Linden Tree Nursery School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff are knowledgeable about the various barriers to learning and support children well to ensure they are progressing from their starting points. They show understanding of the importance of early identification and intervention. Leaders ensure that vital personal information is gathered from parents for all children attending prior to their start date. This ensures that leaders and staff fully understand each individual child, including their needs and interests. Staff initiate observations of children as soon as they start, identifying their development stages. As a result, any gaps in learning are recognised quickly. Leaders show an ability and understanding to communicate well with parents and outside agencies to ensure continuity is upheld for all children's development.

Leaders and staff are well trained and experienced in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning through regular developmental meetings and training opportunities. Leaders use additional funding effectively, where they make the decisions based on children's individual needs or interests, ensuring support is effectively preparing children for the next stages of their lives.

Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported. For example, leaders devise language sheets for parents to complete, detailing basic care words, which staff can use in interactions. Children and families benefit from a bilingual staff team. For instance, staff can support children who speak the same language, creating comfort, especially when settling within the setting. Books are sourced and created in different languages to ensure diversity is supported and all children feel included.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed an effective and child-led curriculum, particularly following the Froebelian approach, where the setting focuses on child-initiated play using nature to explore the world around them. Leaders are aware of what they want children to learn across all ages and abilities. Leaders and staff show an understanding that all children are individual and progress at different stages. Staff generally understand children's interests well and incorporate these into activity plans to support children's development.

Staff typically deliver the curriculum well and ensure that children are progressing from their starting points. Babies create secure and positive bonds with staff and other children. They approach staff with confidence when in need of comfort or support. Staff focus on supporting younger children's physical ability, such as crawling, taking steps and climbing. The children use soft-play equipment to explore different ways of moving, where staff support and praise each child individually for achievements. As a result, children feel happy and create positive attitudes to physical challenges.

Children enjoy a range of experiences that promote curiosity and exploration in learning. For example, older children choose from a range of herbs and spices to mix, identifying different smells, textures and sometimes tastes. They use wooden tools to grind them into smaller pieces and combine. Children wait patiently for their turn to choose their ingredients. As a result, children explore their physical ability and understanding of turn-taking.

Staff read various books with enthusiasm, where children show curiosity, ask questions and fill in the gaps of the story. Older children show an interest in choosing books and, at times, observe them independently. This builds on children's love of books and supports their communication development. Staff incorporate mathematical language into various activities and day-to-day interactions. For example, they use shape names when building with magnets and count with children as they build with wooden blocks.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, all children generally progress well from their starting points, including children who face barriers to their learning and those who speak English as an additional language. They develop confidence and self-awareness and form positive attitudes to learning through individualised support and smaller group activities.

Children practise their independence skills throughout the day. They serve their own meals, clean their own faces and hands, learn tidying up skills, identify their belongings and individual pegs and can effectively make decisions in their play. This ensures they are ready for the next stages of their lives. Children show an understanding of how to follow rules and how to resolve unwanted behaviours if they arise. Babies explore early mark-making and use crayons and paint brushes to make marks. They develop small physical skills and hand-eye coordination from an early age.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children have positive attitudes to learning, building relationships and understanding routines. Staff consistently encourage children to understand different types of behaviours and how they make others feel. Staff are consistently positive role models when speaking to the children and each other. They use manners during interactions and treat each other with kindness, which is imitated by children.

Children play collaboratively from a young age through encouragement from staff. For example, they play throwing and catching games and role-play cooking activities together, taking turns and learning from each other. Children enjoy helping staff with day-to-day tasks, such as tidying away after sleep time. Children support each other to do this. As a result, children build on their understanding of responsibilities.

Staff use timely warnings for transitions, supporting children's understanding of routines. Picture cards of the routine are displayed in the rooms where children can see what will be happening next. Staff support children who face barriers to their learning by using objects to support understanding of different parts of the routine. For example, they show children a nappy for changing time. This ensures all children's needs are considered and they understand what they will be doing next.

Leaders and staff implement a consistent key-person system, ensuring there is a continuity of care for each child, and for parents to confidently liaise regarding development. Leaders have a secure understanding of how attendance and punctuality are important to support learning opportunities. This is communicated with parents, creating continuity between the home and setting. Staff and leaders ensure that communication with parents is consistent regarding behaviour, sharing updates and guidance on how to support, actively keeping parents involved in their child's development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's safety and happiness and their love to learn. They ensure that all children's wellbeing needs are met and prioritised. Policies and procedures are rigorously checked and updated to mirror the early years foundation stage effectively. These are shared with all parents and staff, ensuring they are completely understood.

Staff provide consistent learning opportunities at every mealtime, exploring social interactions and language and understanding healthy eating. For example, children are asked to identify what foods they can see and whether they are healthy or not. Healthy and nutritious meals are provided for children, and they are encouraged to try new tastes and textures, for example, having the option to add fresh mint into their drinking water. Children independently identify the need for hygiene routines, with older children washing their hands and faces themselves after mealtimes.

Children are very well supported in their emotional development, where there is an allocated calm, feelings area. Children explore emotion pictures and mirrors to identify their own emotions. Emotion books are presented to children to explore. As a result, they refuel and regulate.

Leaders ensure that parents are up to date with transitions regarding self-care, such as toilet training. There is secure two-way communication, ensuring that children receive continuity, supporting them to manage their own personal needs. Staff know all children extremely well, which is evident through discussion and interactions. This ensures that all children, including those with barriers to their learning, are understood and progress well. Staff know that some children need additional support in specific areas to benefit their individual needs, for example, during mealtimes and becoming less attached to comforters.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are extremely passionate about ensuring all children receive positive learning opportunities, become confident learners and are safe in the environment. They make decisions that are in the best interests of children, particularly when developments can be made to support their learning and wellbeing. Leaders reflect frequently on their strengths and areas of improvement effectively and identify where and how to implement changes. All leaders communicate superbly well and ensure there is continuity of understanding the setting as a whole through regular management meetings and dialogue.

Leaders create and maintain secure and positive relationships with all parents. They host stay-and-play sessions for parents to be actively involved in understanding what their children do in the day, as well as cultural celebrations throughout the year. Parents particularly praise this as one of the setting's many strengths. Leaders and staff share children's development with parents in various ways, ensuring they understand the progress that has been made and how to support further. Leaders understand the importance of offering help to parents and the wider community. For example, they have created a scheme offering care packages, including nappies and clothing.

Leaders follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and appropriately qualified to work with children. Staff are deployed effectively across the setting to ensure the quality of care for children is consistent and beneficial for children. Leaders ensure staff wellbeing is prioritised and supported. Leaders have frequent meetings with staff, offering support both personally and professionally. Staff undertake mandatory training and are offered further learning opportunities, such as leadership and management courses, either when asked for themselves or identified by leaders. As a result, staff are motivated to progress in their professional development and career. All staff positively praise the leadership team on the support and opportunities offered to them.