The Cottage Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Each and every child's unique backgrounds are understood and cherished. This is a highly inclusive nursery where every child is supported to flourish and truly be themselves. Some staff are specifically trained to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Their expertise is commendable, and the support offered for those children who face barriers to their learning is excellent. Staff have worked hard to establish relationships with a range of professionals, such as speech therapists, and seek their expertise to offer children the specific support they need and deserve. All children are supported to make the best start in their lives, regardless of need and background.

Staff routinely observe children and quickly take steps to narrow gaps through targeted teaching. When children first start attending, staff gather extremely detailed information from parents and carers about their abilities and needs. Staff work at pace to add their professional observations and ascertain children's accurate starting points. They clearly understand children's needs and strive to meet these from the outset of placement.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff use their frequent observations to check what children know and identify where they may benefit from additional support. Teaching is targeted to narrow gaps and help children make steady progress.

Teaching children to communicate and develop their language skills is prioritised by all staff throughout the setting. Staff are excellent role models in this area of learning, in particular. Babies and younger children hear lots of narration as staff describe what they are doing. They sing to children, extending vocabulary through rhythm and rhyme. Older children benefit from challenging questions to help them think and learn how to join in conversations. The teaching to support this aspect of development is worthy of praise. Children become confident communicators.

Children who need additional support are helped to keep up with their peers. Leaders identify children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They then work with parents and other professionals to create learning plans with clear and achievable targets. These plans are fully understood by everyone. This collective understanding helps to ensure all support is consistent, and, therefore, maximises impact.

The curriculum is planned to offer children a breadth of different learning opportunities. For example, children benefit from different classes delivered in the nursery, such as baking clubs, French lessons, music and gymnastics sessions. Coupled with a range of fun activities prepared by staff and spontaneous play, children remain busy, enjoy their time spent in this setting and are well supported to make progress.

Achievement: Expected standard

Babies are supported to develop their strength and master their emerging physical skills. They use purposefully placed low-level furniture to pull themselves up to standing. Babies balance and practise taking steps safely and with plenty of encouragement. Older children begin to develop their early reading and writing skills. For instance, at lunchtime, they find their names printed on place mats. This task helps to develop an awareness that print carries meaning. They use their fingers and large movements to trace the shape of letters, developing foundation skills for early writing. Children of all ages enjoy age-appropriate learning opportunities, and subtle adaptations help to support development. For instance, babies and younger children learn to feed themselves with spoons that are easier to handle. Older children progress to using a knife and fork at mealtimes to refine their fine motor and self-help skills.

Children are supported to learn new skills and are also offered opportunities to practise and master what they can already do. Everyone, including those children who face barriers to their learning, are well supported and acquire key skills in readiness for school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are polite and respectful. The nursery is typically calm and orderly, with routines and behaviour expectations consistently implemented by all staff. Staff reward children with charts, stickers and plenty of praise. These systems help to motivate children, who always try hard to do their best. Staff help children to learn about their feelings and emotions through toys, books and games. They teach children about different feelings and help them to learn how to regulate strong emotions. Friendships flourish, and children benefit from secure relationships with both peers and staff. Although routines are largely orderly, sometimes, staff do not effectively manage transitions between activities. For instance, at lunchtime, some children are left waiting for extended periods without focus or high-quality interactions from staff during this time of the day.

Children become increasingly independent. Younger children are encouraged to put toys away after playing, a responsibility they take pride in completing. Older children successfully begin to manage their own personal care routines, such as independent handwashing and toileting routines.

Staff work closely with parents to promote consistent and regular attendance. A digital registration procedure helps leaders to quickly identify and address unexpected absences. Leaders are proud that children enjoy their time spent at the setting and report that attendance is high across all ages, which impacts on children's development, as learning is often uninterrupted.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Both children and staff thrive because their personal wellbeing is heavily prioritised. Everyone's happiness and welfare are at the core of the nursery's excellent ethos. Each week, everyone looks forward to 'feel-good Friday'. On Fridays, children and staff dress down, which serves to create a strong sense of ease, contributing to children's excellent emotional welfare. Children benefit from a 'mindfulness room' located within the nursery. Relaxing sensory lights and calm music offer space for children to be peaceful, serene and quiet. This contributes to their immense contentedness and personal wellbeing. Staff make excellent use of this space when needed and adapt activities and teaching to meet children's individual needs.

Leaders understand that positive relationships and attachments are key to children's emotional security. Paddington, the nursery dog, alongside several nursery rabbits, help children to learn empathy and fosters their kindness towards others. These animals also help children to establish a calm mindset and regulate their emotions as they play gently and quietly. Children have strong attachments with staff, peers and animals. Opportunities for children to rest and relax are readily offered through excellent flexible routines. Sleeping children are frequently checked, and the temperature is also monitored to ensure exemplary safety standards are maintained during sleep times.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The families who access this nursery benefit from an extremely passionate and driven senior leadership team that strives to offer a high-quality service. Leaders have a wonderful attitude towards self-evaluation, reflection and improvement. Staff and leaders benefit from regular support meetings with local authority quality advisers. This helps leaders to celebrate what they do well and highlight areas to improve.

Leaders have oversight of the day-to-day practice throughout the nursery because they spend plenty of time in the rooms. They meet with staff each year in formal supervision meetings to discuss professional practice, and staff comment that they feel well supported. However, leaders have not yet fully established systems to provide staff with more regular feedback on their day-to-day teaching to develop an even stronger culture of continual improvement.

Leaders often check that staff workload is manageable. Adaptations to working hours are made, if needed, to ensure staff benefit from a good home life balance. As such, staff are happy and work hard. Staff attend online training courses to develop their skills and knowledge. Leaders intend to extend this programme of professional development to include more face-to-face training to further enrich the programme of training.