Jumping Beans Nursery CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are at the heart of everything leaders set out to do in this exceptional nursery. The unique care, learning and development needs of every child are consistently fully understood and planned for. Children make outstanding levels of progress in their learning from their different starting points. Those who may need some extra support receive this promptly, and any gaps in learning close rapidly.

The emphasis placed on building children's emotional resilience and confidence to learn starts the moment children join the nursery. Leaders recognise the increasing need to help children learn how to manage their feelings. The curriculum has been adapted accordingly. Staff use inspiring, practical ways to help even the youngest children regulate how they are feeling. Two-year-olds recognise when they feel overwhelmed and know exactly how to regulate their emotions. They voluntarily take themselves to quieter spaces and familiar, trusted adults are on hand to give support if needed. Children then quickly return to play, feeling calm and emotionally secure again.

Children demonstrate how happy and safe they feel at nursery. On World Book Day, they come into nursery full of anticipation and enthusiasm for the day. They greet the staff and their friends warmly and excitedly talk about the different book characters they are dressed as. Staff celebrate and value every child and role-model kindness and respect. Consequently, children replicate this behaviour in their play and actions. They show courtesy to one another and willingly share and take turns as they play. Relationships between children are harmonious, warm and respectful.

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

• Leaders use incisive monitoring arrangements to make sure they continually adapt the curriculum to match precisely what individual, and groups of, children need. For example, they quickly identify when improving children's speaking and listening skills is a high priority. Staff are specially trained in how to promote children's communication skills. There is daily provision for intensive support for those who most need it. Children who may have started at nursery with limited language form words and sentences and progress quickly to communicating their needs effectively.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is outstanding. Leaders have been commended by other professionals for the accuracy and precision of their record keeping and assessments. This means that funding for individual children is accessed promptly and fully-focused, targeted support is rapidly put in place. Children with SEND are fully included within the nursery. Teaching is adapted accordingly to make sure every child, irrespective of their needs, can take part and access all areas of the curriculum.
• Leaders are very receptive to the needs of families who use the nursery. They recognise that some families may be more vulnerable than others and offer extensive levels of parenting advice. For example, parents are sensitively signposted to relevant support services, when needed. Leaders help parents to fully understand how to promote children's learning and development at home. They offer home-learning packs, a book lending service and extensive levels of guidance to help parents extend children's play and learning experiences.
• The curriculum is rich and varied. It offers many enrichment activities and various types of teaching to broaden children's learning, both inside and outside. Specialist teachers enhance the teaching with activities, such as building camp fires, whittling and learning about nature, both in the woodland and at the coast. Children benefit from the school grounds and regularly interact with the animals on site, such as the ducks and llamas. These opportunities inspire children to learn about the natural world. They support healthy development as children are frequently physically active in the outdoor environment. This has a positive impact on children's well-being.
• Teaching is consistently outstanding. Staff have expert knowledge and they meticulously understand the learning needs of every child. Staff scrupulously plan activities and organise the learning environments, inside and outside, to captivate children's interests, build on their learning and consolidate understanding. Staff interact with children sensitively as they play, without interrupting learning or inhibiting creativity. For example, during role play, staff model what children are doing. They sensitively build on children's imaginative ideas as they play, introducing new, supporting resources when needed to extend interests and learning.
• Staff are highly responsive to children. They skilfully observe what children are doing and introduce different areas of learning into daily activities. For example, as older children play with dough, staff build on children's understanding of mathematical concepts by introducing number games. They enable children to confidently add and take away pieces of dough, demonstrating their secure understanding of calculation. Younger children spontaneously organise chairs in a circle and indicate to staff that they wish to use the song box, and staff are immediately on hand to facilitate this. This reflects how in tune staff are and how positively they respond to children's wishes.