Noddy’s Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children flourish and have immense fun in this safe and inspiring nursery, which gives them the best possible start in life. They are happy, inquisitive, independent learners. Children quickly settle and thrive on the friendly greetings they receive from staff.

This helps them to develop very high levels of emotional well-being.Children are encouraged to celebrate each other's achievements, for example when the youngest children learn to walk. Children behave extremely well and staff are excellent role models.

Babies practise hand-to-eye coordination as they make marks with paint. Toddlers relish the sensory exp...erience of messy play, as they explore soil and copy the sounds from the new words they hear. Pre-school children use their imagination, pretending to be doctors.

They enthusiastically talk about how they will help people as staff support them to remember equipment they might need to use.Children consistently engage in the excellent range of exciting activities that staff provide. They confidently access resources that challenge their thinking and enable them to practise new skills.

For example, children practise their physical skills as they use scissors to cut around stamps for postcards they have written about themselves. Staff sensitively give younger, less-confident children time to become familiar with new activities, such as exploring the play dough. They are then encouraged and supported to join in by the nurturing staff team.

This helps all children to have the confidence to enjoy new experiences and make rapid progress in their learning.

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

The curriculum is highly ambitious and very well planned. Staff take a child-centred approach, tailored to specific needs of the children, which helps all children make outstanding progress from their starting points.

The incredibly energetic and passionate staff team skilfully plans activities that are interesting and appropriately challenging.Staff expertly support children's communication skills. They create a language-rich environment and burst into song as children play.

For example, the youngest children enjoy a sensory experience where staff spontaneously sing an 'Old Macdonald' rhyme, encouraging the children to sing along. Staff use stories to enhance interactive multicultural displays and areas of play, and they explore sensory books with babies and toddlers.Staff enthusiastically celebrate children's achievements, clapping and cheering when they do things for the first time and persevere with tasks.

Children beam with delight. This encourages extremely high levels of self-esteem and confidence.The very experienced manager and directors provide strong support to their dedicated staff team.

Staff's qualifications and continued excellent mentoring, coaching and training contribute significantly to their motivating, high-quality teaching. Staff receive excellent support for their well-being.Activities captivate children because they are engaging and exciting.

Children reread a favourite story about a 'bear hunt'. As they turn the pages, highly skilled staff remind them of key words such as a 'squelchy' and refer to a display that they had made at children's height. The children delight in sharing the story again.

Pre-school children show great concentration as they skilfully practise adding numbers as they play. Children demonstrate extremely high levels of learning for extended periods.Leaders recognise the importance of providing continuity for children and families.

Staff are very well utilised across the setting to provide ongoing support. This ensures that all staff know children and families incredibly well. Parents praise the staff and leaders of the nursery.

They are keen to share their views, and speak exceptionally highly of the care and education that their children receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have an extremely secure knowledge of how to keep children safe.

They teach children how to use equipment, such as scissors, safely, and ensure close supervision. Staff are aware of the signs of abuse and the procedure to follow to share any concerns that may arise. They understand how to follow the whistle-blowing policy if they have a concern about a colleague.

Leaders prioritise the safety and well-being of the children. They ensure staff's knowledge is kept up to date. Leaders ensure that robust procedures are in place to recruit staff who are suitable to work with children.