St. Thomas Centre Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet young children warmly. Children settle with their key person before exploring the learning environment. This positively contributes to children's emotional security. Children thrive within a consistent routine where real objects are used to help them to understand the beginning of a new activity. For example, staff show children a nappy and say, 'nappy time.' This increases children's understanding of the spoken word and enables them to make personal choices for participation. Young children demonstrate enthusiastic attitudes towards learning. They are extremely happy and safe.

Children are self-assured as they interact positively with others. For example, babies confidently incorporate role play into activities that others are engrossed in. They sit their doll at the play-dough table and pretend to give them a drink. Skilled staff significantly enhance children's experiences. For example, they create a persona for the doll. Staff give the doll a rolling pin and play dough. They include the doll in other children's activities and, in turn, promote social interactions. Children greatly benefit from friendly relationships among peers.

Children thrive due to nurturing staff who communicate to them incredibly well, including those children who speak English as an additional language. Staff say specific words to children in their home language and introduce sign language to strengthen their understanding of English. This actively builds the foundations for children's developing communication skills.

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

• Many staff have been at the setting for years and have dedicated their time to the care of babies. They constantly build on their expertise to ensure they can quickly respond to children's changing needs. For example, staff adapt the outdoor learning environment to ensure it is inclusive for all children.
• Leaders and staff operate a child-centred approach in the setting. This helps to ensure children's outcomes and well-being are always the focus when staff make decisions for the curriculum intent. Planning is highly comprehensive to help staff to identify children's prior learning, current progress and targets for future learning. Highly vigorous planning means all staff have clear aspirations for what children need to learn to succeed at their next stage of learning.
• Staff give plenty of time and consideration to ensure children settle exceptionally well. All procedures during the initial settling-in process are well thought out and sensitive to meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use assessments to quickly identify children with lower starting points. They celebrate children's achievements with parents and propose strategic interventions early. This promotes excellent parent partnership from the outset of children's learning.
• Children transition to the next stage of their education when they are developmentally ready. The key-person approach is superb and actively contributes to children's success. For example, key people prioritise a great deal of time to ensure children build strong attachments with new key people.
• Children thrive in their self-help skills because staff prioritise their time to introduce new concepts to children, such as having access to their own drinking cup. Staff simplify teaching in the moment when barriers in learning arise. For example, when children need support to identify their cup among a large number of cups, staff reduce the number available to make identification more achievable. This ensures early independence.
• Teaching highly motivates children from an early age to flourish in their communication and language skills. For example, staff are extremely responsive to all communication cues, including children's body language. They talk to children clearly to understand their needs. Staff consistently link words together to make short sentences and build vocabulary. This helps children to join ideas together, such as 'baby drink.'
• The success of the setting is driven by the dedication and expertise of the whole team. Staff are proud to celebrate the impact training and tasks assigned to them have on their professional development and outcomes for children. For example, staff complete tasks to drive inclusion. They send home a toy bear as a prop to prompt children's fundamental rights. Parents speak very highly of the care their children receive. They identify the amazing job staff do to motivate their children to be the best they can.