daily reflection meetings take place, where staff share their ongoing observations of children's development and plan for their next steps. As a result, children are extremely well prepared for transitions onward to the next stage of their education.
• At all times, staff are alert to responding to children and facilitate high-quality interactions. They demonstrate genuine warmth and interest in children's interests and use these to progress children's knowledge further. For instance, staff are highly engaged with children when they choose to draw. Children are proud when they see the interest staff have in their marks and this encourages them to challenge themselves further, by making more complex marks and developing their pen control and imaginative skills in the process.
• Additionally, staff gently weave an ethos of respect and care for others into all their interactions. For instance, they remind children to stay in the bird hide, so that the birds can feel safe while they eat the seeds.
• Staff continually support conversation skills, as well as modelling key vocabulary. They prompt children to share their thoughts and ideas. Stories, songs and rhymes are embedded into daily life in the nursery and children are empowered through building repertoire of story knowledge and vocabulary.
• Staff establish nurturing bonds with children. They use the phrase 'holding children close' to describe the additional care and support provided to vulnerable children. Well established daily routines provide a familiar rhythm which helps children to feel safe and secure. Within these routines there is a flexible approach, to ensure that children's individual needs are responded to. For example, babies are gently settled down to rest when staff identify sleep cues.
• The secure attachments with caregivers, in conjunction with the carefully planned curriculum and learning environment, results in a culture where children's behaviours and attitudes to learning are exemplary.
• Children relish the opportunity to spend long periods of time, deeply immersed in exploration and investigation. For instance, when children query why paint drips downward, staff create a learning environment where children can explore and experience this scientific concept over a period of months. As a result, children develop a deep understanding of gravity whilst developing fundamental creative skills in mixing and using paint. This approach fosters a mindset in children that celebrates the continuous pursuit of knowledge.