Jelly Bean Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a highly inclusive approach. They are committed to ensuring that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well and fully access the curriculum. Staff are highly knowledgeable and continue to strengthen their understanding through ongoing training and professional development. They know children and their families exceptionally well and use this knowledge to quickly identify and reduce barriers to learning.

From the moment children enrol, leaders gather detailed information about their individual needs, interests and family circumstances. Positive relationships with families are established from the beginning, helping children to settle quickly. This ensures that parents feel listened to, involved and valued. Robust assessment procedures help staff identify children who may require additional support at a very early stage. As a result, children receive timely and targeted support that helps them make positive progress from their starting points. For example, staff place a strong focus on helping children recognise and regulate their emotions. They consistently use the story 'The Colour Monster' to support children's understanding of feelings. Staff use visual timetables, timers and sign language to help children understand the routines, communicate their needs and be able to confidently join in with the planned activities.

Leaders and staff work effectively with external professionals, including speech and language therapists and healthcare professionals, to provide consistent support for children and their families. Parents speak highly of the support they receive and describe how staff go 'above and beyond' to help children with barriers to their learning fully participate in nursery life.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have a highly secure understanding of what they want children to learn and implement an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is designed to build essential foundations for future learning, with a sharp and consistent focus on communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Mathematics is embedded securely. For example, younger children develop early mathematical understanding through nursery rhymes and counting activities. Older children benefit from direct, well-planned teaching of numbers and mathematical concepts in the pre-school room. Leaders rigorously monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and curriculum implementation. This ensures that children make rapid and sustained progress from their starting points.

Children's emotional development is prioritised exceptionally well throughout the nursery. For example, children learn about emotions through the consistent use of 'The Colour Monster'. Younger children begin by identifying different emotions, while older children develop strategies to recognise and regulate their feelings. This inclusive approach particularly benefits children with SEND, while also supporting all children to build confidence, resilience and emotional awareness.

Experienced staff deliver high-quality teaching and know all the children exceptionally well. They consistently adapt their teaching to meet the children's individual needs and stages of development effectively. This ensures all children are included in the well-planned learning experiences. Staff use ongoing assessment well. They consistently build on what children already know and can do, which helps to reduce any identified gaps in learning and development. Communication and language are embedded throughout the curriculum through meaningful conversations, new vocabulary and carefully considered questioning.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress from their individual starting points. Children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stage of learning. They overcome barriers to learning and demonstrate growing independence as they build on what they already know and can do.

Children develop highly effective communication and language skills through rich experiences with books, familiar nursery rhymes, meaningful conversations and new vocabulary. They confidently express their ideas, share their thoughts and use new words in their play and interactions. Children use a range of communication methods, including Makaton, to support their understanding, express their needs and participate fully in conversations and learning experiences.

Children develop secure early literacy skills and are well prepared for their transition to school. For example, during carpet time, children confidently recognise their names on their seating mats and identify sounds in their names and other familiar words. They show enjoyment and confidence as they apply their growing knowledge in everyday experiences.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour and embed clear routines consistently across the nursery. Staff support children extremely well to understand daily expectations, helping them feel safe, secure and confident within the setting. Leaders and staff use effective and inclusive approaches to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, particularly during transitions. For example, children receive dedicated support from their key person, who guides them with known strategies, such as by using visual prompts and signs. These strategies are carefully adapted to meet the needs of each individual child. This support helps them to understand the routines and therefore move confidently between activities, minimising their barriers to learning.

Children demonstrate excellent attitudes towards learning and eagerly engage in activities and routines throughout the day. During carpet time, children remain focused as they join in with familiar songs and signs that build on what they already know and can do. Staff successfully support children to develop their concentration and confidence during group experiences. Children play cooperatively and form positive relationships with their peers. For example, children in the pre-school room work together to build constructions during free play. They take turns, listen carefully to one another's ideas and collaborate respectfully. Children confidently speak with visitors about the activities they enjoy during their nursery day. Leaders actively promote the importance of regular attendance so children consistently benefit from the rich learning opportunities available.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff place significant emphasis on promoting children's health and wellbeing. They engage children in meaningful conversations about healthy food choices and encourage healthy packed lunches. Leaders also work closely with families to promote balanced diets and good oral health practices. For example, children and parents receive toothbrush packs to use at home, helping to strengthen consistent hygiene routines between nursery and home.

Children benefit from regular opportunities to strengthen their physical development and understanding of how their bodies work. Staff plan activities that encourage movement and exercise throughout the day. For example, before carpet time, children enthusiastically take part in stretching activities and confidently explain that lungs expand when breathing in and become smaller when breathing out. This helps children understand their bodies and the importance of physical activity. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are fully included and supported to participate through adapted resources and teaching approaches that meet their individual needs.

Children develop positive hygiene practices and follow daily routines confidently. Older children independently wash their hands before meals and after using the toilet, showing a secure understanding of good hygiene. Staff consistently explain the importance of these routines, helping children become increasingly independent and prepared for their next stage of learning, including school. Leaders implement highly effective risk assessments and robust procedures for sleeping, eating and supervision, ensuring children's safety and wellbeing remain a priority throughout the nursery day.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's context, the local community and the individual backgrounds of families. They know the children in their care exceptionally well and use this knowledge effectively to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders regularly evaluate the quality of the provision through ongoing discussions with staff and parents, alongside information gathered from the local authority. For example, leaders identified that children's access to outdoor learning could be strengthened further and have already started extending the outdoor area to create a nature space that encourages children's curiosity and discovery.

Leaders and staff build strong and trusting relationships with children and families. Parents speak very positively about the 'caring' and 'supportive' staff. They describe how staff share effective strategies that also support the children's development at home. Leaders have a very secure understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who face disadvantage. Effective partnership working with external professionals ensures children receive timely referrals, targeted support and appropriate funding.

Leaders and staff are highly experienced and continue to strengthen their knowledge through targeted professional development, particularly to support children with SEND. As a result, staff provide more precisely targeted support that helps children make progress in their learning and development. Staff use funding effectively, including early years pupil premium, to provide resources and experiences that support children's development and help reduce gaps in learning, for example by funding physical development activities to further promote healthy lifestyles. Staff report that leaders support their wellbeing and consider their workload carefully.