The John Wallis Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The John Wallis Nursery is a wonderful place for children to learn and have fun. The children enjoy a stimulating, caring and secure environment. Every member of staff is committed to assisting each child in achieving their full potential, regardless of their starting point.

Children enter the nursery with smiles on their faces. They settle down to the activities quickly and remain focused for extremely long periods of time. On the unusually hot day of the inspection, exciting experiences included splashing and laughing with friends in the paddling pool and exploring bugs frozen in ice.

Children behave extremely well, always ready with a please or thank you. They are able to help each other follow the rules and take turns during activities. For example, younger children hand out snacks to their friends. Adults are wonderful role models. This was seen in their flexibility to support each other throughout the day, giving children a clear message of how to be kind and to respect others. Children begin to learn how to resolve conflicts for themselves and, as a result, the nursery is a harmonious and happy place.

Parents and carers say that their children thrive and that the staff 'go above and beyond' to ensure that children are helped to succeed. They value the extremely high expectations staff have of children and the quality time they spend getting to know everyone. Staff have exceptional knowledge around how to best support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to take a full part in learning, so they can achieve as highly as others.

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

• The manager and staff understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's personal and social development. They are extremely successful in supporting turn taking and building friendships. For example, they very skilfully intervened to resolve a dispute, encouraging children to take turns pouring from the teapots during a fruit-tea and water-play activity.
• Communication and language are strengths of the nursery. Adults skilfully support children to communicate in a range of ways, such as through sign language and pictures. Well-chosen books are used to spark children's imagination. Puppets, props and musical instruments significantly enhance children's enjoyment and learning as they act out the stories that are read to them.
• Staff are positive role models. They are kind, caring and form secure attachments with children. During activities, staff get down to the children's level and actively engage and play alongside them. For example, when children are role playing in the home corner, staff extend their learning and imaginative play while they get 'pizza' ready for dinner.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff know all children and their families extremely well. Parents speak positively about the manager and staff and the high level of care provided for their children. Partnerships with other professionals involved in children's care, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are excellently maintained.
• Staff know the curriculum in detail and understand what learning individual children need to do next. They present new learning skilfully and give children precise and clear explanations. For example, the younger children were painting portraits of their friends and looking carefully at one another's faces saying 'You have brown eyes but I have blue.'
• The new baby room has added a wonderful dimension to an already successful nursery. Parents state that staff listen and act on the ever-changing needs of their babies.
• Babies and younger children spend time immersed in a communication-rich environment, where they hear songs, stories and rhymes. They demonstrate very high levels of concentration and listening during song time. For example, they repeat the actions in 'If you're happy and you know it'. All children join in with actions supported skilfully by nurturing and sensitive staff.
• The pre-school children have a weekly football session and teachers from the academy come and teach French and PE sessions during the week. The children show visitors their football skills in the large playground. Parents say that the strong links with the academy help to form a smooth transition to school for their children.
• The manager implements effective strategies, such as supervision and termly staff meetings, to ensure they are meeting the needs of all children and planning an exciting curriculum. She has a clear and precise vision for the nursery and strives for excellence throughout.