Odyssey London

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive environment, where all children are welcomed, happy and safe. They make careful adaptations to the setting to ensure all children's needs are met and celebrated specifically within the context of each family, such as for those who speak English as an additional language, those with barriers to learning and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents comment that their use of a birthday book with pictures of children and their families helps all children and families to feel included. Children's families are heavily reflected in the setting, and their languages are incorporated into their learning. For example, staff sing a morning song in English and a child's home language with the use of signs to make them feel welcome. This helps children develop their understanding and use of the English language and early communication skills while maintaining pride in their home languages and cultures.

Leaders and staff work collaboratively with families and have established close links with external agencies, allowing them to have a proactive approach to children's individual needs. They consistently build excellent partnerships with parents to identify appropriate and highly effective measures to support each child. They provide regular feedback and meetings to discuss their child's progress and areas of need. This approach gives them the opportunity to inform their own practice and support children and families in their home environment.

Leaders and staff are committed to creating secure bonds with children to ensure they know them well. From their starting points and onwards, they gather information about all children and use this to enhance the provision on offer. For example, when children start the nursery with physical needs, they provide one-to-one support to help them with the stairs and use the 'banister song' with all children to help them navigate the physical challenges of using the stairs in an inclusive way.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders are highly knowledgeable and have created an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that is accessible and tailored to all children, including those with barriers to learning and special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children have the opportunity to learn about food and making healthy choices through their inspiring cooking space, and plans are differentiated to give all children the opportunity to learn. For example, younger children make yoghurt bark with fruit and older children have the task of making honey and garlic chicken.

Staff support children's early communication and literacy skills through 'stretchers' that are based around books and songs that the children are interested in. Younger children are supported through stretchers by singing 'Old McDonald' and being able to independently bring animals from their stretcher activities to the carpet as a prompt for the animal in the song. Staff correctly model language and warmly engage with young children to give them confidence to learn. This gives them ownership over their learning from a young age. Older children are also given the opportunity to learn new languages with language specialists, who plan exciting sessions that broaden their knowledge and develop the language skills they have already learned.

The environment is well thought out and acts as a third teacher, giving children daily experiences to explore well-designed rooms that inspire them to learn. Children have specialist art and music teachers who quickly adapt to the needs of each group and work alongside practitioners to build on learning experiences. Older children create 'blueprints' with specialist support and learn to create pieces of art collaboratively and individually. This inspiring approach allows children to express themselves and develop skills holistically.

Maths is taught through playful opportunities and is used in all areas of learning. Children count in English and staff adapt to the ideas of children who want to count in their home language, allowing children to take ownership of their learning and share with their peers. Skilful practitioners adjust their maths teaching to meet the ages of the children. For example, children play a maths obstacle course, and older children jump and count and then find number pebbles to add together before building a tower. Meanwhile, younger children are supported to jump and count before identifying a number and counting a tower with the correct amount of bricks.

Achievement: Strong standard

Leaders and staff know children remarkably well, which allows them to implement and teach the curriculum to the highest standards. All children show high levels of engagement with learning opportunities and make rapid and sustained progress from their starting points, especially those who have barriers to learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children who start with limited English are supported to acquire language skills and are now confident in English. They are encouraged to be a 'risk taker' and welcome visitors to the nursery as they grow in confidence. They show pride in this achievement and seek out adults to share what they have done.

Children are well supported by extremely attentive and responsive adults who model and support to help children achieve their goals. Equally, this learning is extended to parents, and they are able to come into the setting to learn how to make foods, create art pieces and support their children's progress at home. Children are well prepared for their next stages of learning, including their transition to school, through the setting's effective work to build upon their skills and partnerships with parents and local schools.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff set clear expectations for behaviour through 'essential agreements' which they work collaboratively with children to design and uphold, depending on their age and stage of development. Children behave well and are reminded of these agreements when behaviour becomes challenging. Leaders and staff support children to understand their feelings and are reassuring and responsive to their needs.

Children develop positive relationships with one another and play in collaboration. They are able to share resources and are supported by staff to engage with each other positively. They offer comfort when their peers are sad and have close bonds with staff who typically meet their needs. Staff act as role models and all communications between staff and children are calm and age-appropriate, which positively impacts on how children build relationships with peers and staff.

