The Willow Tree Nursery School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders create a highly inclusive environment where children's individual needs are recognised promptly and carefully supported. Staff observe children closely and assess their development to recognise any emerging needs. When additional support is required, they collaborate with parents and external professionals to introduce tailored strategies and review children's progress regularly. This helps ensure that support remains effective and that children continue to make progress from their starting points.

Staff use a range of communication approaches to support children who speak English as an additional language and those developing their communication skills. Staff use Makaton signs, visual prompts and simple choice systems to help children understand routines and express their ideas. For example, children use Makaton signs to share preferences and contribute to group activities, ensuring all children are included. These approaches support progress in language, confidence and social interaction.

Leaders use funding thoughtfully to enrich children's experiences and social development. For instance, children, including those receiving support from social care, take part in football sessions that promote teamwork, cooperation and confidence. Families are encouraged to share their languages and traditions, such as reading stories in Mandarin during Lunar New Year, helping children develop cultural awareness while strengthening partnerships between families and the setting.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders design a sequential and well-structured curriculum that builds progressively on children's skills. Staff tap into children's imaginations by transforming a hairdryer into a wolf during a storytelling session, encouraging children to predict whether it can blow down straw, wood or brick. Children discuss their ideas, test predictions and watch the experiment unfold, remaining highly engaged throughout. Staff use real-life objects, props and visual supports to help children, including those learning English as an additional language or with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to understand and participate fully.

Children develop physical coordination, with staff adapting activities to children's abilities and starting points. For example, staff provide a range of hands-on activities to strengthen control and dexterity, such as using tongs, spoons and scoops to transfer materials between containers. These experiences allow children to practise careful movements. Staff adjust the challenge so less-confident children can progress at their own pace while more-experienced children are encouraged to try new techniques. Staff use these physical and practical experiences to embed mathematical understanding in everyday play. Children count and compare buckets of soil in the garden and explore shapes and measurement in construction. They measure water while filling containers, with staff demonstrating and guiding understanding to ensure all children make rapid progress from their starting points.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make rapid progress from their starting points across all areas of learning. They relish the responsibility of preparing snacks for their friends, using tools to cut fruit and vegetables safely. Children persevere when learning new skills, such as putting on coats or pouring their own milk. They respond positively to praise as they become increasingly independent in managing practical tasks. As a result, they take responsibility for themselves, for example wiping up food spills at lunchtime without prompting.

Children develop growing confidence in communication as they share ideas during stories, repeat familiar phrases and discuss what might happen next. They retell stories, such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk', using small-world figures. Children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate alongside their peers, using gestures, signs or words to express ideas. Children listen attentively, follow routines and cooperate during shared tasks, showing they are ready for the next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate positive behaviour and cooperation because routines are clear and consistently reinforced. They take responsibility for shared tasks as they work together to roll up large rugs and tidy resources at the end of activities. These routines help children understand expectations and develop a sense of responsibility for their environment. Staff guide children to reflect on how their actions impact on others. They help them resolve conflicts independently, and this supports the development of empathy and positive relationships.

Warm, trusting relationships underpin children's attitudes to learning. Staff interact closely throughout the day, offering praise, encouragement and gentle guidance. Staff celebrate acts of kindness and cooperation, such as inviting quieter children to join a group activity or noticing when a child waits patiently for a turn. Children respond confidently, showing patience, generosity and a willingness to participate in group experiences.

Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality. Staff monitor patterns of absence and work closely with families when needed, ensuring that children attend consistently and benefit fully from the provision. As a result, children thrive in a supportive environment where they feel valued, secure and motivated to engage positively with both peers and learning opportunities.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children feel extremely safe, supported and confident because staff respond proactively to their individual needs and provide consistent guidance throughout the day. A robust key-person system ensures every child has a trusted adult who knows their routines, interests and needs, enabling children to settle quickly, engage confidently and form secure attachments.

Children develop a clear understanding of safety through practical experiences. For example, they understand the need to wear protective goggles when using hammers and nails during construction activities.

Children are highly supported to recognise and manage their emotions. They use a self-registration system to indicate how they feel when they enter the setting. This helps them to express emotions effectively. Staff guide children to reflect on their feelings, calm down when frustrated, celebrate excitement and consider the impact of their actions on others. This consistent support helps children develop empathy, resilience and confidence in regulating their emotions.

Hygiene and healthy habits are embedded in daily routines. Children practise handwashing before meals, explore nutritious foods during snack preparation and have ample opportunities to move and play outdoors, reinforcing lifelong healthy habits. Physical development is prioritised through joyful singing and dancing. Children move freely to music and follow action songs that build strength, balance and coordination.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear and focused commitment to providing high-quality education and care, ensuring that all children, including those facing barriers to learning, benefit from consistent, supportive experiences. The setting maintains strong partnerships with parents, sharing weekly updates, Makaton signs, story ideas and guidance for routines such as potty training. Parents report that this communication helps them support learning and wellbeing at home, reinforcing continuity between home and nursery.

Staff wellbeing is prioritised through structured induction, ongoing professional learning, supervision and reflective practice. Leaders provide regular feedback, peer observations and opportunities to share training, which strengthens confidence, teaching skills and consistency of care. Staff describe the environment as supportive and collaborative, contributing to a calm, attentive atmosphere where children thrive.

Leaders adopt a reflective approach, promptly acting on feedback from parents, children and staff. For example, earlier drop-off times were introduced following parent suggestions, and garden resources were updated to enhance learning opportunities. The setting works effectively with external professionals and schools to ensure that children receive targeted support and smooth transitions. As a result, children benefit from well-planned, responsive education and care, delivered by motivated and skilled staff, and families feel valued as partners in their child's development.