Tower Hill Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff work conscientiously to create a calm and welcoming nursery. They prioritise children's emotional security and adapt care routines to meet individual needs. Babies are soothed by familiar adults who respond quickly if they become unsettled. When needed, staff adjust routines, such as bringing in sleep pods to support babies and toddlers who need rest. This flexible, responsive care helps children feel safe and understood.

Leaders are mindful of children's home lives and backgrounds. They support staff to plan a curriculum that includes clear routines, consistent expectations and emotional support. Leaders ensure the learning environment reflects the nursery's curriculum priorities. Staff thoughtfully plan each room to match children's developmental stages, including sensory trays, construction areas, role play areas and quiet spaces that promote exploration, interaction and focus. They organise the environment to encourage children to play together, share ideas and build friendships. In the pre-school rooms, older children often create their own games and storylines, showing growing confidence in working with others.

Staff model consistent routines and expectations, supporting children to understand boundaries and develop a sense of responsibility. They use calm, clear language and guide children through transitions, such as tidy-up time or group activities. Children understand what is expected of them at different times of the day. Babies line up in anticipation of washing their hands in readiness for lunch.

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

• Leaders reflect regularly on what is working well and what needs to improve. They review staff practice, monitor children's progress and act on feedback from staff and families. They have recently focused on strengthening support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have provided extra training and used additional funding to purchase targeted resources and increase adult support during key parts of the day.
• Leaders support staff development through regular training, supervision and a strong induction process. They tailor development to team needs and have recently used staff meetings to run workshops on planning and curriculum intent. New staff complete a structured induction that includes safeguarding, daily routines and expectations before taking on key responsibilities.
• Staff provide thoughtful and well-planned support for children with SEND. Leaders work closely with parents and external professionals to create clear, targeted plans. Staff use visual aids, emotion coaching and adapted routines to help children access learning and feel secure. Children with SEND progress well and take part confidently in daily activities alongside their peers.
• Staff identify next steps for children's learning and also group room targets. However, some next steps remain too general to guide focused teaching, which reduces the precision of teaching and overall progress that children can make.
• The outdoor areas offer opportunities for physical play and exploration. This includes adventurous play experiences such as climbing. However, the learning is not as well planned or timetabled as indoors. This means children have fewer chances to build on their learning across different environments.
• Staff place a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. They use clear modelling, repetition and visual supports, such as objects of reference, to help all children understand and express themselves. Bilingual staff play a key role in supporting children who speak English as an additional language, using home languages to build confidence and aid comprehension.
• Children across all age groups show positive attitudes to learning and are eager to join in. Staff support children to feel emotionally ready by providing calm, familiar routines and warm, consistent interactions. In the baby room, staff gently encourage exploration through sensory play. Toddlers show excitement as they role play fire-fighters. Pre-school children stay focused as they use jugs, funnels and other tools to investigate capacity and cause and effect in sand. Staff interact well with children so they stay engaged and enjoy learning.
• Staff help children learn how to care for themselves and others. They encourage children to use cutlery at mealtimes, find their own water and manage their personal care. Staff also teach children how to share, follow simple rules and recognise how their actions affect those around them.
• Staff build strong relationships with children and families. They share regular updates through face-to-face conversations and the online app, taking time to get to know families and children's individual backgrounds. Staff communicate clearly about children's health needs, including allergies, dietary requirements, medication and any accidents that occur.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and enhance the planning and precision of children's next steps so that they clearly identify what each child needs and how they will be supported
• enhance the outdoor provision and timetabling to provide regular, purposeful access to well-planned learning across all areas.