Tadpoles Nursery School, Chelsea

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children run into the setting with joy. They are greeted cheerfully by staff, and show happiness and delight at being in nursery. Parents and carers praise the setting's highly inclusive ethos. They value the positive approach staff use to include all children. Staff work closely with parents to share strategies of how to support children's personal, social and emotional development. They encourage the use of familiar comforters and display family photos in all rooms. This helps children, including those who are new, to feel secure at the setting.

Staff have high expectations of children. Before an outing, staff remind children about the rules they need to follow to keep safe. Staff prompt children to use manners and give children specific praise for their efforts. As a result, children are polite and behave well. They develop respect and learn how to cooperate with each other.

Children have lots of opportunities to be independent. Staff encourage them to put on their own boots and coats. They model strategies like holding onto something for balance. As a result, children learn to do things for themselves. During forest school, children use tools, such as hammers and nails, safely and independently. At snack times, they safely cut fruit with knives. These experiences help children to build practical skills, confidence and self-reliance.

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

• Children enjoy taking part in the variety of experiences offered by the setting's ambitious curriculum. Leaders and managers gather detailed information about each child's background, experiences and interests. They use this information, alongside individual learning goals, to plan engaging activities. For example, children excitedly make slime and see how far they can stretch this. They concentrate as they look for items relating to their topic of winter on a scavenger hunt in a forest school session. These experiences engage and motivate children. Children show great levels of curiosity and enjoyment.
• Outdoor learning and sustainability is a focus of the setting. Staff inspire children to become 'sustainability superheroes' by engaging in activities, such as litter picking and participating in events like 'scoot to school week'. Children grow, cook and compost food, gaining an understanding of the food cycle and environmental responsibility. These experiences promote children's appreciation of nature and develop lifelong sustainable habits.
• Staff encourage children to develop their physical strength and coordination through activities, such as balancing on blocks. They provide sensory circuits to help children to regulate their bodies, preparing them for more focused activities. All children participate in swimming lessons to develop their coordination and build confidence in water. Children have fun outside digging in the mud, which helps to strengthen their large muscles.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is extremely strong. Leaders and staff work with parents and professionals to understand children's individual needs. Speech and language therapists work on site to strengthen partnership working with the setting. Staff create personalised plans with targeted strategies and consistently implement these. As a result, all children make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Staff support children to develop turn-taking skills effectively. They use structured activities and timers to help children to understand how long their turn is. For example, staff intentionally set out fewer dinosaur figures than children, to encourage them to practise using the timer to share. These strategies promote children's patience and social awareness, helping them to build essential social skills for positive interactions with their peers.
• Leaders and managers plan well-sequenced opportunities for children to hear and then use words. They provide real-life experiences to cement children's understanding of the words. Staff use strategies such as signs, visuals and adding a word to what children say to support their language development. However, at times, staff ask children a lot of questions in a row, which limits their conversations.
• Staff foster strong relationships with parents and schools, such as through collaborative workshops. They invite local Reception class teachers to speak at workshops on school readiness. Leaders and managers have individual meetings with parents to discuss how to support children with transitions to school. This helps children be prepared for the next stage of learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's interactions to promote an even more consistent approach in helping children to develop their communication and language skills, particularly by reducing the number of questions asked.