Knowle Nursery School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children at this highly stimulating nursery make superb progress. Passionate and dedicated staff fully understand their key person roles and recognise the uniqueness of each child. They have fostered respectful and nurturing relationships with children and their families. Children demonstrate trust in those that care for them. Staff have consistently high expectations of children's behaviour. The positive and consistent reinforcement of boundaries helps the children feel safe and understand behavioural expectations. Consequently, children demonstrate excellent behaviour and, with support from staff, they consider each other's feelings. They flourish with self-confidence and play harmoniously together in an inclusive environment.

Staff gather in-depth knowledge about children when they start. They know children incredibly well and intertwine their fascinations into purposeful and spontaneous activities. For instance, children playing outside want to make mud pies and highly productive staff seize this chance to enter their play. They recognise the unlimited opportunities for learning and talk to children about the different ingredients that they need. Children express they need mud and water. They get busy and skilfully transfer soil from one bucket to another. Staff comment on their exceptional balancing skills as they do this. Children place soil in a bowl, and staff encourage them to pour water a little bit at a time. As children mix this together, staff draw their attention to the different consistency this is creating. They give children new language, such as 'stodgy', 'thick', and 'runny'. Children become totally engrossed and wallow in their experiences.

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

• Leadership and management are extremely strong. Managers radiate faultless passion and dedication to the nursery. They are committed to providing high quality care and education for all children, especially those that are disadvantaged, or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Managers cannot speak highly enough of their devoted and professional staff team. They remark that they are a family and value the staff's unique strengths. Staff comment that they are incredibly supported and highly motivated by managers to continually improve. This promotes a culture of teamwork and positively benefits children's well-being.
• Managers and staff have created a curriculum that is ambitious and well sequenced for all children to access learning. Well-trained staff understand fully what they are teaching children. They successfully challenge children's learning through their awe-inspiring interactions and extensive knowledge of each child. Managers and staff place a huge emphasis on books and reading. Staff bring stories to life as they read to children and encourage them to use their imaginations and share their thoughts and ideas. This helps all children become confident communicators.
• The staff support children's language development exceptionally well. They provide a variety of ways to broaden children's vocabulary. For example, staff skilfully develop children's conversational skills through daily group activities as well as their continued play. Staff provide an array of opportunities for children to learn new words. They give children appropriate explanations for these to support them to make connections in learning. Strong foundations in communication and language ensure all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are set up to succeed.
• Children and their families are at the heart of provision. Managers and staff value and respect the uniqueness of all families. Children with SEND receive excellent support and make superb progress to blossom alongside their friends. With robust assessments in place, managers and staff use their expert knowledge to swiftly identify learning needs at the earliest opportunity. Staff work with parents and other professionals to ensure children receive the care and guidance needed. The prompt, specific and tailored support children receive helps them to make remarkable progress.
• Staff encourage children to take reasonable risks. For instance, when outside, staff support children's physical development as they guide them to jump from one stepping stone to another. Children trust staff as they leap with confidence. They learn to be resilient and manage suitable risks themselves. In addition, staff help children to recognise hazards independently. They talk to children about the danger of walking around with their shoelaces untied. They ask children what their thoughts are regarding the potential risk involved. Children discuss with staff that they could trip and fall. The staff praise their clever thinking as they tie up their laces. Children build excellent foundations to help keep themselves safe.
• Managers and staff have a high regard for parental partnership. They provide extensive information to ensure parents and carers are kept fully up to date with their child's learning. Parents are highly complementary about the care, education and experiences their children receive. Parents particularly value the highly professional and experienced staff team.