St Helens College Nursery and Creche

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders embed an inclusive, nurturing culture at this nursery. They ensure that every child is able to learn and achieve their full potential. They make strategic decisions to ensure that any additional funding is used to benefit children's progress greatly. Leaders understand and prioritise their responsibilities to ensure children's individual needs are identified and supported swiftly. For example, they ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities get early intervention and receive a bespoke step-by-step intervention plan. Barriers to learning are reduced and children make rapid progress.

Leaders have established excellent links with parents and carers. Parents feel valued, included and respected. Parents commend staff on their unwavering support for inclusion. This goes beyond support for their child, as it encompasses support for the whole family. Families benefit from support with embedding routines and agreed strategies at home. These consistent procedures help all children to thrive and make progress alongside their peers, including children who are known or have previously been known to children's social care. Leaders work well with external childcare professionals to ensure that all children are included in every aspect of nursery life. For example, staff use sign language and visual aids and adapt the physical learning environment to ensure that it is truly inclusive.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have successfully embedded an aspirational curriculum. This is well sequenced and builds on what children already know and can do. This supports children to make excellent progress from their starting points. Leaders are ambitious for what all children, including those with any barriers to their learning, can achieve. Staff are extremely skilled at implementing the curriculum. For example, they use robust assessment procedures that allow leaders to consistently reflect on the impact the curriculum has on outcomes for all children. They adapt teaching appropriately to support all children who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Leaders have plans to develop the curriculum even further and are clear about how to achieve this.

Staff demonstrate skilled teaching. They understand the small steps of knowledge that children need to learn and know in what order this should happen. Staff skilfully adapt their interactions to ensure that activities build on children's skills and knowledge over time. There is a clear focus throughout the nursery on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. This helps children to settle quickly and to be ready to learn. Staff know what they want children to learn from the experiences that they provide. They use children's interests to spark curiosity and exploration. Children become confident in their physical abilities as they skilfully climb and balance on play apparatus outdoors. Staff support children to be active in their play. For example, following a story about the 'Bear Hunt', children actively act out scenes from the book. They become immersed in their imagination as they pretend to 'squelch' and 'stomp' through mud.

Staff seamlessly integrate mathematical learning into engaging activities that capture children's interests. For example, staff encourage children to explore capacity during water play and skilfully introduce the concept of time. Children competently use mathematical language in their own play as they count and describe the size and shape of items.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make excellent progress. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to other agencies, such as children's social care, and those who face other barriers to their learning. All staff have a thorough understanding of child development, and they track children's progress meticulously, particularly children's speech and language development. Children are exposed to a wealth of songs, stories and conversations that support them to become confident communicators. This provides a secure basis for learning in all areas.

Children of all ages develop confidence and a positive attitude towards their learning. Older children recall previous learning as they plant carrots and remind staff that they will need water to help them to grow. The setting consistently encourages children's independence. Even the youngest children feed themselves, and older children manage their own self-help skills. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning as they move rooms or transfer to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders monitor attendance and respond swiftly to any barriers to attendance that families may face. Close partnerships with parents and carers mean that parents are confident to approach staff if they feel that they would benefit from any support. Leaders have recently extended their offer to ensure children can attend more frequently, and this has impacted positively on children's progress.

Children's laughter fills the air as they access the well-planned environment. Staff use children's interests to create experiences that capture children's engagement. Children use the resources available to extend their learning. For example, they confidently find the watering cans to access water to add to their planting activity. Children persevere when things get tricky, such as when threading onto thin spaghetti. Staff adapt group sessions so that all children can join in and enjoy these times. They use resources such as sensory toys to help to capture all children's attention and to support high levels of engagement in learning.

Children's behaviour is consistently positive. Staff consistently embed a calm approach and act as good role models for the expectations that they set. They teach children how to take turns and model this as they play with them. Children demonstrate kind behaviours as they invite each other into their play and eagerly help each other to complete tasks, such as opening the water butt. Staff embed consistent routines and expectations that children know and follow. They identify children who may require extra help to follow these routines. They provide visual cues and do not rush children, giving them time and support before moving on to the next task. This helps all children to feel emotionally prepared for what will happen next.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff prioritise building secure attachments with children. They consistently demonstrate a caring, nurturing approach. As staff change babies' nappies, they show them the nappy then sing as they are being changed. Staff are astute to children's varying emotions. They understand when children may need an extra cuddle or reassurance. This helps children to feel happy and settled in the nursery with staff who promote their wellbeing.

Children's health and wellbeing are supported impeccably. Staff teach children about the importance of good oral health. Children recall that too much sugar can cause cavities. Parents and carers say how this has helped children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, they tell their families that they do not want too many sweets as this is not good for their teeth. Children enjoy the time that they spend outdoors, running and climbing. Staff use stories well to teach children about the impact of physical exercise on their bodies. For example, children enact roles of characters running fast outdoors. They talk to staff about the change in their heartbeat and why this happens after running.

Children are taught from an early age the importance of following rigorous hygiene procedures. Babies eagerly go to the sink to wash their hands after having their nappies changed. Older children remember to wash their hands before mealtimes and after wiping their noses. Children's wellbeing is consistently promoted by staff, and children learn about the importance of healthy habits and choices.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

The established, inspirational leadership team drives consistently high standards across the nursery. Leaders are relentless in their vision to provide every child with the very best experience. They frequently analyse the setting's strengths and areas for improvement to ensure the best education and care for all children, including those with any barriers to their learning.

Leaders ensure that their vision for high expectations and excellent standards is truly understood by all staff. They maintain a clear oversight of practice throughout the nursery and ensure that all staff receive targeted and effective professional development opportunities that positively impact on their knowledge and skills. Staff take pride in what they do and are equipped to meet children's needs effectively. For example, through their everyday interactions, they skilfully encourage children's communication skills as they pose questions that allow children to think and respond. They introduce new concepts, such as floating and sinking objects in water. Staff support children's language skills consistently well. They ask them meaningful questions and introduce them to a wide range of vocabulary.

Leaders have a clear awareness of the community and the support that is available for parents and carers. Parents eagerly say how supported they feel through the advice and guidance that leaders share. This has a very positive impact on children's development and wellbeing, particularly those who are disadvantaged.