Sir James Knott Nursery School Nest at Howard Street

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff know children well and identify their individual needs with care. They notice small gaps in learning quickly and use simple, well-matched strategies to help children stay on track. Staff draw on relevant guidance to adapt experiences so all children can take part, including those who are not yet speaking, who use signs and gestures to make their needs known. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals, so children receive timely support. They review children's progress regularly to check that their help is making a difference.

Leaders recognise separation anxiety as a barrier to learning. Children who are new meet staff, both in their own home and in the nursery, before they begin to attend. This helps them to become familiar with who will care for them. Leaders have begun to provide training so staff can support children more confidently and help them to settle into their play and learning quickly. Some staff are applying this in practice, although this is not yet embedded across the whole team. Leaders provide training and support to help staff understand how to assess, plan and review support for children with emerging needs.

Leaders understand how to use funding to strengthen early support for disadvantaged children, for example to widen their access to experiences that build confidence and communication.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching, and they are taking purposeful steps to strengthen practice across the team. Staff follow children's interests and use assessment well to check what children can do, adapting activities so learning builds on what they know and can do, including when children may need extra support with some aspects of their learning.

The newly-designed curriculum meets all areas of learning and development and gives children experiences that support their steady progress. Staff use songs, stories and simple language throughout the day to support communication and help children learn new words, including early mathematical language. For example, at the park, babies hear songs about 'three little ducks' and staff use their fingers to model counting.

Staff prioritise children's physical development. They offer close support, for example, when children are developing their confidence to take their first steps. They encourage children to play together and use meal times as social occasions, modelling conversation and polite manners. Leaders are supporting staff to deliver the curriculum for children's emotional development with greater consistency.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points and show growing confidence as they move through the curriculum. They enjoy listening to stories, joining in actions to familiar songs and copying new words. Children develop early physical skills as they climb the indoor slide, run at the park and explore sensory materials such as foam and paint. They show increasing independence, such as when feeding themselves.

Children who find separating from their parents more difficult begin to settle for longer periods, staying close to familiar adults as they explore. They play alongside others, wait for a turn and show pride when they achieve something new. Children gain the early knowledge and confidence they need for their next stage of learning, and they are becoming more secure in the routines that help them feel ready to engage.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff provide a warm and positive environment. They are respectful and courteous to children and one another. Relationships between staff and children are typically nurturing and reassuring. Staff stay close during play, so children, overall, feel secure, happy and ready to learn during activities in nursery. Some parts of the day are less-well organised. Staff have not established calm and manageable routines, such as when getting ready to go on outings. Occasionally, at these times, children feel less secure and become restless.

More often, during more settled periods in the day, children show confidence, remain engaged in their play and move calmly between activities. Staff offer plenty of praise and encouragement, which helps to raise children's self-esteem. They model kindness and guide children in simple ways to help them learn to get along with others. For example, they show children how to use 'kind hands' and encourage them to wave at friends through the window as they arrive. Leaders support staff with consistent, shared expectations for children's behaviour at this young age, which are appropriate and clear. Staff understand how children's experiences can shape their behaviour and manage typical conflicts sensitively, with a firm and fair approach. This helps children to develop an early understanding of right from wrong.

Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality. They work closely with families to support children, particularly those who find separating from parents more difficult, to settle gradually into a familiar routine at nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Overall, children experience warm, secure relationships with staff who know them well and respond sensitively to their individual needs. Consistent key person arrangements help staff to offer close, consistent care so babies and young children feel safe and develop strong attachments. They know and recognise the staff who care for them. Leaders and staff know that some less-confident children need greater emotional support. When routines are not well organised, children can feel less secure and may become restless or unsettled and look for reassurance from staff. Some staff take longer than children need to respond, so children do not always settle as quickly as they could. When staff acknowledge children's feelings and respond promptly with warmth and comfort, children feel reassured and their emotional wellbeing improves swiftly.

Staff learn about children's routines at home and work closely with parents to support sleeping, weaning and feeding in ways that reflect each child's needs and stage of development. They follow established best-practice guidance at sleeping and mealtimes and supervise children closely, which keeps them safe and comfortable. Staff also follow clear procedures for managing allergies, administering medication and responding to illness, which supports children's good health and wellbeing.

Children enjoy nutritious meals and plenty of fresh air, for example, on walks to the nearby park. Staff share simple, age-appropriate messages about caring for their bodies, such as guiding children to wipe their noses and showing them how to use tissues hygienically. Children also hear early reminders about keeping safe, for instance when using climbing equipment, and they begin to understand how to manage small risks with support.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and the areas they want to improve, and they take purposeful action to strengthen the quality of education and care. They have recently strengthened the leadership structure to share leadership responsibilities more effectively across the team, building greater consistency in everyday practice. Leaders review provision regularly and invite professional challenge so they can evaluate their work with a fresh perspective. This reflective approach informs their development plans, which focus firmly on children's wellbeing, care and learning. As a result, the quality of provision is strengthening quickly in this newly established setting. Leaders actively seek and act on feedback from parents. Families speak overwhelmingly positively about the care and learning their children receive and praise the attentive, kind staff who help their children grow in confidence and make progress in their learning.

Leaders create a culture where staff feel valued and supported in their professional and personal growth. They monitor staff workload and involve the team in shaping improvements, such as recent developments to the curriculum. Leaders recognise occasional inconsistency in how some staff promote young children's emotional wellbeing. They have begun to address this through targeted training to strengthen staff's understanding of how the youngest children show their early feelings and how to respond confidently. Leaders are now cascading this training through the team so that approaches become more consistent across the setting.