Stow-On-The-Wold Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children arrive extremely happily and confidently. They are greeted by the staff individually and quickly settle into play with their friends.

Children demonstrate they feel very safe and secure in the nursery. They develop strong attachments with their key person and the other staff, who have a calm and nurturing approach towards the children. It is extremely obvious that the staff thoroughly enjoy being with the children.

Staff encourage children to become highly independent learners. Children enjoy using tools, such as knives. They cut fruit confidently and remember that they must be careful as they could cut... themselves.

They chat happily about favourite fruit that they eat at home. Children confidently use a range of words, such as 'delicious', when asked to describe what the fruit is like.Staff have exceptionally high expectations of the children.

They use highly effective praise and encouragement as the children achieve. Children's behaviour is exceptional. They sit very well during activities such as mealtimes and story times.

Children sit enthralled as they listen to stories. They delight in taking part in the story, telling the member of staff what the animals are as she holds up the props and draws on the board. Children recognise numbers confidently.

For example, when the member of staff writes numbers on the board, children quickly say what they are.

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

The manager is highly motivated and inspirational. She is dedicated to providing all children with exceptionally high-quality care and education.

The manager values the staff and ensures their workloads are manageable. The well-established team of staff continuously reviews practice and looks for ways to improve the experiences for children. Staff monitor children's progress regularly, which means they are able to address and close any gaps in learning quickly.

For example, recent monitoring found there was a weakness in children's awareness of numbers, so staff devised effective ways to promote number awareness further.Staff closely monitor children's progress and follow their interests and next steps. They work closely with parents to help build on what the children already know and can do to help improve the outcomes for children.

Staff provide a rich and highly stimulating environment where children thrive.Staff support children's communication and language skills exceptionally well. They encourage children to learn and understand the meaning of new words.

For example, during story time, staff ask children, 'Which is the least popular and which is the most popular?' to which children respond positively.Children show high levels of confidence and engagement as they play. They share and take turns exceptionally well.

Children solve problems and work together extremely well. For example, in the outside play area, they put guttering together carefully to work out how balls can travel down it successfully and as far as possible.Staff support children's independence highly effectively.

Children confidently put on their coats ready to go outside. They are encouraged by staff to put on their own wellington boots, which they do enthusiastically. Some children manage to get them on the right feet with little or no help from the staff.

Children's health and well-being are supported exceptionally well. They understand the need to wash hands before they help to prepare food for snacks, after using the toilet and wiping their noses. They talk confidently about what is healthy food.

Children have regular access to fresh air and exercise. They enjoy exploring in the outside area, where they are able to develop their physical skills extremely well.Partnerships with parents, carers and other professionals are excellent.

Staff share daily verbal information with parents about their child's day. Regular meetings with parents ensure they are kept informed about their child's progress and next steps in learning. This enables parents to support learning even further at home.

Parents speak very highly of the care provided and the exceptional progress their children make at the nursery. Staff regularly share detailed information, with other early years settings that children attend, to enable a consistent approach in the support of children's learning and development. Excellent partnerships with the school mean that children move effortlessly into the school environment and the next stage of their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff are highly experienced and knowledgeable about their responsibility to safeguard children. They are extremely confident in the signs and indicators that may alert them to any concerns about a child's welfare.

The manager and staff keep their training of child protection and wider safeguarding issues regularly updated to help ensure they are fully aware of any changes in safeguarding procedures. Staff are confident in their understanding of what to do if they have a concern about the behaviour of another adult. Robust recruitment, induction and supervision processes ensure that staff remain suitable to work with children.

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