Acacia Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children adore coming to this nursery. They eagerly greet staff each morning and are excited for the day ahead. Children build close bonds with the staff, who know them well.

Children behave well and develop immensely positive attitudes to learning.

Children learn lots about the world around them. For example, they find out about where food comes from and harvest vegetables from the garden.

Staff skilfully support children's growing vocabulary, for example by talking to children about the parts of the plant, and pointing out the leaves, stems and roots. Children thoroughly enjoy learning about different foods and herbs, smelling, feeling and tasting the ingre...dients as they go. They especially like being able to use the firepit to cook the vegetables that they grow.

Leaders have created a curriculum that is highly structured and highly ambitious. This supports both children and staff to strive for well-considered goals. Staff make sure that all children receive the support and guidance they need to thrive and grow in confidence in all areas of learning.

This is also the case for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Parents and carers of children with SEND were especially complimentary about the work of staff and leaders. They appreciate how the nursery ensures that all children are fully engaged in the learning.

Children learn and explore confidently alongside their peers.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have thoroughly considered how the curriculum will be taught and delivered. They are clear about how each aspect of learning should be broken down so that it is easily understood and remembered by children.

This clear curriculum thinking also supports staff very effectively. As staff work and play with children, they know exactly when and how to take children's learning further.

Leaders and staff regularly take time to discuss what each child has been learning.

Through these discussions, staff plan what children need to learn next and how to support them. Staff are alert to any gaps in children's understanding and give extra practice in anything that children struggle to understand and remember. Leaders have ensured that staff have the training and knowledge they need to be experts in promoting children's development in all areas of learning.

Leaders and staff deliver a curriculum that places a strong focus on children developing communication and language skills. Focused, daily sessions lay the foundations children need for early reading, including recognising and remembering the sounds that they hear in words. When selecting activities and resources, leaders give careful thought to how these will promote children's progression across the curriculum.

For example, to support early writing, leaders and staff gradually build up children's knowledge of how to hold and use a pencil correctly. This is not only through lots of practice with pencils and brushes but also through balancing on apparatus and manipulating clay and play dough. All of this helps to develop children's readiness to write and make marks.

Children were eager to share their work with visitors, proudly showing their drawings and emerging writing.

Staff share many books, stories and songs with children throughout the day. Adults read stories enthusiastically and children join in with rhymes and familiar sections of stories.

Leaders have carefully considered how stories support what is being taught throughout the year. They have chosen books that reflect and extend children's experiences.

Children's learning is enriched through visits to galleries and museums.

For example, following a trip to the Tate gallery, children worked together to create a large sculpture referencing some of the sculptures they had seen and their love of colour. Children learn about the importance of caring for others. For example, they get involved in looking after the school's tortoises.

Through the nurturing environment, children learn to understand and follow the school's routines and expectations. Children take turns and share when choosing their activities. During the adult-led activities, which punctuate the day, children join their groups without a fuss and settle quickly.

They take part enthusiastically with discussions about what they have been learning. Children wait patiently for their lunch in the 'restaurant' during shared mealtimes. The needs of all children, including the two-year-olds and those with SEND, are well understood.

Staff support them sensitively, helping them to grow in independence.

Staff and leaders work closely with each other. Staff are proud to work at Acacia.

They feel that leaders consider their well-being and make suitable adaptations to ensure that they can carry out their work effectively.

Governors understand the strengths of the school and have the same high ambitions for children's outcomes as leaders and staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders and staff know children and their families well and have built strong relationships. This helps parents to feel secure in asking for help from the school when they need to.

Staff know how to identify and report any worries. Leaders follow up on any concerns quickly. They work effectively and sensitively with external agencies and parents when required.

The curriculum teaches children about keeping safe. Children learn about where they can go for help. Staff are well trained and are confident in the support that they receive from leaders on keeping children safe.