The Square Nursery School

The Square Nursery School

Unique reference number (URN): 2790798 Address: 18 Holland Park Avenue, LONDON, W11 3QU Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 12/06/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: The Square Nursery School Ltd

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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 consistent progress across all areas of learning and development from their different starting points. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who need adjustments in their learning. Children take part in purposeful activities that encourage them to develop a motivated and enthusiastic approach to their learning. They embed new skills securely and build on what they already know. As a result, children demonstrate high levels of confidence and resilience.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children develop secure problem-solving skills and concentration as they focus deeply on different activities. For example, younger children learn to make varied buildings from blocks outdoors as they look at storybooks. Children develop independence and thrive on the praise and support staff provide as they manage daily routines, such as preparing porridge for snack time. Children learn to be kind and helpful, developing positive social skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children understand and confidently follow well-established routines. They need little support from staff to independently wash their hands before eating and then to lie down to rest after lunchtime. Children demonstrate consistently positive behaviour as well as engaging attitudes to their learning because staff are supportive role models. Staff foster positive and nurturing relationships with children, which promotes children's kindness to each other. Children learn to share resources with others. Those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are included in all daily routines. Children thrive on the frequent praise they receive from staff and demonstrate high self-esteem in their learning. They are eager to explore and try new things. For example, young children feel different textures in their farm tray.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children attend regularly and engage well in all learning opportunities. Leaders consistently take decisive, evidence-led action to promote attendance, demonstrating a commitment to removing barriers to children's learning. Children have established warm and trusting relationships with their key persons, which start with home visits by their key persons. Staff help to build on this to help children settle calmly into the daily routines. They further inspire and extend children's interests and learning through visitors to the setting, such as dentists, or by travelling to community places, such as local shops, libraries and farms.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and staff know children very well. They develop close bonds with them. Positive key-person relationships help children to feel safe and thrive. Staff have a secure understanding of the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. They provide a well-organised environment so that children can access materials and tools easily. A mix of nurturing areas for sensory play outdoors and calming down, along with lively play areas, promotes active healthy lifestyles. Children particularly enjoy lots of role play with others. