Willow Tree Day Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have successfully created an inclusive culture across all aspects of practice. Children's individual needs are very well known and met. Early identification of children's needs through purposeful observation and assessment and a strong commitment to collaborative working with involved professionals helps to ensure that children make excellent progress. Flexible session times and carefully considered use of additional funding help those children facing barriers to their learning access their full entitlement and be fully integrated into nursery life. For example, leaders have extended morning session times so that children could enjoy the social occasion of lunch with their peers; a significant aspect of some children's development of new skills.

Leaders demonstrate high ambition for all children, including those with special educational skills and/or disabilities. This is equally shared by staff who show a commitment and genuine desire to ensure that all children thrive and reach their potential. Staff are dedicated to implementing assessment and planning tools they are trained in and act swiftly to put in place the advice and guidance given by involved professionals. Parents share their high praise and appreciation for the work of the leaders and staff. They comment on how quickly staff take action to identify and pass on concerns regarding development, the excellent support they have received and the rapid progress their children have made in a short space of time.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear ethos for the design of the curriculum, which is centred around a holistic understanding of each child. The curriculum has sufficient breadth and depth to support children in all areas of their development. Staff use their observations of children to assess what children know and can do. This informs teaching and planning to help children progress and develop the skills and knowledge they need to learn next. As part of implementation of children's individual educational plans, staff adapt their teaching to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are taught well. In the main, staff understand the importance of helping children to develop secure foundations before moving on to new skills.

The curriculum for communication and language is typically taught well. Staff teach with purposefulness. For example, staff use single words, clearly pronounced as they engage with babies' and young toddlers. Staff broaden children's communication and language skills as they encourage children to use mathematical language during play. Priority is given to children's personal, social and emotional development. For example, staff support children to play alongside and interact with their peers from a young age. Preschool children use their small-muscle skills to make recognisable letters and capably use a knife and fork at mealtimes.

Some aspects of the routine are not as well implemented due to occasional deployment of staff. For example, some children are left without support from staff who are busy tending to tasks. As a result, some children wander around without purpose and children engaged in focus group sessions become distracted.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children progress very well through the curriculum. They successfully gain the intended skills and detailed knowledge linked to the curriculum intent at each stage of their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who need additional support benefit from specific resources to aid their development according to their individual needs. This means that all children are very well prepared for the next stage of learning, as they transition both within the nursery and on to school.

The youngest children fully engage themselves in a rich and creative curriculum. They develop excellent small-muscle skills as they explore with a range of tools in paint, foam and other sensory play. They use these skills to pick up small snack items and feed themselves capably. Older children refine these skills as they eventually develop pencil control and begin to write recognisable letters. Children use a wide vocabulary as they play. They use their language skills to share ideas and in their imaginative play. Ambition for all children results in their success. Children with SEND make rapid progress that they are capable of, in a short space of time.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Generally, staff establish a highly positive environment with well-understood expectations of behaviour and mutual respect between staff and children. Staff working with older children patiently and calmly provide clear explanations about expectations of children's behaviour. They help children understand how their actions do not align with nursery rules and how they make others feel. Children learn quickly how to collaborate and get along with their peers. For example, they resolve problems, such as who will look a book first, as they suggest, 'I will read it to you, yes?' Staff take time to explain the importance of being kind to one another and the impact of their actions. As a result, children are thoughtful friends and help each other with tasks, such as helping with zips on their coats or finding resources.

Leaders and staff place focus on supporting children 's good attendance and punctuality. This helps to ensure that routines are well established. Within the nursery, children know to wash their hands before snack and mealtimes and line up ready to go into the lunchroom to serve their own lunch. Relationships between staff and children are warm, nurturing and trusting. Children very happily say 'goodbye' to their parents at drop off time and enjoy time with their key person. Those children who are a little unsettled are showered with love and attention, and they quickly settle.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Care practices are embedded through well-understood policies and procedures. For example, staff caring for the youngest children, whose experience of nursery is often their first time being separated from their parents and/or carers, implement well-considered settling-in procedures. Staff support both the child and parents to feel confident and secure as they find out lots of information about each child's needs and use this information to create smooth transitions. As a result, children are well cared for and enjoy secure and responsive relationships with staff and their key person.

Typically, staff help children to develop in their independence, personal safety, health and wellbeing. Staff gently encourage children to join their peers for breakfast, giving children plenty of time to settle in after arrival before having to sit down. Staff explain the importance of having food to give them energy, supporting children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy. Children's dietary requirements, including allergies, are well managed, further supporting children's health and wellbeing. Children understand the need to keep dry and warm during outside play in cold weather. They know to put on their coats before going outside and excitedly tell their friends that they are going to wear their hat as well. Staff act as good role models. They use language linked to feelings and emotions to help children understand their feelings and how to manage these.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to the success of the nursery and have made some highly impactful improvements to the quality of practice in recent months. This has been most significant in the toddler room where after a identifying some barriers to children's learning, the atmosphere is now calm but purposeful and children are deeply engaged in play. Leaders are aware of some of the inconsistencies in teaching and practice and are taking action to address these, for example professional development opportunities and in the moment coaching from leaders when spending time in the rooms with staff and children. However, these strategies have not yet been successful addressing all inconsistencies.

The nursery ethos is centred around each child as an individual, and as a result, leaders are advocates for meeting the needs of all children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning. This high ambition for all children is shared by the staff team.

Consideration is given to reducing staff's workload to allow them to fulfil their roles. Senior leaders delegate tasks, giving the nursery manager the time and resource to focus on improvement and be a present and visible leader. Staff are given time to complete paperwork, such as assessment reviews, out of ratio to ensure that these important reviews are done carefully and with the rigour required.