The Park Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders ensure that an inclusive culture is promoted and understood by all. The nursery is extremely inviting and welcoming for all attending. Leaders and their team of staff are dedicated to ensuring all children experience inclusive practice during their time at nursery. Highly skilled staff complete robust assessments and observations of children. They invest time in getting to know each child and their family. Staff are passionate and consistently deliver inclusive practice to support children's learning. High-quality interactions and a comprehensive knowledge of child development mean that any barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are swiftly identified. Robust monitoring of children's progress ensures that the support provided has an impact on outcomes. This informs the ongoing support required, and children's next steps in learning, to ensure all children reach their full potential.

Leaders ensure that the use of any additional funding, such as early years pupil premium funding, is purposeful and targeted. For example, the provision of specific resources, planned outings and additional singing and dance sessions enables disadvantaged children to access enrichment, improve their physical skills and build their confidence. Leaders ensure that staff feel confident in their roles and receive ongoing training and support so that they can be highly effective in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. High priority is given to ensuring a consistent and inclusive approach. Leaders work closely with parents and carers and external professionals to ensure continuity.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and the staff team understand the broad and ambitious curriculum. This is designed around children's interests, is flexible and supports planning in the moment. They provide learning opportunities following children's changing interests and curiosity. For example, children make choices and decide they need roads and ramps for their cars. Staff are skilful in how they support this. They make subtle suggestions and challenge children's thinking about which resources could be used to create this.

Staff teach children the skills needed to be independent learners. Leaders monitor the quality of teaching to ensure children make steady progress. Initial assessments and ongoing observations are completed. Children's key persons have meaningful discussions with parents and carers regarding their child's progress. This means that they identify children's next stages in learning effectively and adapt activities accordingly. This also ensures that children with barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing can fully participate.

Staff fully understand that if children are happy and settled, they will develop a positive attitude to learning. Therefore, leaders and staff prioritise children's physical, personal and emotional development to ensure children feel secure. Leaders and staff encourage children to be confident communicators and support communication and language well. They engage children in spontaneous singing, teach children signing and use picture prompts to help with communication. Staff model a wide vocabulary to children through meaningful engagement and successfully promote children's love of stories and books. Discussion takes place during forest school activities as children are encouraged to describe their creations. Children confidently discuss the importance of staying safe when using real tools and listen intently to instructions. However, the organisation of mealtimes for pre-school children is not yet seamlessly implemented and has an impact on children's learning at these times.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children and babies feel safe and secure and develop a very positive attitude to learning. They are curious learners, ask lots of questions and are enthusiastic to try new challenges. Children thrive in the nursery environment and with the support they receive from the nurturing, knowledgeable staff. Children's personal, social and emotional development and their communication and language skills are developing well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children make significant progress as a result of attending nursery. All children fully participate in the nursery day.

Children learn in a calm atmosphere. They are well prepared and ready for their next stage in learning and transition to school. All children, regardless of their starting points and any barriers to learning, make excellent progress in their development, and strategies and early interventions are in place to support all children, including children with SEND.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a positive environment that fully supports children's personal, social and emotional development. Leaders have high expectations, and these are reinforced throughout the day. While the mealtime routine is being strengthened, familiar routines do provide children with a sense of security and an understanding of what is happening next. Calm and caring staff consistently model expected behaviour well. Children form trusting bonds with them and all staff, as the nursery is small and homely.

The use of books and teachable moments helps children understand feelings and emotions and the impact that certain behaviours have on their friends. They have dens and cosy spaces where they can relax and have some time to be quiet and peaceful. Children show kindness to one another and typically have the language to express how they feel. Children are supported in learning to take turns and negotiate with one another. For example, they understand the rules for 2 children participating in forest school activities and are reminded of them by their friends. They sit on logs and wait their turn to ensure that they stay safe.

Leaders and staff actively encourage good attendance. They are flexible with settling-in sessions and offer support to parents and carers to ensure attendance. This ensures children's welfare and helps children to build secure relationships and fully participate.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff typically promote children's welfare and wellbeing effectively through nurturing and responsive care and established routines. An effective key-person system is in place, and all staff speak knowledgeably of the children attending. Staff tailor care practices to meet children's individual and emerging needs. Children have formed trusting bonds with staff. They confidently share their achievements with their key persons and seek reassurance and cuddles when needed. This provides emotional security. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those with barriers to learning, benefit from tailored emotional and communication support, such as visual prompts and signing. This helps them feel secure and fully included.

Children learn about their own personal safety during activities. For example, children confidently use scissors to cut and know the importance of holding them correctly. Children are taught to stay safe outdoors during outings in the local community. However, the staff do not yet teach children how to stay safe when using digital technology. Therefore, opportunities for children to learn how to stay safe online are fewer and not yet fully embedded in practice.

Children delight in their time outdoors in the fresh air. They have opportunities to develop their physical skills as they run at speed and use slides with skill. Children enjoy sand and water play. They learn mathematical concepts as they fill and empty pots and discuss the importance of strong muscles when the buckets are heavy. Children enjoy the range of healthy snacks provided and learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle through conversations. However, the organisation of mealtimes for pre-school children does not always support their engagement and wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are extremely passionate and dedicated to providing children with the best possible start. They have a clear and ambitious vision for what they want children to learn. Leaders promote a culture of evaluation and are realistic in assessing the nursery and areas requiring development. For example, the need to improve the organisation of mealtimes so that it does not negatively impact on children's emotional wellbeing has been highlighted, but this is yet to be fully embedded in practice.

Leaders ensure that children are cared for by happy staff. This is successfully achieved as leaders value their staff team. They consider the team's workload and wellbeing. Leaders ensure staff are equipped to deliver high-quality teaching through the monitoring of practice, training opportunities, and regular, purposeful supervision meetings. Staff speak highly of the leaders and with enthusiasm of their role, and feel supported.

Leaders work effectively with parents and carers and external professionals to meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They carefully observe children and ensure that accurate assessments inform children's next steps in learning effectively. Inclusive practice is a strength. Leaders understand the importance of smooth transitions to support children as they move on to school. Parents speak highly, and with gratitude, of all aspects of the nursery, its leaders and its staff. They comment on the rapid progress their children have made and the 'amazing' support their children and the whole family receive.