Village Nurseries Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have a thorough understanding of the barriers that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who experience disadvantage, may face in their learning and development. They use highly effective monitoring strategies to identify gaps in children's development. Staff use detailed information gathered from parents and carers to respond swiftly to children's needs. This ensures that support is targeted and effective. Leaders and staff implement a highly consistent and skilful approach to inclusion that enables all children to flourish.

Leaders and staff seek specialist advice and work closely with a wide range of external professionals, including occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. They embed professional guidance carefully into daily practice through tailored one-to-one support and small-group activities that address children's specific needs, such as their speech and language development and social interaction.

Leaders use additional funding purposefully to ensure children can access all areas of the curriculum and to strengthen staff's understanding of supporting children's needs through a structured approach. For example, they have purchased sensory resources and outdoor equipment to support children's sensory development and physical coordination. Leaders meet regularly with each child's family to ensure they feel informed, reassured and confident about the support their child receives. This proactive approach promotes consistency of learning between the setting and home. All children make excellent progress in the expert care and education provided at the setting.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Highly knowledgeable and experienced leaders have created an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. This is carefully tailored to meet each child's learning needs, including those who face barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff know children remarkably well and implement the curriculum to the highest standards. They engage in purposeful interactions that support children's next steps in learning. Teaching is precise and responsive to children's overall development, prioritising their personal, social and emotional needs. For example, children enjoy birdwatching and can confidently identify birds, such as robins, blue tits and sparrows. They also excitedly talk about hearing birds chirping at home. Children remember what they learn. They confidently link past experiences with present learning, using a rich and varied vocabulary.

Staff weave all areas of learning within the early years foundation stage framework, particularly communication and language, skilfully into teaching and play throughout the day. Staff are dedicated, attentive and reflective. They confidently extend children's vocabulary and spark their curiosity through inspiring experiences, such as nature walks, music sessions, visits to the library and learning about animals. For example, children enjoy having donkey rides at the nursery.

Children eagerly enact the story, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', outdoors. They count the different foods the caterpillar eats. Children sing a song about metamorphosis while staff accompany them on the guitar. These engaging experiences help children to develop lifelong learning skills, such as focus, creativity, perseverance and collaboration. Children are confident, curious learners who enjoy exploring and discovering new ideas.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress from their starting points. They benefit from an emphasis on developing their understanding and love of language through daily exposure to nursery rhymes, songs and stories. This contributes to children developing a deep love of books. For instance, children confidently recall their favourite stories. They are beginning to identify the sounds in their names and link them to familiar songs. This helps children to remember what they have learned. Children speak fluently and articulate their ideas clearly when interacting with others. They demonstrate high levels of focus and concentration and show pride in their achievements, eagerly sharing their work with staff.

Children confidently select activities that interest them and play extremely well with their peers. For example, they enjoy playing at the water tray, where they share resources and take turns. Children use early mathematical language to compare size and count items. For instance, children understand that a five-year-old child is older than a four-year-old child. Children demonstrate high levels of focus, concentration and independence. They are extremely well supported for the next stage in their learning, including the move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff have consistently high expectations for children's behaviour. They create respectful and nurturing environments. There are well-established routines that successfully promote children's independence, confidence and wellbeing. Staff consistently model a calm, warm and sensitive approach that helps children to feel safe, secure and valued. For example, during nappy-changing routines, staff engage children in purposeful conversations and encourage them to develop their independence by attempting self-care skills. Children form secure and trusting relationships with staff and develop positive self-esteem. They are respectful, kind and independent. Children demonstrate exemplary behaviour and highly positive attitudes to learning. Children skilfully use their individual communication boards to make choices and support them during daily routines.

Children are happy, settled and keen to attend the setting, which reflects the warm and meaningful relationships they share with staff and their friends. They enthusiastically play indoors and outdoors using a wide range of stimulating and well-planned resources and activities. For example, children take turns as they go down the slide and collaborate with friends and staff to make play dough. They demonstrate excellent social skills and enjoyment in their play.

Leaders and staff work collaboratively with families to promote children's regular attendance, which contributes to children's sustained engagement in learning. When children enrol, leaders and staff gather detailed information about their routines. They work in partnership with families to ensure continuity of care and learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate an unwavering commitment to promoting children's wellbeing. The setting is extremely well maintained, stimulating and welcoming. The settling-in process is carefully tailored to meet each child's needs, helping them settle quickly and smoothly. A well-established key-person system enables staff to know each child very well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. Staff respond sensitively to children's needs, offering reassurance and comfort. This helps children to feel safe and confident to explore the learning environment.

Children develop high levels of emotional wellbeing and confidence. Staff value the voice of every child and provide opportunities for them to choose what they want to do. For example, children vote for the book they would like to read during circle time. Staff use effective strategies to help children to recognise and express their emotions. For instance, staff support children in using colour-coded sensory resources linked to different emotions to help them understand and regulate their feelings.

Promoting healthy lifestyles is central to the setting's practice. Leaders share information with parents and carers about healthy eating. This ensures that children are provided with nutritious and well-balanced meals. During snack time, children choose which fruits they would like to eat, cut them into small pieces and pour their own drinks, supporting their growing independence. Staff supervise children carefully to minimise the risk of choking. Children show a secure understanding of how healthy and unhealthy foods affect their bodies. For example, they say that milk helps to keep their bones to be strong. Children thrive in this nurturing environment where their needs are consistently met.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders maintain excellent standards across the setting. They are ambitious, inspirational and highly reflective. Leaders use robust self-evaluation to identify strengths and drive continuous improvement. For example, they have invested in outdoor climbing equipment of different sizes for older and younger children. This provides opportunities for children to strengthen their physical skills and self-confidence.

Leaders implement rigorous recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. They provide a well-structured induction programme that supports newly appointed staff to understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders hold regular and effective supervision sessions and provide coaching to strengthen staff knowledge and skills. They place an emphasis on professional development. Staff actively participate in continuous professional development opportunities and recognise the positive impact of training on their practice. For instance, after attending training on communication and language, staff use story sacks and rhyme bags to further support children's language development. Staff retention is a notable strength of the setting. Staff demonstrate a remarkably positive team spirit and say that leaders support their wellbeing effectively.

Leaders and staff observe and assess children's progress with great accuracy. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of each child's individual learning and developmental needs. Leaders and staff build effective partnerships with parents and carers and external professionals. This helps to ensure children receive appropriate support. Staff communicate regularly with parents about their child's day and progress through a range of approaches, such as verbal feedback, an online childcare application and termly meetings. Parents speak very positively about their experiences at the setting, particularly those whose children have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged.