The Willcocks Nursery School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Through early intervention, ongoing assessment and professional partnership, leaders and staff consistently make a positive and clear difference to the personal and learning experiences of every child. For example, through observation and targeted plans, staff are able to recognise potential barriers to learning and work closely with parents to ensure that effective referrals and support are put in place. As a result, children with barriers to learning, such as physical impairments or developmental delays, receive the support they require, which is then mirrored in the setting for consistency. The setting has weekly professional visits, such as from speech and language therapists, to support children with their individual progress to ensure that they are consistently progressing and being well supported.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive ongoing effective and positive support from staff. Using baseline starting points, frequent observation and then targeted plans, staff are able to rigorously plan next steps that meet the needs of every child. Staff are highly skilled at adapting activities to ensure that every child receives high-quality care and education that makes a clear, positive difference to children's opportunities and experiences. For example, staff have a deep knowledge of different schemas that children may present, and they adapt activities to ensure that every child can still engage and learn while supporting their schema and preferred learning style.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders and staff offer a high-quality and inclusive curriculum that sets high expectations for children's learning experiences. Staff reflect and then plan weekly activities with their key children to ensure that every child receives a rich curriculum across the setting. The curriculum is well designed. It focuses on the 7 areas of learning and then incorporates a strong sense of cultural capital and school readiness to ensure that children are confident, ready and able for their next stage of learning. There is a well-embedded focus on communication and language within the curriculum, and staff consistently model language. For example, story bags, labels, inviting displays, stories and ongoing meaningful conversation are just a few of the ways in which staff promote language development.

Leaders and staff are well trained in understanding how to deliver an ongoing curriculum, with the understanding that all interactions and experiences are beneficial to children and positive teaching moments. Staff are adaptable and able to offer well-planned teaching experiences, while being flexible and following the directions of children, which match their experiences and emerging ideas. The curriculum is well developed, and, using guidance from educational professionals and ongoing training support, leaders and staff are continuously reviewing their curriculum to ensure that it is current, engaging and meeting the needs of the cohort of children.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are ready for their next stage of learning, including school, and they demonstrate secure and progressive knowledge across all 7 areas of learning. This means that they are prepared well for the next stage in their learning. Through bright and welcoming displays, children's work is celebrated and presented, which creates a sense of pride. Staff use individual learning journeys to record children's ongoing achievement, and, by exploring these journals, it is evident that children are developing, thriving and achieving as they grow through the setting.

Children are consistently making progress and achieving and learning from prior experiences that staff have offered them. For example, older children engage in conversations about life cycles and cause and effect learning experiences such as liquids to solids. Younger children begin to use child-safe knives to prepare their snack, and, with confidence, they are able to cut their own fruit. This supports their independence. All children, including those with barriers to learning or special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making positive progress and thriving from the well-planned curriculum with noticeable achievements and outcomes.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have embedded high expectations for children's behaviour, with a secure routine that helps support children's understanding and confidence. Children, including younger children, are able to manage their feelings and demonstrate age-appropriate positive behaviour. Staff use a consistent approach in dealing with behaviour, and, as a result, children positively benefit and can self-regulate and discuss their feelings. Methods such as timers, countdowns and bells are used to regain children's attention or to correct behaviour where needed. These methods and a secure routine help children understand expectations and manage their feelings in an age-appropriate way.

Leaders have recently updated their attendance policy and shared this with parents, with a sharp focus on the importance of routine attendance. This will support children to achieve and understand the routine. There is a culture of school attendance expectations, which positively helps prepare children for the transition to primary school, for example through developing positive attendance habits. Children are eager to engage and learn, and they show high levels of excitement and interest as the staff present them with learning experiences. For example, during a mathematics focus activity, staff present 4 different activities that all have a different mathematical intent. Children eagerly observe the activity instructions and then make a choice about which to engage in first.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff consistently prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of every child. They review planning and relevant policies frequently to ensure that the best possible outcomes for children are offered. For example, following an update to safer sleep guidance, leaders recreate the safer sleep policy and purchase suitable equipment that matches the guidance.

Staff demonstrate an understanding of every child, and they use this knowledge to support children's emotional wellbeing. Staff engage in activities and conversations with the children about new siblings, relocations, family holidays and personal events such as running the London marathon. As a result, children are confident and well settled in the setting, and they seek the attention of all staff to share ideas, play and engage in learning experiences with them. There is a secure routine that has been well embedded. As a result, children settle quickly, are calm and understand what is happening now and next. Staff have a priority focus on health and wellbeing, and children are consistently encouraged to make healthy choices and engage in activities to support this. For example, throughout the setting there are mirrors at child level with wipes, tissues and hand cleanser, which the children use independently. Staff provide children with activities that support healthy habits. For example, children engage in activities in which they craft their version of a tooth and then split food items into 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' and create a healthy tooth.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are reflective, adaptable and committed to continuous growth while improving the quality of care and education. Using support from local authorities, community early years coordinators and ongoing training, they ensure that all staff are up to date and well informed of current practice expectations and how to deliver to a high standard.

Leaders and staff demonstrate a culture of high expectations from one another, and, through formal supervision methods, staff are well supported and equipped to fulfil their role. Staff are continuously seeking further improvement opportunities and show an open culture to wanting to grow through training platforms and setting-based meetings and updates. As a result of this, staff understand their roles and are well trained in delivering effective care and education. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that best outcomes are delivered. For example, following a previous inspection where concerns around safer recruitment were recognised, leaders signed on to a safer recruitment training programme via the local authority and conducted an external safeguarding audit. As a result of this, all staff files were updated, and policy was reviewed to ensure that safer recruitment checks are consistently followed for all staff.

The staffing team members at the setting have worked with one another for a significant length of time, and, because of this, they each understand one another's strengths and use this to an advantage. For example, staff deliver language lessons or gardening depending on their skill and interest. Formal supervision procedures allow an opportunity for staff to share any concerns and for leaders to check in on wellbeing and workload.

Leaders and staff are passionate about cultural capital, and they are well involved with the community. For example, visits to local schools are conducted, where teachers and staff share ideas for how the setting can help prepare children for the transition into their school. Leaders also partner with local universities for placement opportunities, and they support newly qualified staff's transition into the sector.