Stockton House School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the care of the inspiring staff team. They are extremely motivated to learn and immediately engage in the abundance of stimulating activities. For example, younger children show high levels of enthusiasm as they excitedly select and add different materials during messy play activities. They are extremely inspired and curious to explore, during the changing textures of shaving foam, red paint, glue and flour, and say that it looks like lava. Children looked for books about volcanos and used the pictures to create volcanos.

Older children in the kindergarten rooms are extremely imaginative. They find the tools they need to achieve their aims from an extensive range of outdoor resources, and excitedly tell the inspector they are digging up a road and making a runway. Children put on hard hats and discuss the importance of wearing safety equipment. They make predictions as they fill containers and tell others that they may be too heavy to lift. Children demonstrate outstanding problem-solving skills and decide it would be easier to use the wheelbarrow to transport and empty the soil. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make excellent progress.

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

• The manager and staff team have high aspirations for all children. They meticulously assess and plan for children's learning and swiftly identify any gaps in their development. Staff work exceptionally well with the special educational needs coordinator and other agencies, to provide children with first-rate early intervention and support. They provide an exceptionally well-designed curriculum and use every opportunity to challenge and extend children's learning and development.
• Staff promote children's understanding of behavioural expectations exceptionally well. They give children the time they need when there is a change of routine and are sensitive to those children that may need additional support during these times. Staff use a wealth of strategies, such as visual aids and sign language, to help children manage their feelings and emotions. They empower children and give them small tasks, such as helping to take the lunch numbers to the chefs in the kitchen.
• Children benefit from fresh air and extensive physical exercise throughout each day. For example, older children are extremely motivated to master new skills. They demonstrate excellent control of their movements as they eagerly pull themselves up and over bars on climbing equipment. This builds on their core strength exceptionally well. Their younger peers negotiate their way over tyres and up slopes. They are heard to say, 'I did it', as they achieved their aims.
• Staff pay excellent attention towards supporting children's healthy development.
• For example, children enjoy nutritious snacks and a freshly cooked and extremely well-balanced lunch each day. They have wonderful opportunities to learn about the nutritional benefits of food and where it comes from. On the day of the inspection, children planted bean seeds. They used words, such as 'germinate,' and discussed how roots form under the soil and with water and sun light, the beans will grow above the ground.
• Staff establish outstanding partnerships with parents. Parents discuss the exceptional progress their children have made since starting at the nursery. They comment that staff provide the essential support and guidance they need to help them continue with their children's learning at home.
• Staff are highly skilled at supporting children's early language and communication development. They illustrate this as they seize the moment to introduce new vocabulary as the younger nursery children engage in sand play. For example, children use descriptive language as they discuss why wet sand will not flow through sieves. Staff have improved the opportunities for children to participate in story times, which further support children's wonderful love of books.
• The manager has superb arrangements in place for reflecting on and making improvements. Staff have attended substantial amounts of training to enhance their skills and knowledge, which they disseminate to their colleagues. This leads to a skilful and highly organised staff team, who ensure that all children have every opportunity to reach their full developmental potential.