St. Aidan’s Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Leaders and staff show an outstanding commitment and dedication to providing a unique and holistic support system that fully wraps around each child and their families.

The trusting relationships carefully established with parents directly impacts on children. They show they feel secure, at ease and safe in the nursery. This is evident as children are brimming with confidence and are absorbed in their learning.

Staff have the highest ambitions for all children, without exception. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make superb progress, owing to staff's relentless pursuit of what e...ach child can achieve. All children benefit from an exceptionally well-planned and delivered curriculum.

Their learning is thoughtfully and coherently planned over time. This helps children to develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge and skills for their future learning exceptionally well. Children make tremendous progress.

Staff focus especially well on giving children the skills they need to follow rules and boundaries independently. This is rooted in a firm understanding of why they are in place. Staff continuously check children's understanding to ensure these skills are embedded.

This means children follow the rules instinctively and take ownership that they are followed by all. For example, they firmly tell the inspector to stand in the line as they wait to go outside, explaining that she needs to be counted.

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

Leaders' curriculum intent acts as a golden thread throughout the nursery, embedded securely and consistently in all rooms.

Staff have an in-depth understanding of what this means for their practice and the skills and knowledge children need to achieve. As a result, children consistently demonstrate their new and embedded learning and skills.Staff implement the curriculum for communication and language exceptionally well.

The youngest children are exposed to a vast vocabulary where staff expertly narrate children's play using interesting and striking words to capture their interests. As children reach pre-school, they use their embedded language skills with confidence and precision. For example, they use superb describing words to talk about the shells they find in the sand tray.

Children are skilled and creative communicators.The curriculum for literacy is highly effective. Children use books as staple enhancements to their play.

They are seen finding a book they would like staff to read, collecting a cup of tea from the role-play area and sitting themselves down on a staff member's lap ready to enjoy the story. This successful promotion of a love of reading provides an excellent grounding for children's future comprehension skills.The skills, knowledge and passion from the manager and the special educational needs coordinator, coupled with staff's dedication, are inspiring.

Children with SEND, and their families, are provided with an entirely bespoke programme of support. Staff work tirelessly with other professionals, often prior to children starting, in order to create as smooth a transition as is possible. Staff go above and beyond, seeking every opportunity to support learning in new ways.

Children with SEND are making huge leaps in their learning.Development of children's character, emotional health and independent thinking is wonderful. Staff highly value children's wants and needs, taking care to show they have listened, understood and will take action.

Children share their views with the utmost conviction, safe in the knowledge they are respected and listened to.Staff successfully promote a thirst for learning in children. They respond with enthusiasm to children's ideas, igniting their imagination and motivation to know and do more.

Children march with determination into the garden to find characters from 'The Gruffalo'. They seek out their own ways to connect their learning, such as finding costumes to wear that match their play ideas.Parents are highly valued as their child's most important educator.

They are involved in all aspects of their children's learning, including working together with staff on assessments and next steps for learning. Parents are provided with a wealth of information, including specific ways they can continue learning at home. Children greatly benefit from the collaborative approach to their learning.

Professional development of staff is highly effective. They receive a sustained programme of training that builds on their knowledge and skills over time, and staff carefully reflect on and discuss their learning. For example, following training in physical development, staff considered well how small details such as the clothing children wear may impact on how well they access the planned activities.

Staff are skilled, confident and knowledgeable practitioners.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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