Rosemount Nursery Bush Hill Park Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children thrive in the care of exceptionally kind and attentive staff. They form wonderfully trusting relationships with their key person and all other members of the staff team. This supports even the youngest children to develop a very strong sense of security. Interactions are consistently warm and positive, and the nursery is filled with the sound of children laughing and having fun. Children develop extremely mature social skills and behaviour for their ages. With the support of staff, they gain an impressive understanding of their emotions, talk about their feelings and learn to share and take turns.

Staff expertly nurture children's natural curiosity through a challenging curriculum balanced with child-led play. The thoughtfully designed environment encourages exploration, with children learning about the world, such as through gardening, caring for the nursery's tortoise and community outings that expose them to seasonal changes. For example, staff plan a well-conceived activity of hammering leaves onto fabric, which captures and maintains children's concentration wonderfully. Staff perfectly adapt their interactions to reflect the abilities of each child. Children especially enjoy being able to use their imaginations in the mud kitchen outside or shopping in the home corner area.

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

• The key to the nursery's success lies in the passion and expertise of leaders and staff in meeting all children's needs. Staff receive targeted training to become specialists in child development, supported by effective teamwork and communication. This creates an appropriately stimulating yet calm atmosphere in a well-maintained environment where staff's well-being is prioritised.
• Teaching is exceptional, with precisely planned activities extending each child's learning. Staff skilfully introduce new vocabulary and mathematical concepts to even the youngest children. They expertly follow children's interests, extending learning through engaging resources like personalised photobooks that build children's sense of identity while promoting their speech and language skills.
• Staff instil a love of books through well-stocked and attractively displayed libraries. Children become absorbed in animated storytelling, such as 'The Singing Mermaid', where staff use expressive voices and encourage children to recall previous experiences. Children's language development flourishes as staff consistently engage them in back-and-forth exchanges, modelling conversational skills and extending vocabulary through responsive interactions tailored to each child's experiences.
• There is a strong and effective focus on promoting children's physical skills. All children benefit from regularly using equipment, indoors and outdoors, that encourages them to develop their strength and coordination, including through dance, sport and yoga. Staff also plan activities that are specifically designed to build children's hand muscles and coordination that they need in preparation for holding pens and pencils. For example, children use small tools as they make and explore play dough and grasp glue sticks as they stick leaves they have collected to make hedgehog pictures.
• There are very good arrangements to promote children's health. Children enjoy nutritious snacks and freshly cooked meals that reflect their individual dietary requirements. Conversations around the lunch tables, set with tablecloths and flowers, help to support their social skills. Children expertly and safely use knives to cut up plantains ready for cooking, in preparation for their snacks. Hygiene standards are high. Staff meet children's personal care needs sensitively and promptly.
• Staff value the diverse nature of the setting and embrace a wide range of festivals and events celebrated by the children and families in their care, such as the recent Chinese New Year of the snake. Children embrace new words, such as 'hissing and squirming', while expertly negotiating their food with chopsticks. Children sing and dance to French songs, and staff use visuals constantly to support the English language development of those children who speak English as an additional language. This supports children to learn and value everyone's differences and promotes a mutual respect for those in the community around them.
• Strong partnerships with parents include take-home resources and regular information sharing about children's achievements. Staff provide ideas, such as collecting items for musical instruments, to continue children's learning at home. Parents praise the 'caring and friendly staff' and describe the nursery as 'a really great place for children to grow and develop'.