Willow House Nursery School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this exceptionally well-resourced and inclusive nursery, where staff build strong relationships with all children and their families. Staff are attentive to children's emotional needs and ensure that they feel safe, valued and secure. The curriculum is carefully planned to encourage children's autonomy and independence, leading to high levels of concentration and engagement in learning. Young children use their senses to explore real-life objects. They compare the textures of soft flannels and rough brushes. Young children excitedly unwrap props for song time and are eager to join in with action songs. They twinkle their fingers as staff gently sing to them.

Older children confidently engage in role play and construct a wall, pretending to be builders. Children enthusiastically mix together sand and foam to create 'cement'. They develop excellent problem-solving skills during their play. Staff enhance their learning as they ask them questions that allow time to think and respond. They introduce new words, such as 'consistency', to support and deepen their understanding. Staff's skilful interactions enhance children's mathematical knowledge. For example, staff teach children how to use a tape measure and help them to measure the tall towers they have built. Children consolidate their number skills. They count objects accurately and demonstrate the quantity each number represents with wooden rings and balls of play dough. Children apply their knowledge of number to shapes, identifying that a triangle has three sides.

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

• Leaders are dedicated to their roles and committed to delivering outstanding levels of care and education to all children at all times. They ensure staff receive focused and highly effective professional development opportunities to continually enhance their already excellent practice and outcomes for children. Leaders place a strong focus on supporting the well-being of their staff team. They provide incentives such as subsidised healthcare, and trophies are awarded to staff to recognise individual best practice.
• Staff's knowledge of each child's needs and the implementation of robust assessment measures ensure children make exceptional progress from their starting points. Staff complete a baseline assessment of children's prior knowledge and skills at induction. Staff target their support from the outset and give high levels of attention to children's unique backgrounds. Children's ongoing assessments are completed in collaboration with parents. Staff share children's next steps in learning with parents to offer a highly complementary approach to children's care and learning to maximise the progress they make.
• Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff teach children to use strategies to self-regulate their behaviours. They consistently model and reinforce techniques, such as 'finger breathing', to help children recognise and manage their emotions. This helps children to respond calmly in challenging situations and leads to a positive approach to learning.
• Staff thoughtfully support children's literacy development through interactive story time activities. They introduce new vocabulary, such as 'ecstatic', to help children connect emotions to real-life scenarios. Children confidently identify and label emotions. They recall past learning and link colours, such as green, to feeling calm. Children announce, 'I feel calm when I am safe.'
• Staff use innovative ways to support children to make outstanding progress in their communication skills. During small-group activities, staff use digital technology to scan QR codes so children can hear welcome songs and phrases in their home language. All children participate and listen attentively. This helps to promote their sense of identify and enhances their language development.
• Staff prioritise children's health and well-being. They support them to develop an understanding of nutritional values through carefully planned menus and food-related play activities. During snack time, children independently use tongs to serve themselves vegetables. They show an understanding of where food comes from, proudly explaining that 'milk comes from cows' udders'. Regular cookery sessions encourage children to try new foods and help them develop an even broader palate and a positive mindset towards healthy foods.
• Staff provide meaningful, community-focused learning experiences that support children's natural curiosity and promote their respect and understanding of others. Children have lots of opportunities to engage with their local community. Staff take children on regular outings. For example, they meet with residents in the local care home and walk to the lake to explore nature. These experiences help children to enhance their confidence in social situations and engage in meaningful conversations about what they see in the world around them.
• Staff build strong partnerships with parents and celebrate festivals and events that are meaningful and relevant to each family. Parents are actively involved in sharing cultural traditions and are invited into nursery to share their experiences of celebrations such as Diwali. Staff plan nursery events to raise money for charitable causes. Leaders explain that they support a food programme in the Gambia rather than partaking in highly publicised events, to make children's learning more relevant and impactful.
• Parents are highly complimentary of the care and education their children receive and value the thoughtful, detailed updates on their children's experiences and achievements. They describe staff as understanding and supportive, noting that they go above and beyond. Parents attribute their children's progress to the exceptional dedication and quality of care provided.