Midhurst Nursery Class

Midhurst Nursery Class

Unique reference number (URN): 113598 Address: Whiphill Stables, Lamberts Lane, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9EA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 24/07/1992 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Reseigh, Christine

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children make consistently effective progress from their starting points because the curriculum and teaching secure essential foundational knowledge across the 7 areas of learning. Leaders have identified building children's confidence as a priority, and, as a result, children are willing to try new things and persevere. Children feel proud of their achievements and want to continue working towards desired outcomes, with staff constantly using a warm and encouraging approach.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children are very well prepared to transition on to the next stage because the curriculum is high quality and teaching is skilful. Children quickly understand and apply concepts before progressing to the next step as their knowledge is securely rooted, following focused observations and regular reviews by attentive staff.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children consistently develop vocabulary, listening and expressive skills through warm interactions and a supportive environment. Where progress is slower, leaders have clear plans and deploy additional adults to narrow gaps and ensure that all children continue to make effective progress.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing through robust policies, procedures and practices that the whole team regularly reviews and adapts. Key persons build secure, responsive attachments during a supportive settling-in process and beyond, responding to individual needs with sensitive feeding arrangements and tailored handovers that respect family circumstances.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Practitioners know the children very well and act quickly when needs change, using individual plans and multi-agency coordination to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Well-structured routines and planned activities encourage healthy habits, personal hygiene and physical development. For example, children are invited to try new foods at snack time and discuss the varying food in their packed lunches.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders create an inclusive culture with high expectations of the team, which helps children to feel safe and valued and thrive. Staff share progress and practical ideas with families to extend learning at home and to reinforce routines. Emotional development is promoted through an emotions board and mirror activities that help children identify and talk about feelings.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders also promote online safety and introduce children to simple technology through supervised play. Ongoing staff training, collaborative working and experience support consistent practice. The result is a positive, supportive setting where children's welfare and readiness for learning are prioritised. Children feel safe, valued and ready to engage in the next stage beyond the early years.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders design an inclusive, high-quality curriculum embedded across the setting with high expectations that keep children engaged and motivated throughout the day. The interest- based curriculum is carefully sequenced so every child can achieve their next steps and build on prior learning. For example, staff adapt their language during a creative activity, asking a younger child to repeat 'red' while using 'we made a wreath' as a conversational prompt for older children.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

All staff know the children well, understand each child's age, stage and needs and consistently implement curriculum intentions in every interaction. A robust school readiness programme prepares children for their next stage through many small steps. For example, leaders visit local schools and take photos of buildings and future teachers to create a small passport so children have visual cues about the next step.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff plan purposeful activities that mix adult-led and child-led play. Rich continuous provision and precise planning promote communication, early mathematical awareness, physical development and sustained motivation. Leaders prioritise language development through consistent high-quality interactions; staff model vocabulary, scaffold conversations and provide whole-group, small-group and one-to-one activities to support developing communication skills.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders monitor and adapt teaching through focused observations, supervisions and weekly team meetings. Teaching is tailored to each group of children. For example, one of the setting's current focuses is on building self-help skills. This is implemented in different ways, such as using outdoor provision, daily routines and targeted activities to develop independence, self-regulation and coordination.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders systematically identify and assess children's individual needs through regular observations and by gathering information from families to establish starting points, carry out ongoing assessments and review progress. Leaders and staff take a proactive approach, using experience and training to identify additional needs early and accurately, and put measures in place to reduce barriers to learning. They use a graduated approach, adapting the environment, routines and resources and allocating staff to support all children. The team is well trained and works effectively with multi-agency partners, putting targeted interventions in place with specialist support. These approaches are rigorously reviewed

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Expected standard

with families, key workers, the special educational needs coordinator and other professionals to evaluate impact on the child.

