Marsham Street Community Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are quick to identify children's needs through observations, tracking and discussions with parents. Staff swiftly put in place interventions to ensure that children progress well. Interventions are carefully reviewed by leaders and key staff to ensure that it is effective and has the desired impact.

Staff know the children and families at this setting incredibly well and this enables them to identify any emerging barriers to learning. Whilst staff are sharply focused on ensuring children have the support they need to thrive, parents speak of how gentle staff are when sharing information with them about any emerging needs.

Staff and leaders work closely and flexibly with parents and external professionals, such as speech and language therapists and educational psychologists. They ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get the targeted support they need which reduces barriers to learning and means that all children are thriving here.

Children who speak English as an additional language are developing well in communication and language skills. Staff work closely together to share key words in home languages and use signing and visual prompts to aid children's comprehension. Staff regularly share strategies with parents to support home learning.

Funding is used strategically to ensure that children needing additional support can access the curriculum. Children benefit from twice daily small-group interventions which are skilfully implemented to ensure they develop at their own pace. Children also have access to a sensory room which can help them to regulate their emotions.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders are skilled and experienced and have developed an ambitious and effective curriculum which is consistently well taught. Staff are well trained and leaders are strongly focused on growing talent within the setting. Staff are all excellent teachers. Staff are consistent and confident in monitoring and reviewing children's progress to ensure that teaching meets each child's individual needs and focuses on their interests. Staff know exactly what children can do and what they want them to learn next. They adapt the curriculum to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities by using key words in their home languages, signing, visual prompts and one-to-one targeted support.

Staff skilfully teach children during daily small-group activities where mathematics is taught explicitly. Mistakes are gently corrected to ensure that children learn accurately. For example, children count coloured teddies into a cup and are corrected and given time and space to re-count when they miss numbers out. These daily learning opportunities are well embedded so that children are learning through repetition of familiar songs, rhymes and activities.

Staff skilfully play games with children which help them develop listening skills, follow instructions and checks their understanding. For example, children are given a teddy during a game and staff ask them to feed the teddy using a spoon, so that they learn what a spoon is for. Learning is pitched at a level slightly above what children can already do which means all children are making incredible progress.

Story time is a wondrous affair, and children are enthralled as staff act out stories and encourage children to answer questions about the book, which checks their understanding and embeds learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning because transitions between the age groups are well considered and tailored to each child's individual needs. Children are developing the skills they need to progress.

Children, particularly those with any barriers to learning, are achieving well across all areas of learning. This is because staff are highly focused on observing, assessing and reviewing progress, so that they have excellent oversight of what children know and what they need to know next. Children who speak English as an additional language are learning new words and are better able to communicate in English and their home languages. This is because staff support their development through modelling language, using gestures, prompts, key words in their home languages and by checking their understanding. For example, children show they understand the word 'coat' by holding their arms out for help putting their coats on.

All children are increasing in independence and talk confidently with staff as they are engaged in learning. Children are developing fine motor skills by using knives to cut fruit when making a milkshake. They are also learning about the local community and where ingredients come from, by going to the local market to see where the fruit is sold. Children are learning to balance, develop spatial awareness, strength and gross motor skills through regular opportunities to play outside on play equipment and tyres.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have created a harmonious and highly engaging environment where expectations for behaviour are high. As a result, children are consistently kind and caring with each other and play collaboratively. Transitions are managed calmly and children's behaviour is impeccable. Children receive high praise from staff throughout the day and are learning excellent social skills because of this. Children are focussed on learning and are highly engaged in whatever they are doing. This is because the curriculum is effectively tailored to children's individual needs and stage of development and is carefully planned to be effective and fun.

When children sit on each other's chairs, they are gently encouraged to work together to resolve matters which means that they are learning to solve problems and deal with conflict independently. This helps to set them up for future success in working with others.

Children are given tasks which develop their independence, such as filling their cups with water and self-serving meals. They are also learning to cut and prepare some food for themselves. Children take turns to be the sustainability ambassador, where they encourage others not to waste water and ensure recycling is done. This is helping them to learn the importance of looking after the environment and giving them a sense of pride in encouraging others to do the same.

The day is structured very well with plenty of opportunities for adult-led, targeted and free play. This helps children to have a strong sense of belonging and security because they know what they are doing and what comes next.

Children take pride in getting themselves ready for lunch and gathering their own belongings to go outside. Regular and consistent attendance is promoted and encouraged. This means all children are fully accessing the curriculum.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

The environment is safe, bright and welcoming. Staff all take responsibility for robustly risk assessing, to ensure that children remain safe and can play and learn confidently. Children have incredibly strong bonds with staff and parents report this too.

Children are learning healthy habits through brushing their teeth every day in the setting. They help prepare nutritious and healthy food, which they are encouraged to talk about at mealtimes. Children are encouraged to be active, which is setting them up to be healthy and form healthy habits in the future.

Staff ensure children have plenty of opportunities to play outside, and, wherever possible, they set up learning opportunities outside to give children more freedom of movement. Children's individual care needs are well met, and staff work successfully with parents to ensure children have the support they need to keep them safe, well cared for and emotionally secure.

Children demonstrate extremely high levels of emotional wellbeing. All children have access to a sensory room which helps them regulate their emotions and behaviour. This also offers children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, a place to manage sensory overload and avoid over-stimulation as needed.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly successful in ensuring staff have the training, support and supervision they need to become well-rounded and skilful teachers. Training is targeted to ensure the best outcomes for children. All staff are encouraged to lead workshops to share knowledge with colleagues. Leaders also work hard to offer training and support to other settings in the borough and globally to promote positive outcomes for all children.

Staff feel highly valued and wellbeing levels are high. This has created an incredibly motivated and skilled workforce which is having a hugely beneficial impact on children who benefit from consistently strong teaching.

Parents are resoundingly positive about all aspects of the provision. They feel that staff are incredibly supportive of their families and children. For example, by supporting home learning with informative workshops. Leaders and staff ensure that parents are well informed about their children's progress. Conversations about challenges or emerging needs are dealt with sensitively and with care and compassion. Leaders also support parents well during times of transition. Parents say staff are highly focused on working together with families to achieve the best outcomes for the children. Leaders work very well and flexibly with external professionals. They ensure interventions and support are sought at the earliest opportunity so that children can progress well and no gaps in learning or emerging needs are missed. Leaders also engage extremely well with the local community. They ensure that children get to experience the world around them. For example, with regular trips to a home for older people and enriching trips to local museums and galleries.