The Family Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have embedded an effective whole-setting approach to inclusion. This ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those facing barriers to learning and/or wellbeing access the whole curriculum and participate fully in nursery life. From the start, staff take time to understand each child's background, strengths and needs. This helps them to plan support and identify gaps in children's learning.

Children demonstrate confidence as they engage in activities and receive further support from staff to develop. They are sociable, work cooperatively together and enjoy playing with their peers. Well-established relationships and staff's knowledge and skills support all children to succeed. For example, staff scaffold play and consider their interactions carefully to provide personalised approaches that maximise children's learning.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers and other professionals to put strategies in place. They maintain clear communication to ensure a consistently coordinated approach. Leaders monitor every child's progress carefully. They use additional funding thoughtfully to support disadvantaged children, those with SEND, those known to children's social care and children facing wider barriers. They do this in discussion with parents and carers, focusing on the children's needs and interests. Parents value the personalised strategies and next steps that staff share with them. This helps them to support their children's learning and development at home.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff provide an ambitious, inclusive and well-sequenced curriculum that builds progressively on children's knowledge and skills, from babies through to the pre-school room. They have high aspirations for every child, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff use effective assessment to identify children's next steps in learning and skilfully adapt their teaching.

Staff deliver the curriculum through purposeful play and meaningful interactions. They follow children's interests while maintaining ambitious learning intentions. Consistent high-quality interactions support children's communication and language incredibly well. Staff ask thoughtful questions and engage in back-and-forth conversations. They skilfully weave mathematical language and concepts into children's play at every opportunity. For example, while babies join in with the song 'Sleeping Bunnies', staff invite them to count the bunnies. This helps to introduce the language of number at an early age.

Music is a strength of the nursery. Children enthusiastically take part in spontaneous and planned singing activities. This has a noticeable impact on their emotional wellbeing and their growing communication skills.

Children love stories, and staff encourage them to develop their communication skills through involvement in imaginative adventures. Through these activities, children make links to their prior learning and then transfer their knowledge to new activities. This helps children to consolidate their learning and develop confidence and independence.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children, including those with potential barriers to their learning, make excellent progress from their starting points. Children rapidly develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to progress as staff expertly support their individual needs. They are well prepared for their next stage in learning, including the transition to school. Children's learning experiences build on familiarity. For example, revisiting books provides children with the opportunity to consolidate and extend their learning.

Babies enthusiastically participate in familiar songs and enjoy sharing books with adults. They listen attentively, respond to familiar words and sounds and communicate their interests through a range of gestures and expressions. Older children confidently share known books with staff, demonstrating a love of reading. Across the setting, children express high levels of curiosity. They readily explore new experiences and revisit familiar activities to consolidate their learning, deepen their understanding and apply previously acquired skills with increasing independence.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children are kind, considerate and respectful towards staff and each other. Staff are gentle and calm. They consistently use positive reinforcement to help children to understand rules and boundaries. Staff support children who have barriers to their learning with the use of visual aids. This helps them to fully understand what is happening throughout the day and the activities that are on offer. Staff use consistent and effective approaches to help children understand and manage emotions. They talk openly about feelings and acknowledge their emotions. They teach children the concept of gentle hands by encouraging them to use a soft touch on their toy bee. Children love attending this nursery and show that they feel happy and safe.

Relationships between staff and children are a significant strength. Staff provide warm and highly responsive care, maintain consistent routines and have high expectations for behaviour. As a result, children separate confidently from their parents and carers. They transition calmly between activities and show very effective skills in regulating their feelings and sustaining engagement in learning. They confidently choose resources, lead their own play and engage enthusiastically in adult-led activities.

Leaders have a secure understanding of how attendance and punctuality are important to supporting children's learning opportunities. They ensure that communication with parents is consistent and actively keep them involved in their child's development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders pride themselves on creating a home-from-home environment that nurtures and celebrates individuality and prioritises emotional and physical wellbeing. They have designed highly flexible and robust settling-in procedures, tailored to children's and families' individual needs. Settling-in sessions are carefully planned, meaning that trusting relationships between staff, children and families develop swiftly. Staff strengthen relationships further through highly effective key-person systems. This ensures every child's emotional wellbeing remains a consistent focus and that care and learning are tailored to each individual.

Leaders and staff know all children extremely well. Staff are attentive to children's safety throughout the day, such as during meals, sleep and personal care routines. They treat all children with dignity and respect. For example, during care routines, staff ask children's permission to change their nappy, explain to them what they are doing and encourage them to assist. This encourages children to advocate for themselves and develop independence.

Leaders ensure that children's health and wellbeing are consistently promoted throughout the nursery. Children enjoy nutritious, home-cooked meals and snacks prepared freshly by the nursery's catering team. They play outdoors whenever they choose to and have well-established hygiene routines that support their health and wellbeing. This supports children to develop life-long healthy habits.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly reflective and have a vast knowledge of their areas of strength and development. They continuously evaluate practice and provision to identify where and how to implement changes. Leaders are extremely passionate about ensuring all children receive positive learning opportunities, become confident learners and are safe in the environment. They make decisions that are in the best interests of children, particularly when developments can be made to support their learning and wellbeing.

Leaders follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and appropriately qualified to work with children. Staff are deployed effectively across the setting to ensure the quality of care for children is consistent and beneficial.

There is a harmonious atmosphere among staff, who feel respected and valued by the leadership team. They comment on the high levels of support they receive personally and professionally. During regular meetings and supervision sessions, leaders prioritise staff's emotional wellbeing and workload. Staff are offered further learning opportunities to progress in their professional development and career. As a result, staff are empowered, enthusiastic and driven to provide high-quality care and practice.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers to liaise with professionals, such as the specialist early education service and virtual school. This ensures that support is mirrored both in the setting and at home.