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Expected standard

Leaders strategically use early years pupil premium to fund additional staff and ensure that all children have access to the same opportunities and experiences. Funding provides access to weekly trips that consolidate children's learning, reveal interests and inform future topics, narrowing gaps for disadvantaged children. Leaders have prioritised work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children make swift progress from their starting points, continue to meet their next steps and are well prepared for the next stage in learning.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders use detailed, perceptive analysis of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement to plan strategic actions with the whole staff team and external agencies where appropriate. They are adaptive and responsive to changing needs, maintaining a consistent focus on securing best outcomes for all children. Since the last inspection, they have updated policies, refined assessment systems and targeted early years pupil premium to narrow gaps for disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Partnership working with families, health professionals and social services is purposeful and results in coordinated support for children with complex needs. Leaders are thoughtful in their engagement with parents and have adapted ways to encourage parental involvement to ensure accessibility for all, improving continuity between home and the setting.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have instilled a culture of continuous improvement in which staff engage in regular, targeted professional learning. A culture of high expectations and professionalism is embedded across the setting, and staff consistently contribute to improving provision. Leaders use multiple feedback mechanisms, including observations, supervision and weekly team meetings, to refine practice.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Professional development is meaningful and purposeful; staff apply learning meticulously, resulting in clear improvements to teaching and care-giving experiences for all children. When implementing change, leaders consider staff workload and wellbeing, streamlining tasks and allocating time so improvements are manageable and sustainable.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders set high expectations for behaviour and learning that are commonly understood by practitioners, parents and children and are applied fairly. They also promote the importance of attendance and punctuality with families. Practitioners model kindness, care and respect and teach children skills that support them to focus, keep trying and adopt positive attitudes to learning. The setting provides a calm, predictable environment with clear routines, tidy learning spaces and visual timetables that support independence. Staff build warm, responsive relationships, use positive praise and hold simple conversations so children learn to cooperate and, on the whole, manage their feelings. While typically, rules are upheld, and children are able to follow them, on occasion, children may require reminding of the rules, and staff do not consistently do this. As a result, not all children follow all the rules and

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

boundaries or know where to get support, such as running inside or needing support to regulate their emotions. If these behaviour expectations were securely embedded across all staff and children, this would be highly impactful for all children.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children are welcomed warmly into a calm environment where routines help them settle quickly. Key persons form secure attachments, responding sensitively to varying needs so children feel understood, safe and valued. Visual prompts, inviting activities and consistent transitions spark curiosity and enjoyment while promoting independence. Leaders and staff prioritise safeguarding through robust systems, regular reviews and clear communication with families and external agencies to maintain every child's welfare.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children form strong, trusting relationships with staff and peers. Practitioners model kindness, scaffold interactions and teach executive function skills so children learn to focus, take turns and manage emotions. Typical play shows collaboration and high-quality conversations, building social confidence and resilience. Families are actively involved, and staff use tools, such as emotions boards and school passports, to help children identify feelings, extend learning and ease transitions at home.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Behavioural expectations are typically followed, although children occasionally need reminders, and some staff are not always consistent in providing them. Leaders address attendance barriers with responsive support for families and have embedded a culture that embraces diversity and each child's uniqueness, tailoring the curriculum around children's interests.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for the best start in life. They are active learners, showing high engagement and motivation in a curriculum skilfully planned by leaders and staff. Leaders hold weekly planning meetings with the whole team to plan the curriculum based on children's interests. As a result, planned activities blend adult- led and child-initiated experiences so children practise skills across all 7 areas of learning. Children are encouraged to try new things, persist with challenges and celebrate effort. Children show pride in their achievements, which is recognised by staff and peers, helping children feel valued and a sense of belonging.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Inclusion is practical and purposeful. Disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities access tailored plans, reasonable adjustments and additional adults so they participate fully, including weekly early years pupil premium funded outings. Regular assessment, observations and reflective supervisions keep teaching adaptive and focused on next steps so children make strong progress from their starting points, develop independence and confidence and are well prepared for the next stage, beyond the early years.

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Next steps

Leaders should review the consistency with which behavioural expectations are communicated and reinforced in daily practice.

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Address:

Whiphill Stables Lamberts Lane Midhurst West Sussex GU29 9EA

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Wednesday : 09:00 - 15:00,Tuesday,Thursday,Friday : 09:00 - 13:00

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, children, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator and designated safeguarding leads during the inspection.

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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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