Miss Potter's Garden at 388 Streatham Hub Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed into a warm and friendly learning environment. Staff work closely with parents to help settle children in. They take time to get to know the children with their likes and dislikes and use this effectively to settle them into the nursery routine. Children arrive eager to start their day. Staff are close at hand to offer cuddles of reassurance to children. Once they are settled, children happily go and explore the well set out learning environment.

Staff work closely with parents to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff liaise with parents to find out developmental milestones and to assess their stages of learning and development. Staff also work closely with other agencies to identify targets and complete individual education plans to support children's learning and development. Children are starting to make good progress given their starting points.

Staff promote positive behaviour management. They teach children to use 'kind hands' and use positive reinforcement to praise good behaviour. Children behave well. Leaders have recently changed how transitions are carried out between activities and daily routines. Staff are still learning and evaluating the best way to support these transitions to minimise disruption with children.

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

• Leaders have made extensive improvements to practice in the nursery. All staff have received in depth safeguarding and child protection training. They now have secure knowledge and understanding of their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.
• Although new leaders have just started, they have made an impact raising the quality of teaching in the nursery. All staff have been trained on the new curriculum and how to support children's next steps in learning. Staff are aware of assessing children's starting points, and using this to review next steps of learning.
• Staff do not always recognise the value of children moving resources between learning areas. On occasion, they stop children from doing so, which reduces children's opportunities to explore, test ideas and deepen their understanding of how things work in different ways.
• Some staff are not as confident as they could be when supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Staff are quiet around children and do not consistently use strategies, such as using key words in children's home languages, to understand what children are asking.
• Parents explain they are extremely happy with the care the staff provide. They explain how caring staff are making sure their children are settled. They also
• Inspection report: 388 Streatham Hub Children's Centre 16 September 2025 2 explain how staff take time to get to know the children and parents, making them feel welcomed.
• Staff have a good understanding of children's likes and use this to plan effectively. For example, they make good use of the large outside spaces to support children's physical development. Children thoroughly enjoy learning how to use the climbing frames in different ways. They learn how to climb the steps and manoeuvre themselves to use the slide. This further supports children's physical development.
• Children get great pleasure in mark making. Staff encourage children to use large chalks to draw and make different designs on the walls and the floor in the garden area. Children excitedly show other staff what they have drawn. Staff praise them for their work and children beam with pride.
• Staff and leaders are quick to identify any learning needs for the children. They adapt the learning environment to support this. For example, they set up daily sensory activities to support children with SEND, helping them to settle during activities. This helps children to regulate their behaviour, limiting disruptions.
• Staff teach children to be alert to their own safety, for example, when using the climbing frame and playing with balls. They remind children that they can throw balls when outside as they have more space. They also teach children the safe way to use climbing frames.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise and promote children's natural curiosity, including allowing them to move resources between different learning areas to extend their exploration and learning
• coach staff to be more confident with supporting children who speak English as an additional language with their language development.
• Inspection report: 388 Streatham Hub Children's Centre 16 September 2025 3