Notting Hill Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly and help them settle well in this welcoming environment. Staff form strong bonds with children and their families. They take time to talk to each parent when children arrive. This means that children are supported well as they move from home to nursery. Children feel safe and secure and enjoy positive relationships with staff and one another.

Leaders and staff have worked diligently in response to the last inspection. They have undertaken relevant training, including on safeguarding as well as food handling and preparation. This ensures children are safe and their health is a high priority for staff.

Leaders design the curriculum based on children's interests and what they need to learn next. For instance, children enjoy learning about autumnal festivals. They explore natural materials as they engage with making 'pumpkin stew' as well as when they observe leaves and trees during the walk to the park. Children are keen learners and eagerly get involved in the broad range of activities provided. Children behave well. They learn to follow the routines and to play safely. They benefit from easy access to a wide range of high-quality resources. This helps to support their independence skills and motivates them to learn.

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

• Leaders and staff are a hard-working team and are determined to provide the best-quality care and education for all children. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They engage with other professionals to ensure all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff place a strong focus on children's communication and language development. They regularly introduce new words to increase children's vocabulary. Children join in with stories, songs and conversations. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language effectively. Children hear their home languages at the nursery and staff use other supportive techniques, such as the use of visuals. This leads to children becoming confident talkers.
• Leaders give staff regular feedback on their performance through observations and supervisions. They recognise the need to continue focus on support for less confident staff to ensure that the quality of teaching is raised consistently to the highest standard.
• Children's physical health and well-being are a high priority for staff. They ensure children enjoy healthy, nutritionally balanced meals and snack. Children have daily access to fresh air as they visit a local park. They jump and skip, while others run as they join in with chasing games. Children confidently use climbing and sliding equipment and share space successfully. Staff provide children with many opportunities for them to strengthen their small muscles.
• Children know what is coming next, as staff give them cues to indicate change in routine. However, at times, when activities change, children are not playing or learning. For example, children wait for a long period of time while others get ready before going for a walk. This leads to some children becoming disengaged.
• Children behave well, and staff support them to develop their social skills. They use good manners and show caring attitudes to one another. Children care for their learning environment as they happily join in with packing toys and resources away. Staff are good role models and ensure their interactions with children are very respectful.
• Staff get to know children well through regular observations and assessments. They provide interesting activities for all children. For example, children examine the unusual size and shapes of pumpkins. When a child says, 'This one looks like a pear,' this leads to discussion with children about the benefits of being unique. Staff teach children about diversity and how to value and appreciate others' similarities and differences. They celebrate different festivals and provide extra-curricular activities that are linked to children's cultural background.
• Partnerships with parent are excellent. Parents comment that staff are welcoming and that they are well informed about all areas of their children's development. Leaders offer parents workshops, such as on school readiness. This helps to ensure the continuity of learning at home and that children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus on supporting less confident staff in their professional development to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high standard
• increase opportunities for children to engage in their learning, particularly at times when activities change.