Jubilee Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners consistently make a positive difference to the opportunities and experiences of all children. This is particularly apparent for disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Staff use a range of detailed and precise assessment methods to help them identify when children may require additional or specialist support. They work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that children's additional support needs are identified at the earliest possible stage. This early and focused support contributes to providing all children with the best start in life.

Those with oversight of supporting children with SEND have a robust understanding of inclusive practice. They ensure that this knowledge is shared among the staff team. They provide staff with continuous training, guidance and support that is focused on the individual needs of children. This includes specialist training, when required, to support children with specific healthcare needs. Inclusive practice is embedded throughout the provision. Staff consistently use a range of sign language and visual aids to support children further in their communication. Visual prompts empower children to navigate daily routines with confidence and to communicate their needs and wishes effectively.

Staff support children in smaller groups or individually where required. They ensure that they follow their own individual learning plans to support where needed. Leaders carefully monitor these interventions to ensure that they are having a significant positive impact. Leaders ensure that additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, has been used effectively. For example, they have bought specific equipment, such as mirrors, to support some children's sensory experiences further.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the curriculum. They ensure that this is implemented effectively across each of the rooms. Staff and leaders have identified the skills and knowledge they would like children to learn over time. For example, they would like children to develop their listening and attention skills. Staff do this in a range of ways, such as through rhymes and books. Children show high levels of excitement as staff read stories.

Staff plan a range of activities to develop children's physical skills. For example, staff support children to use spray bottles and tweezers in activities. They are carefully planned around well-known stories that help to spark children's interests and imagination. Children enjoy using a range of tools in the play dough. This helps to develop children's fine motor skills. Activities planned are meaningful and well thought out. However, there are times when all children's learning is interrupted, for example during times of transition, such as the crossover of sessions. This means children do not consistently become deeply engaged in their learning.

Activities are planned to ensure that they are suitable and inclusive for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use visual aids and images throughout the day. This supports all children, including those whose communication skills are still developing, to understand. They model words back to children to support them to hear the correct pronunciation. This also supports children who speak English as an additional language and children who need further support with communicating.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make excellent progress across all areas of learning. They communicate extremely well using speech and gestures to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings. Children confidently take part in the nursery routine. They learn a range of useful and lifelong skills. For example, during mealtimes and snack times, children confidently help themselves to food. In addition, they enjoy pouring their own drinks. This helps them to develop a range of skills and ensures that they are very well prepared for their next stage of learning, such as school. Children learn how to keep themselves healthy, such as how to brush their teeth and the importance of this.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from consistent support. Through a range of stories and experiences, children learn about school. They are provided with a broad range of opportunities to discuss how they are feeling about this transition. Children learn skills such as how to focus their attention within large-group activities.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff support and encourage positive behaviour. Children have formed positive relationships with staff, who act as effective role models throughout their interactions. Any incidents of negative behaviour are typically addressed quickly and appropriately. Staff are aware of children who may require further support. They support them to self-regulate in a way that is appropriate to them. Staff support some children through the use of visual aids, which helps their understanding. Children display positive attitudes towards their learning as they become engaged in a range of activities.

Routines are typically well planned in the setting. For example, children understand the routines at mealtimes and snack times. Children confidently enter the setting and understand the routine of finding their own peg for their coat. However, some transitions are not as well planned. For example, when some children leave to go home, all children are required to pause their learning and sit on the carpet. This means some children are not clear on what they should be doing next and causes some low-level disruption and some unwanted behaviours.

Leaders understand the importance of regular attendance. They support parents to ensure that children attend their planned sessions and encourage them to be punctual for these. This supports families to understand the value of attendance and punctuality and help to establish routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders have created a safe, welcoming and calm environment for children and their families. Their inclusive key-person approach is well established and highly effective in supporting children to form secure attachments. This includes those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Parents commend staff on the level of care that they are given as a family, stating they can speak to them if their child needs support. It is evident that children's welfare and wellbeing is at the heart of the nursery.

Children develop warm relationships with kind, nurturing and dependable staff who know them well. This approach gives children the ability to feel secure and content, often choosing to sit on staff members' knees to read a story. These calm, affectionate interactions enable all children to feel settled and be emotionally secure, creating a true and honest sense of belonging.

Throughout snack, children and staff have open conversations about hygiene and healthy eating. Staff support children to brush their teeth and teach them about oral hygiene. This continuous conversation about self-care allows children to develop long-lasting healthy habits.

Staff support children to understand their emotions. They use popular stories to help children understand how they might be feeling. They support individual children, where necessary, who may find it more challenging to express their feelings. Staff carefully work with children and help them to regulate their emotions.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

The leadership and governance of the nursery is robust. Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths. They have detailed development plans in place, including creating new spaces to further enhance their work with small groups, for example for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or children who thrive in smaller groups. Their commitment is evident through their rigorous approach to staff coaching and training. For example, at a recent training day, leaders ensured that staff attended workshops relevant to their role. This included supporting staff to understand children's behaviour and further enhance their role as a key person. This provided staff with more confidence in their role.

Leaders consistently build positive rapport with parents and families. Parents praise leaders on their ability to seek advice, guidance and support. Leaders seek the views of parents to help contribute to their ongoing development plan. Staff work with a wide range of other professionals, such as home visitors and social workers. This ensures a joined-up approach. Staff share information with other settings that children attend, including sharing detailed reports when children move to school. This helps to create consistency as children move between settings.

Staff are happy in their role and report high levels of wellbeing. They feel valued, heard and supported by the leadership team. Leaders have been highly proactive in seeking staff's views when consulting on changes to the nursery. Staff have valued the opportunity to share what they feel could be improved. Leaders ensure that staff, especially those in leadership roles, have a manageable workload.