Once upon a time Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children with warmth and smiles as they arrive. Parents come into the room and share updates about their children's well-being. Children say goodbye happily and settle quickly. They follow familiar routines and start their day with confidence. They feel safe and secure. Strong bonds with staff help children feel calm and settled. A well-embedded key-person system supports this. Staff know all children well, not just their key group. This builds trust and supports children's emotional and social well-being.

Leaders have built a clear and purposeful curriculum. All staff understand what children need to learn. They adapt teaching to suit the age and stage of each child. As a result, children enjoy activities that reflect their interests. For example, in the sensory garden, children enjoy planting, watering, weeding and growing fruit and vegetables. These activities help them learn where food comes from. Children make strong progress through well-planned sessions and nurture groups that give extra support.

Staff are attentive and help children resolve feelings of unfairness. For example, when children get upset when they are not chosen to act out a song, staff step in with care. They listen and help children understand their feelings and come up with a plan of action. This helps children feel heard and valued. It supports emotional development and teaches them how to manage disappointment. These sensitive responses create a warm and inclusive learning environment.

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

• Children across all ages show a clear love of books. This supports their language, imagination, and focus. Babies enjoy picking up books and turning pages. Older children relax and listen as staff read to them after lunch. Staff create cosy spaces, indoors and outside, to share stories. These moments help children build listening skills, expand their vocabulary, and develop a lifelong love of reading.
• Staff sing songs and rhymes with children throughout the day. Babies babble and sign along to songs such as 'The wheels on the bus'. Staff notice, praise, and respond. Older children act out songs, such as 'Five little ducks', learning to count and predict what comes next. Singing together builds memory, language, and coordination. It also supports confidence, group connection, and joyful learning.
• Staff plan exciting activities that keep children of all ages engaged. Overall, they set high expectations for behaviour and manage it well. For example, when group time ends, some children rush off. Staff gently call them back to put away their mats. This builds responsibility, supports self-regulation, and teaches respect for shared spaces. However, staff sometimes miss chances to teach and reinforce the practice of sharing.
• Staff are respectful, compassionate, and kind. They respond calmly when babies are initially hesitant of nappy changes. This helps babies feel safe and respected. It builds trust and emotional security. Babies grow in confidence and develop a strong sense of self.
• Staff model good hygiene through daily routines. They support handwashing and encourage children to care for themselves. However, there are occasions when staff do not respond to runny noses. They miss chances to teach children how to manage this independently. This can limit children's understanding of personal hygiene and self-care.
• Staff attend training and share what they learn. This keeps teaching consistent and up to date. It also improves outcomes for children. Staff show passion for their role and a strong drive to do their best.
• Children develop independence from an early age. Babies try to remove their hats and shoes when they come inside. Toddlers fetch their own nappies for changing. Older children hang up their bags and help tidy up. Staff encourage and celebrate these efforts. This builds children's confidence and self-help skills.
• Leaders take a reflective and proactive approach. They work closely with other managers and directors across the group. This helps promote a consistent offer across all settings. Children who attend more than one site benefit from this joined-up approach. For children attending outside settings, staff create transition books. They use these to share next steps in learning and support each child's move with care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to further promote good hygiene routines, especially in helping children manage their runny noses
• build on the already good practice to help all staff provide high-quality teaching to consistently support the play and learning experiences for children.