Pumpkin Patch Nursery St Botolphs Worthing

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders place inclusion at the heart of this nursery. They ensure that every child is able to access learning that meets their individual needs. From the moment children start the nursery, staff gather detailed information from parents. This gives them helpful insight to build an accurate picture of each child's starting point. Staff are highly skilled in identifying children's needs, through early identification processes. They make timely referrals and apply targeted support with precision, working closely with other professionals when required. Individual support plans are thoughtfully designed and consistently implemented, ensuring that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same rich experiences as their peers.

Staff think carefully about how teaching is delivered, using visual cues, thoughtful positioning and the use of familiar strategies to support learning. Children's progress is monitored closely, with staff maintaining robust partnerships with parents, so that targets are focused and achievable. Leaders use additional funding thoughtfully, such as offering free forest school sessions that broaden children's experiences. Funding also supports increased adult guidance and support. This approach ensures that children who face barriers to their learning make swift, meaningful progress and are able to succeed.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have designed a bespoke, highly inclusive curriculum that enables all children to thrive. They set out a clear vision for learning, ensuring that the curriculum is ambitious and meaningful for every child. Staff identify children who may need additional support and respond promptly to ensure that they receive it. Teaching is highly responsive and well informed, with staff demonstrating enduring knowledge of children's developmental stages. They use this information to guide learning effectively. Staff's practice reflects thoughtful decision-making, with interactions that contribute to the rapid progress all children make.

Language development is at the heart of daily practice, with staff creating purposeful moments for children to hear, practise and apply new vocabulary. For instance, babies explore sensory play, where they blow feathers and learn new words. Staff skilfully use repetition and varied tones of voice to capture their attention. This results in babies remaining highly focused, smiling and giggling as they show clear enjoyment. Staff narrate older children's actions and introduce mathematical language as they play, creating meaningful opportunities for communication. Singing sessions are fully inclusive, with staff using basic sign language alongside spoken words. This helps to support children who are developing their speech or learning English as an additional language.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children across the nursery demonstrate well-embedded and secure abilities that reflect the progress they have already made from their starting points. Babies show impressive early development, forming warm attachments and communicating their needs confidently. They show growing independence as they explore the environment. For instance, babies look in the mirror to see themselves putting their coat on. They know and can find their own shoes for going outdoors.

Older children use their well-developed physical control to manipulate play dough, shaping it with purpose, while talking about 'cubes' and linking their ideas to familiar concepts, such as 'number blocks'. They show clear awareness of how to keep themselves safe, holding scissors correctly without prompting. Children's curiosity is evident as they use cameras and images to explore natural materials, comparing what they see and describing textures, such as 'smooth' and 'spiky'. Children of all abilities participate fully and achieve consistently. This robust foundation ensures that children are well prepared for their next stage in learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children benefit from highly nurturing and trusting relationships with staff, whose interactions are consistently respectful and attuned to children's individual needs. This has a positive impact on children's social and emotional wellbeing. Staff seek babies' consent during care practices, such as nappy changing. They respond sensitively to their cues, demonstrating genuine respect for their choices. Staff skilfully use basic sign language alongside words to support babies' understanding of daily routines. Attendance is promoted through secure relationships with families, helping children feel settled and eager to attend. Older children confidently join circle time and take part in the 'good morning' song, with staff modelling calm routines. This supports children to develop a sense of belonging and a predictable start to their day.

Staff provide children with clear and inspiring guidance that shapes a consistent and inclusive approach to behaviour. They use calm and predictable strategies that help children understand expectations, recognise emotions and develop self-regulation. Staff actively promote teamwork by modelling how to share, take turns and support one another during play. As a result, children's behaviour is consistently impressive. They work remarkably well together, showing kindness and respect. This creates an environment where positive attitudes to learning flourish, with children demonstrating curiosity and confidence to explore all the wonderful opportunities available to them.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create an environment where children feel safe, secure and genuinely loved. Their well-informed policies, purposeful curriculum and robust oversight ensure that children are consistently supported to thrive. Staff have a clear understanding of the importance of children's emotional wellbeing and use the key-person system exceptionally well. As a result, all children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning, make excellent and sustained progress.

Children develop remarkable levels of independence and healthy hygiene habits. For example, even the youngest babies independently access low-level sinks to wash their hands and collect paper towels for drying. Older children take increasing responsibility for themselves by serving their own meals, pouring their drinks and scraping their plates when finished. This reflects the setting's commitment to nurturing capable, resilient learners who believe in their own abilities.

Children learn about safety through hands-on experiences supported by skilled staff. Older children use photos of the garden to identify and discuss potential risks, developing real-world risk awareness. Staff model safe behaviours and introduce tools progressively during forest school sessions. For example, children use mallets to hammer golf tees into cardboard boxes, then into hard foam. This well-supervised approach strengthens children's muscles and coordination needed, before using metal hammers and nails.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leadership across the nursery is highly effective and provides clear direction that drives continuous improvement. Leaders have rigorous systems to monitor daily practice, ensuring that it remains effective. Their oversight is secure and purposeful, with supervision sessions and annual appraisals giving staff clarity and sustained support, which staff value. Alongside this, leaders invest in staff expertise through targeted training and career progression opportunities. These processes help staff meet their developmental targets that reflect deeply on their individual needs. This contributes to an inclusive and caring culture.

Leaders have high expectations for all children and ensure that the curriculum is robust, well sequenced and delivered consistently across the nursery. They hold regular reflective sessions, where staff collaborate to review and refine practice, ensuring that the curriculum remains high quality. They work proactively with other professionals to remove barriers and enhance children's experiences, leading to rapid progress for all. Effective parental involvement is promoted through regular communication, surveys and a wide range of workshops that support learning at home. This commitment to partnership working reflects leaders' ambitions to exceed expectations for children and families.