Miss Daisy's Nursery School, Brook Green

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff extend a warm welcome to children as they arrive happily in the morning. Children are excited to choose from a wide range of engaging activities and high-quality resources, and the nursery is quickly buzzing with purposeful play. Staff skilfully follow children's interests to enhance and extend learning. For example, children are keen to explore ice cubes of various shapes and sizes, and staff promote discussion around which ice cube is likely to melt first.

Leaders and staff have the highest aspirations for every child, and they share an excellent understanding of how young children learn. For example, staff describe the sequence of developmental steps that ensure a child is ready to be a successful writer. Staff know the children in their care exceptionally well and what each child needs to progress across the curriculum areas. This ensures that every child makes rapid progress and is very well prepared for their next stage of learning.

Staff model respectful relationships, and this is reflected in the children as they actively listen to each other and play together cooperatively. For example, children enjoy squeezing lemons and ripping mint to make tea together in the outside role-play café. Children then demonstrate their confidence as they offer their 'tea' to adults and explain how they made it.

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

• Staff are skilled at tailoring the curriculum to meet children's individual needs and interests. They are quick to identify gaps in development and implement strategies to support unique needs. Leaders secure external professionals, such as speech and language therapists, very quickly once a need has been identified. They invite parents and other caregivers to regular meetings to promote a cohesive approach towards supporting children. This highly individual and inclusive approach ensures that every child makes rapid progress, but most notably those with any additional learning needs.
• Staff are superb models of spoken English, and they work together to provide meaningful opportunities for children to engage with language. They weave stories and songs into their interactions with children, ask open-ended questions to promote thought and discussion, and model ambitious vocabulary. For example, children explain that they are 'examining skeletons' on a light board as they pretend to be doctors. Over time, children develop into confident and articulate communicators, including those learning English as an additional language.
• Children participate in extra-curricular activities to widen their skills and experiences. For example, children show care and pride as they remember to water the tomatoes and peas they planted during their nature class. This also links to the nursery's commitment to developing healthy lifestyles. For instance, children are encouraged to bike or scoot to nursery on a Friday and learn road safety skills together in the playground.
• Staff work together seamlessly to deliver embedded routines and expectations. For example, moments of transition are supported with a familiar song. Staff are very quick to manage minor behaviour incidents in a highly supportive manner, often encouraging children to think about their feelings and the feelings of others. Children understand what is expected of them, and the setting feels calm and purposeful at all times.
• Staff provide children with rich learning opportunities to better understand families and communities beyond their own. On the day of inspection, the nursery was preparing to host an 'International Day', inviting children and their families to share their diverse backgrounds through food and cultural dress. Leaders invest in resources to ensure all children are represented through toys and books, and invite parents in to read in their home language or share their skills and backgrounds. Children are encouraged to celebrate themselves and to respect others.
• Leaders value the skills and experience that each staff member brings to the team. For example, Spanish-speaking staff are encouraged to share books and nursery rhymes in their home language as part of the ongoing provision. This approach leads to children joining in enthusiastically with Spanish stories and singing Spanish songs independently. Staff comment that they feel valued and are given opportunities and support to develop their skills and interests. This includes bespoke training and daily team reflection sessions. Staff add that leaders care about their well-being, and this contributes to a happy and committed team.
• Leaders and staff fully understand the importance of working in partnership with parents and describe their role as being part of a community around each child. Parents speak about the nursery in the highest terms. They have praise for the warm and attentive staff, the excellent communication and the individual attention that has led to notable progress for their children.