Staff are able to adapt to the needs of children, particularly those who have barriers to learning and special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, during a music session, a child was reluctant to join in, and staff sang along while he played close to the session. Due to the excitement and praise they showed, he was able to join in with the session.

Children generally develop the skills they need to follow routines and are offered regular praise and support from staff. For example, staff sing the 'banister song' while children use the stairs to support the transition through the nursery. However, at times when children are transitioning from their room to the garden, they are not always consistently supported by staff to manage this smoothly. Leaders recognise the importance of children having consistency across the nursery. They have identified that in particular areas improvement is needed for routines and transitions, and confidently explain the ongoing support needed to consistently embed their high expectations.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff show a commitment to promoting children's wellbeing and work collaboratively to meet children's individual needs. The settling-in process reflects this and helps staff to be fully informed about each child and tailor their care accordingly. The key-person system is highly effective, and all staff demonstrate knowledge and understanding about each individual child, including those with barriers to learning and special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use this knowledge to inform their practice and offer reassurance and comfort in a calm environment. For example, young children have tailored sleep-time routines that are carefully discussed with parents, and staff carry these out with care and allow children to feel safe and secure at a key point in their routine.

Leaders and staff have created a warm and inclusive environment that welcomes all children and gives them a sense of belonging. Children, families and their cultures are consistently represented throughout the setting, and children point to pictures and can identify their own and their peers' families throughout the day. They also use tools such as the 'birthday book' to comfort their peers when they are sad and share this book with them, which quickly helps them to feel safe and secure. Equally, leaders and staff promote belonging by making adjustments according to the ages and stages of children, for example by having children's pictures at a low level so that they can find their own peg to put their belongings away.

Leaders and staff place promoting a healthy lifestyle at the centre of their practice. Children are provided with well-thought-out, high-quality, nutritious and well-balanced meals and are encouraged to try a diverse range of foods. Staff talk positively about meals and present them to older children to ensure children are well informed about their meals and can make their own choices. Children serve their own meals and quickly take them back to their seat and show excitement about trying the food, telling staff, 'this is yummy'. Staff are responsive during mealtimes and place themselves at each table, creating a social experience with opportunities for conversation. Children are able to follow hygiene routines independently and know how to keep themselves healthy. This calm and supportive environment builds children's confidence to try new foods and ask for help when they need it.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly skilled and use their knowledge to maintain and drive excellent standards throughout the setting. They understand the setting's strengths and priorities for improvement and give tailored support to each area of the nursery. Leaders are reflective and quickly identify areas to work on, swiftly implementing strategies to enhance the experiences for children. For example, parents shared with leaders that they felt their children would not eat the diverse range of foods on offer. As a result, they had a chef showcase and parents were invited in to cook with their children. They also adapted eating routines in order to support children to feel safe to try new things, and this has been extremely successful.

Leaders are proactive in creating parent partnerships and make themselves accessible to parents daily. Leaders ensure that communication with parents is of high quality through handovers, regular meetings and updates. Consequently, parents feel included in their children's learning and feel supported by leaders and staff to extend this at home. Leaders and staff provide inspiring opportunities for parents to engage with their child's learning at the setting. Parents talk positively about the 'art exhibition' showcasing the work of their children and the opportunity for them to learn from the art specialist about different brush strokes and how art is taught to their children. This collaborative approach between the setting and parents makes parents feel valued and welcome with further knowledge, which in turn supports high-quality care for all children.

Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of their setting and the context of the local community in which they are based. They use this knowledge to work collaboratively with the community and invite them in to share knowledge with children. For example, they recently had a dentist in to discuss oral health, and leaders created a partnership with them which resulted in a high volume of children signing up for their services. They have also had visits from the police to support children to know about keeping themselves safe in their local community.

Staff feel supported and valued by leaders who give them the tools to support children to achieve their goals while prioritising their personal wellbeing. Leaders quickly identify individual areas of support and have a tailored approach for them, for example providing mentors and actively modelling practice with children. Staff speak positively about the feedback they receive through robust supervisions and in-the-moment support. Leaders empower their team members and work collaboratively with them to have a shared vision for the nursery and their own wellbeing. This approach in turn filters down to how staff support children, with 'essential agreements' allowing children to feel a part of how the nursery is run to keep them safe.