St Pauls Church Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

The extremely well-qualified, experienced and long-standing team successfully fulfils the highest of expectations for all children.

Staff create a superb curriculum centred around the children. This enables them to offer children highly tailored support and innovative experiences, which aids children in successfully developing the skills and knowledge that underpin their ability to learn and succeed in life. Children become wholeheartedly absorbed in their learning and continuously demonstrate the abundance of knowledge and learning they have developed.

For example, older children build dens in the garden. Toget...her they measure different-sized canes. They actively solve problems, deciding how to fix the string to make their den stand up.

Children behave exceptionally well. The care they show for their surroundings, resources and each other is excellent. For example, children kindly share resources with each other without prompting.

This demonstrates their high levels of mutual respect and their natural consideration of welcoming other children into their play. Children develop an extremely strong sense of belonging and show secure emotional attachments with staff. As a result, children feel very safe.

Children make excellent progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children benefit from small-group interventions and one-to-one activities tailored to their individual needs.

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

Children learn and develop across a broad range of areas through many extensively planned activities.

Children enjoy making bird feeders. They are highly engaged and persevere as they use different-sized sticks to scoop ingredients out of jars for their bird feed mix. All children demonstrate a can-do attitude to learning.

Children have a exceptional range of opportunities to be physically active, as part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children spend a lot of time outdoors in all weathers. This helps to build their resilience and enhance their health.

Staff encourage children to take risks in their play and to persevere when challenged. For instance, they build children's confidence hugely and encourage them as they practise climbing trees and negotiate around obstacles. Children learn to prepare their own healthy and nutritious foods at snack time.

They demonstrate excellent independence skills as they place their waste in the recycling after snack and dress themselves after forest school.Staff demonstrate a strong focus on mathematical development. Children delight in exploring mathematical concepts in all aspects of their play.

For example, in a cooking activity, children count confidently, understand simple calculation and demonstrate their excellent understanding of numbers and shapes.Staff provide children with excellent opportunities to write for a purpose. Older children keenly write 'notes' to their special people and write their name.

Younger children make marks in sand and they begin to notice the marks they make carry meaning. For example, they draw pictures. As a result, children's literacy skills develop exceptionally well.

Staff have tremendous partnerships with parents. Parents state that they receive 'excellent' communication. They are highly involved in children's learning and develop strong bonds with their child's key person and the whole staff team.

Staff ensure that all parents are fully involved in their children's learning. They support parents in many ways to continue the learning outside of the nursery environment. For example, a workshop in supporting early literacy enabled parents to gain a deeper understanding in this area.

The manager is inspirational and ambitious. Staff's well-being and professional development are managed impressively. Staff report that they are very happy.

Managers use regular supervision to champion staff to extend and upskill their practice through training. For example, one member of staff is now a qualified forest school leader. Many staff have undertaken graduate study, and they demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of early years education.

All staff reflect continuously on their work and swiftly put in place improvements and changes which have a positive impact on children's learning. Consequently, the quality of education is outstanding throughout the provision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Children's welfare is at the forefront of everything that staff do. They are fully aware of the potential signs of abuse and neglect, along with wider issues, such as children who may be exposed to extreme views and behaviour. There are robust systems in place for reporting concerns to the relevant authorities.

Staff confidently know the process to raise concerns regarding colleagues should they need to. Managers ensure that staff are suitable for their roles before they start. They provide staff with exceptional training and support to ensure that their safeguarding knowledge is kept up to date.