Oakengates Nursery school

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have developed a highly knowledgeable workforce that confidently implements specialist advice from health professionals, therapists and external agencies. Professional development is carefully matched to the changing needs of children attending the nursery. This enables staff to deliver highly responsive support that helps children overcome barriers to learning and wellbeing. Leaders have embedded precise assessment systems that evaluate children's essential knowledge, understanding and skills through small developmental steps. For example, targeted assessment interventions begin with babies' earliest communication development, enabling staff to identify emerging barriers quickly and adapt teaching responsively.

Leaders strategically use funding to remove barriers to children's learning and wellbeing through targeted interventions, specialist equipment and additional support. They continually evaluate the impact of these decisions, refining provision, the environment and teaching approaches to meet children's changing needs. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language and children facing disadvantage are fully included in nursery life and make substantial progress from their starting points.

Leaders ensure continuity for children who attend throughout the year, including during the school holidays. They hold detailed key person handover meetings so staff have a robust understanding of each child's individual needs, interests and stage of development. Leaders continually review the learning environment to identify and remove barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. For example, they have carefully considered how sensory experiences within the nursery may affect individual children. They have made intentional adaptations to the layout, acoustics and furnishings to reduce sensory overload and help children feel calm, secure and ready to learn.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have developed and embedded an ambitious curriculum that is underpinned by an expert understanding of child development. They have broken children's essential knowledge, understanding and skills into carefully sequenced developmental steps, enabling staff to understand exactly what children need to learn next. Leaders continually review the curriculum and teaching to ensure it reflects children's changing needs, interests and stages of development. For example, staff consistently give children time to think, respond and communicate, carefully modelling and extending language throughout the day. Staff intentionally provide opportunities for babies and toddlers to enjoy books and make marks while lying on their tummies, developing the core strength and stability needed for later sitting and writing.

Teaching is underpinned by staff's thorough understanding of how babies and young children learn. They recognise the significance of children's spontaneous interests and expertly build on them in the moment. Staff notice when babies choose to explore with their feet and respond by repositioning musical instruments so they can create sounds in their own way. Children make their own decisions about how to investigate sensory experiences. For example, they choose whether to walk through a tray of cornflakes or explore it with hands or scoops. Staff expertly enable everyday experiences to become purposeful opportunities for children to deepen their knowledge, understanding and skills.

Leaders ensure children experience a curriculum that is highly responsive to their individual strengths, interests and needs. Staff confidently implement advice from therapists and other professionals, adapting teaching, resources and the learning environment to remove barriers before they limit children's learning and wellbeing.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children acquire the essential knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to their age and stage because learning builds intentionally on what they already know and can do. Babies become increasingly confident communicators, expressing themselves through sounds, babbles, gestures and first words as they explore and play. Children who experience barriers to their learning, including delays in their physical development, gain the strength, coordination and confidence needed to achieve the next steps in their learning through precisely tailored support.

Children become increasingly independent as they make choices, solve problems and test their own ideas. Older babies naturally demonstrate empathy and consideration for others. They take resources to younger children to invite them into play or confidently take a friend's hand to help them join in with activities. Children build the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to securely embrace their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have established purposely embedded routines that help babies feel safe, secure and ready to learn. They continually review and refine these routines to maximise children's learning and wellbeing. For example, they adapted the sleep environment to reduce distractions and help babies settle calmly. They also plan the beginning and end of each day as meaningful learning experiences. Different crockery is intentionally introduced during these shared sessions to spark children's curiosity, encourage communication and promote growing independence. Staff establish clear and consistent expectations during mealtimes. They encourage babies to use cutlery, pour their own drinks, take turns and enjoy conversations together. Babies develop positive habits and understand familiar routines. Every part of the day has value.

Children demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning because the environment is purposefully designed to capture their curiosity at every stage of development. Babies become deeply engaged as they investigate open-ended resources, revisit favourite experiences and make decisions about how they play.

Leaders promote regular attendance through trusting partnerships with families and methodical monitoring. They identify barriers early and provide timely support so children benefit consistently from the nursery's ambitious curriculum and establish positive habits for future learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders have established a culture where children's welfare and wellbeing underpin every aspect of the nursery. Staff know children exceptionally well and respond sensitively to their verbal and non-verbal cues. They recognise when babies need reassurance, physical closeness or time to adjust and adapt to routines accordingly. This helps children feel safe, secure and emotionally ready to learn.

Staff treat care routines as important opportunities to promote children's wellbeing. They ask babies' permission before wiping their nose or changing their nappy, explain what is happening and give children time to respond. Babies learn that they are listened to, their feelings matter and their bodies are treated with respect. Staff intentionally help babies recognise and understand their feelings through songs, mirrors, facial expressions and everyday interactions.

Leaders ensure children's health is promoted through meticulous planning and continual review. They carefully design nutritious menus, including sugar-free alternatives, and ensure food is prepared safely to prevent choking hazards. Staff gather detailed information about each child's stage of weaning and individual dietary needs so mealtimes are adapted from the outset.

Children with additional welfare or developmental needs receive highly personalised support. Staff confidently implement advice from health professionals, adapting care routines, resources and the environment so children remain safe, included and able to flourish.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have established a clear and ambitious vision that places children's learning, wellbeing and inclusion at the heart of every decision. They have developed a highly knowledgeable staff team through precisely planned professional development that reflects the changing needs of children attending the nursery. Staff confidently explain what they do and why they do it.

Leaders continually evaluate the impact of their work. They monitor children's development, attendance and areas of need closely, alongside the effectiveness of staff training, funding and interventions. This enables them to identify patterns and emerging priorities quickly so they can continually refine practice. For example, they have responded to the changing needs of the nursery community, including the increasing number of children learning English as an additional language. Leaders have adapted assessment, strengthened communication strategies and refined partnerships with parents and carers. This has enabled staff to gain a deeper understanding of children's home experiences and language development from the outset.

Leaders place parents at the centre of children's learning. They use home visits, stay-and-play sessions and home learning projects to share strategies, gather parents' views and extend learning beyond the nursery. This strengthens continuity between home and nursery and helps parents play an active role in their children's development. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing. Dedicated time for planning, supervision and professional discussion enables staff to work collaboratively and maintain a manageable workload.