Little People of Fulham Palace

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff meticulously gather information about children in highly effective ways to determine whether children need additional help. For example, they speak with parents and carers before children start at the nursery to see if parents have any concerns about their children's development. Staff carry out regular observations and assessments, including the progress check when children are aged between 2 and 3 years, which helps to pinpoint any areas of concern. Staff act very promptly to provide the right support for children. They advise parents to contact their local doctor or health visitor for further guidance.

Staff carefully and skilfully adjust activities to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and other vulnerable children. For example, they use visual cues to support children with speech delay to understand the nursery's routines. Some staff have received specialist training in supporting children with SEND and this is used very effectively to provide care and learning to children. Staff make a positive and lasting difference to the development of children with SEND, and other vulnerable children.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff provide a thoughtful and well-balanced curriculum based on the Montessori approach, blended with children learning through play. They ensure that planning for babies is well targeted to their individual needs and that they have meaningful and purposeful experiences. Staff provide regular enriching outdoor learning sessions for babies where they use nature to promote their learning in highly successful ways. For instance, staff teach babies how to draw in soil using sticks. They show them how soil changes to mud when water is added. Staff introduce and count pine cones with babies from one to 3. This provides very sensory experiences for babies while promoting their mathematical and language skills. It supports their understanding of the world very successfully.

Staff promote children's language skills well. They read stories to children, pausing for children to reflect and make comments on different parts of the story. Staff teach children ambitious vocabulary, such as 'enormous'. They ask questions to develop children's problem-solving skills. For example, staff ask children how a character in a story might resolve a situation. Children think deeply and offer very effective solutions. Staff teach children words to describe weight, such as 'heavy' as they compare the weight of stones in water. They ensure that all activities are skilfully adjusted to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and other vulnerable children. For instance, staff ensure that children gain strength in their walking skills by practising on different terrains.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children, whatever their starting points, achieve very well in their learning and development. They count confidently to 10 and beyond and use mathematical language to describe size and shape. Children are confident communicators who learn new words rapidly. Babies quickly move from babbling to saying single words. All children develop a great love of books. Children demonstrate excellent independence skills. They peel and prepare their own fruit snacks and serve themselves at mealtimes. Babies feed themselves with spoons and forks and learn to drink safely from beakers. They learn to walk steadily and confidently, while older children enjoy climbing across and balancing on fallen trees. All children gain excellent foundational skills that help to prepare them for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children, from the youngest age, learn how to be kind to others. For instance, staff invite children to play with one another during outdoor activities. They act as role models for sharing as they distribute water toys fairly and equally among the children. Children patiently wait for their turn to serve themselves at mealtimes.

Staff manage children's behaviour very successfully. They use a range of highly effective strategies with necessary adjustments for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and other vulnerable children. For example, staff analyse children's behaviour to see if there is anything that acts as a trigger and then work with that information to manage children's behaviour successfully.

Staff share group rules with children, such as to be kind and respectful to each other. They use praise well to promote children's positive behaviour. Children act in very positive ways. They play cooperatively together as they create stories together in the mud kitchen in the garden. Staff talk to parents and carers about the value of regular attendance on children's progress and how it helps them for school routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff provide comprehensive ways for children to learn about emotions and how to handle them. For example, they use organised games and visual resources to help children to examine a wide range of emotions. Staff use stories and informative discussions to teach children how to manage different emotions, such as conflict. This helps children to learn how to regulate their emotions very successfully.

Staff prioritise children's safety. They carry out robust risk assessments, indoors and outdoors, to remove any risk of hazards. Staff teach children how to act in safe ways. For example, they teach children about road safety and to be wary of dogs they do not know. Staff ensure that children are closely supervised at meal and snack times and when they sleep. They ensure that children are seated securely and remind children to finish eating food in their mouths before talking. Staff provide safe, suitable and hygienic sleeping mats for children. They physically check children as they sleep to keep them safe. This helps to protect children from harm.

Staff provide healthy meals and snacks for children that meet special dietary needs. They teach children about the value of eating well and children learn to make healthy choices. For instance, children talk about how chocolate is unhealthy and that fruit and vegetables are good for their bodies. This shows that children make healthy choices. Staff share government guidance on screentime with parents and carers to help ensure that children use screens safely.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have excellent relationships with parents and carers. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the care and learning provided by staff. Their written comments state the nursery is a 'caring, nurturing, stimulating environment'. Parents receive detailed and thorough developmental reviews of children's progress. Leaders work successfully with parents to support children's learning. For instance, they encourage parents to borrow books from the nursery to share at home with their children to support their language and literacy development. Leaders provide presentations for parents on the effect of parents and children spending too much time in front of screens on children's development. They form links with the wider community by visiting local steam museums, and nature reserves to enrich children's learning.

Leaders ensure that staff are suitable for their roles by carrying out robust background checks on staff. They are wholly committed to the continual professional development of staff. For example, some staff are completing a level 3 in childcare and others have attended various courses. This includes a course on helping children to learn skills to regulate their emotions and supporting children's mathematical skills. This has led to greater understanding and practice in these areas. Leaders value each staff member and ensure that they have time away from their duties to write up planning and assessment notes. They provide free daily meals and invite staff to social events, such as day trips. This promotes staff wellbeing very successfully.

Leaders continuously and comprehensively evaluate all aspects of the nursery. They set ambitious goals to build ongoing improvements. Leaders robustly promote children's regular and monitor this to identify and remove any barriers to learning highly successfully.