Kew Green Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this nursery. Staff demonstrate an exceptional understanding of how to support children's thinking skills. They create an environment rich in stories. This instils in children a love of books. Children giggle excitedly as they re-enact stories that capture their imaginations. Staff encourage children to think deeply about characters. Children react expressively to how characters make them feel. For example, they discuss the personalities of dragons as they repeat quotes from the story. Children are highly driven and curious learners.

Staff create a positive atmosphere where children can make mistakes. They teach children to persevere. Children press on, even when they find things tricky. Staff praise children's 'teamwork'. Children are exceptionally kind and helpful. Staff create routines that support all children to feel emotionally secure. Children flourish in a happy and stimulating environment. Their behaviour is exemplary.

Staff plan precise and targeted activities for all children. They repeat and reinforce new ideas and concepts clearly. Children learn a wealth of knowledge through meticulously planned activities that capture a wide range of skills. Staff work extremely closely with parents and carers to ensure that children's learning continues uninterrupted at home. All children make exceptional progress in their learning.

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

• Leaders have an ambitious vision for all children that encompasses all areas of learning. They create a flexible curriculum that considers in meticulous detail the individual needs of every child. All staff have a strong shared understanding of how to implement the curriculum. Children are productive and excited to share their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
• Staff teach children communication skills in inspirational ways. They teach complex vocabulary through increasingly challenging interactions in different contexts. For example, children eagerly cut their play dough in half as staff teach them about equal amounts. Children are skilled speakers. They are curious learners who ask questions and display high levels of confidence in explaining their thoughts and ideas.
• Staff are highly skilled at supporting children with gaps in their learning. They use a variety of strategies to support children's understanding. For example, staff use pictures to demonstrate what positive listening looks like. Staff work closely with a range of expert partners to promote the learning of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All children are ready to learn. Children with SEND make excellent progress.
• Staff support each other extremely well. They have a strong shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the setting. New staff talk positively about their induction. They feel confident about their responsibilities and how these promote children's safety and independence. For example, staff share consistent practice for teaching children to do up their zips. Children demonstrate high levels of cooperation and independence.
• Leaders create learning opportunities that deepen children's understanding of concepts and ideas. For example, children excitedly explore the actions of characters and stories. They mimic the dialogue of characters as they tell each other, 'That is my witch.' Children imaginatively create 'potions' by mixing different quantities. They carefully measure their ingredients and count as they explore different quantities. Children are engrossed in their learning. They concentrate and focus at exceptionally high levels.
• Parents and carers praise the excellent relationships between staff and children. They report that their children's social skills are excellent. Parents say that children progress quickly in their speaking skills. They enjoy the regular communication from the nursery that helps them to extend their children's skills and knowledge at home.
• Staff plan mealtimes to support children to develop key skills, such as serving and feeding themselves. Children learn about nutrition as they discover new flavours. Staff develop children's understanding of different foods. They have conversations with children about the positive impact on their physical health of a healthy diet. Children develop positive eating habits that support their physical health.
• Leaders are reflective of their practice. They plan targeted training opportunities for staff that enhance children's learning and skills. For example, staff recently attended training to enhance strategies for fostering learning and skill development. The impact of this was seen in areas such as the teaching of mathematics. All staff feel confident to discuss how mathematical understanding and problem-solving feeds into children's daily experiences at the nursery.