King Square Community Nursery at Rahere House

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children positively flourish in this exceptional nursery. They develop strong attachments to the caring and attentive staff, which enables them to settle quickly and feel very safe and secure. Children receive outstanding support for their personal, social and emotional development. Consequently, they learn to express how they are feeling and show kindness and consideration towards others. For example, children are concerned when their friends feel sad. They help them to feel better by inviting them to join their game.

Children benefit from an inspiring curriculum, which supports their progress across all areas of learning. They respond positively to staff's high expectations and are highly motivated to explore the enticing activities. For instance, babies investigate new tastes and textures during 'food play' with yogurt and raw vegetables. They are fascinated as they discover that their movements create marks. Children are wonderfully supported to use their imaginations, find solutions and persist at activities. For instance, when children want to create houses to shelter from the wind, staff ensure that they have access to the tools and resources that they need. Children are highly focused as they shape and join the materials. They decorate their houses with colourful patterns and are immensely proud of their achievements.

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

• Leaders continuously evaluate the provision and strive for excellence at all times. They swiftly implement development plans, to further strengthen practice and ensure the highest quality of care and education for all children who attend. Leaders make very effective use of additional funding, to help children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds develop secure foundations for later learning.
• Staff are passionate about their roles and report that they feel thoroughly supported by the leadership team. They access highly effective training and supervision, to continuously develop their professional skills. For example, staff have developed a deep understanding of how to promote children's language development.
• Children love to sing and share stories with staff. They enjoy conversations and confidently express their thoughts and ideas. When children experience difficulties in communicating, staff use highly effective strategies to help them. Parents report on the excellent progress their children make with this structured support in place.
• Staff know the children exceptionally well. They provide highly stimulating activities, to support children's interests and reduce any gaps in their learning. Staff promptly identify where children need extra help and provide excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have a very inclusive approach and are fully committed to enabling the best possible outcomes for all children.
• Children are extremely independent and motivated to learn. They enjoy being helpful and are eager to assist with tasks, such as setting the tables for lunch. Children willingly follow the well-embedded routines such as nap times. They are thoughtful and remind each other to use quiet voices, so that they do not disturb their friends.
• The nursery participates in the 'Healthy Early Years London' scheme and has achieved a gold award, in recognition of their excellent support for children's health. This includes teaching children about healthy eating and oral hygiene. Children build strong bodies through daily exercise and outdoor play. They thoroughly enjoy activities such as 'play dough disco', which help them to develop their small- and large-muscle movements.
• Children enjoy a wealth of opportunities to learn about their local community and the wider world. They regularly visit the local library, shops, restaurants and parks. Staff also organise outings further afield, such as to classical music concerts and to woodlands for 'forest school' activities. They describe how such experiences enrich children's lives and inspire them to develop new interests and talents.
• Staff build strong relationships with parents and work extremely hard to engage them in their children's learning. Parents report that they are very well informed about their children's experiences at nursery and the progress that they make. They say that staff provide exceptional support, tailored to each family's needs. Parents have a deep appreciation for the wonderful experiences the nursery provides and the difference this makes to their children's lives.