Gwendolen House Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

The manager and staff create an exceptionally warm and welcoming environment where children clearly feel part of a family.

The staff are dedicated and highly qualified. They know the children well and build strong relationships with the children and their parents. Staff go above and beyond to ensure children's individual needs are met.

Children are confident and self-assured, and they continually interact with each other and staff. Children are listened to, and staff respond to their questions with enthusiasm and interest. Staff provide an exciting and stimulating learning environment that enables children to th...ink critically and solve problems that come their way.

This motivates children to learn new skills rapidly.Babies are nurtured by highly responsive staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. They smile and babble, and quickly develop the confidence to explore their surroundings.

Children are happy and confident and, as a result, their behaviour is exemplary. They engage positively with the resources and activities, and are curious and eager to learn. Staff are enthusiastic and committed to doing their best.

They are skilful at extending and consolidating children's learning. Children make very strong progress from their starting points. They are very well prepared for their next stage in learning, such as their transition to school.

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

The manager and staff set extremely high standards for delivering excellence. They demonstrate sheer determination to provide outstanding care for all children. They work closely as a team and have maintained the highest standard of teaching to continue their outstanding practice.

The nursery has a warm and caring ethos. Children are placed securely at the heart of staff practice. As such, staff are extremely responsive to children's needs.

Children have exceptionally secure and trusting relationships with kind and caring staff, and they soon develop a strong sense of belonging.Staff have an excellent knowledge of the curriculum, and teaching is of high quality and inspiring. They make regular assessments of what children know and can do, and plan activities that will engage and motivate them to become resilient learners.

Staff maintain a strong and consistent focus on building all aspects of children's learning, underpinned by strong personal, social and emotional development. Children make excellent progress, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.Staff take every opportunity to develop children's language through a variety of activities and experiences.

For example, they teach children the language of feelings, and help them to talk about their own feelings and those of others.Staff provide clear and age-appropriate boundaries. They are positive role models and have consistently high expectations of children's behaviour.

Children display high levels of respect for staff and each other, and demonstrate a clear understanding of the nursery's rules.Children thoroughly enjoy music sessions and develop an understanding of music and rhythmic patterns. For example, staff play the guitar, and children eagerly sing along and use instruments to create their own music.

Children become confident and independent learners from a young age, and have the freedom to make their own choices. Staff designate children to be 'classroom helpers', and children are confident to set the table for lunch and help their friends.There is a strong focus on play and learning in the stimulating outdoor area.

Children ride bicycles, climb, and build using large blocks. They spend time in the secret garden where they care for the chickens, rabbits, bees and Joey the tortoise. Regular listening walks develop children's awareness of sounds in the environment.

Excellent standards in individual care routines provide children with high-quality opportunities to attend to their health and well-being. Staff follow the routines that babies have at home to help them settle quickly into their new environment. Children and babies sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings.

Children enjoy healthy snacks and meals. The on-site chef carefully adapts nutritiously balanced menus to meet a wide range of dietary requirements.Partnerships with parents and other professionals are highly effective.

Parents are consistently kept up to date via the online app and regular daily feedback from their key person about the progress that their children make and the activities they enjoy. Parents are fully involved in the nursery and comment that staff are extremely 'friendly' and 'approachable'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have an excellent knowledge of safeguarding procedures. They carry out safety checks on all areas of the nursery to ensure children are safe and secure in their environment. Staff are highly vigilant and observant, and are proactive in taking action to keep children from harm.

They can identify different indicators of possible abuse and know exactly what procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. The manager is extremely well organised, and she has a secure entry system in place. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure staff are suitable for their roles and understand their responsibilities.