Lenham Nursery School CIO

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff ensure that the organisation of all learning environments is inviting and effective in ensuring all children are included and engaged. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All children feel extremely safe and secure, including those with SEND. Staff fully understand needs of all children. This is embedded in practice as children learn about the needs of each other. For example, staff discuss how children have allergies and are empathic about what they need to be aware of to help them stay safe and healthy.

All staff fully understand how to minimise barriers to children's learning, such as knowing who to seek advice and what support to provide children. This includes participating in individualised training and adapting and implementing communication strategies, such as using signing. Staff communicate with families and outside agencies and professionals incredibly well and share helpful strategies routinely.

Managers and staff closely monitor the progress of children. They swiftly highlight and minimise any barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. Staff know who to contact to seek advice regarding any developmental concerns. They are knowledgeable in how they support individual children to thrive and reach their full potential.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

All staff have a comprehensive knowledge of all children. They successfully embed a highly engaging curriculum. This is carefully thought out and adapted well to support all individual children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children flourish in the individualised care and learning opportunities that staff provide. Staff fully understand what makes each child truly unique. This informs their plans incredibly well and helps children to have a highly positive attitude towards their learning. All children, including those with SEND, make rapid progress in relation to their established starting points.

Staff teach children about how to meet their needs and know their routines extremely well. All children are very settled and staff ensure all children, including those with SEND, feel safe and secure. There are thorough settling-in sessions with children and families. Staff go above and beyond for families, such as providing them with additional settling-in sessions and support to meet the individual needs of children. Children use more-complex mathematical language, such as discussing circumferences, volume and measure. They learn literacy skills, such as writing ingredients and reading rules on the boxes of board games with confidence.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make impressive progress in relation to their starting points. They develop skills to support them to be ready for their next stage of learning, including being extremely independent. Children learn more complicated concepts. For example, they use words such as 'circumference' when talking about size. Children's learning and wellbeing are very secure. They develop excellent knowledge and skills within all areas of learning and development. This includes a key focus on communication and ensuring that they can manage and regulate their feelings and emotions.

All children develop new skills to support their future learning and gain vital life skills. They benefit from skilful help from staff to prepare for their eventual move on to school. For example, children of all ages are highly independent and fully understand what is expected of them. They are extremely mature. This includes confidently reminding the school children that visit the nursery how to respectful handle the setting's chicks.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

All staff support all children to behave exceptionally well with maturity. Children remind each other of the rules. They problem-solve together and work maturely as a team. Children are competitive in a friendly way, and encourage and inspire each other. Children are extremely kind and thoughtful. For example, they make sure that one another are feeling happy, and are kind and considerate. Staff prioritise children's welfare and ensuring they promote an inclusive learning environment.

All children have consistently high attitudes towards their behaviour and play harmoniously together. Staff reinforce this through highly impactful teaching of behaviour and routines. All staff are highly positive role models. Children engage in activities for extended periods of time and persist in activities that are more trickier. All children remain engaged throughout all activities and show high levels of patience and concentration.

Managers regularly monitor children's attendance and swiftly follow up any unplanned or unexplained absences. They share information with parents and carers about the benefits of regular attendance. This includes helping families to prepare for the transition to school routines, where attendance is mandatory.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff have successfully embedded an effective key-person system. This supports all children to have a high sense of belonging and positive levels of wellbeing and self-esteem. This is evident when children arrive excitedly to the setting, and are enthusiastic and excited to learn.

All children know the importance of following through health and hygiene routines and follow them through with high independence. Children discuss the importance of washing away germs during handwashing and the benefits of brushing their teeth. Children learn about more complicated aspects of health, such as the impact of sugar content and the consideration of allergies. Staff support children to manage their emotions in safe and appropriate ways. This includes providing activities where their different feelings are discussed and validated.

Staff are very knowledgeable, skilful and are highly responsive to the varying needs and changing circumstances of individual children and families. This includes adapting practices and teaching techniques to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They share helpful strategies and ideas with parents and carers, attend meetings and make plans together. Staff share resources with parents to provide all children with a high consistency of care and teaching between home and the setting.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Managers and staff are extremely evaluative and reflective on practice. They fully understand their roles and responsibilities. Managers and staff are dedicated, committed and passionate about the quality of care and teaching they provide for children. All staff are proactive in continuing to develop practice, such as extending and building on their outdoor learning opportunities. They are keen to attend additional and beneficial training specific to meet the needs of children who attend, such as signing training. Managers ensure that they prioritise staff's wellbeing and ensure that their work load is manageable. All staff establish a very positive partnership with parents and carers. For example, they keep them informed of their children's learning and next steps, and share helpful ideas and tips. This includes sharing activity ideas and key findings during training with them.

The entire team, including managers, is highly reflective and evaluative on its current practice. The team swiftly highlights any areas they intend to continue to enhance. For instance, staff have developed the outdoor learning environments and intend to enhance it even further by widening their already impressive range of resources.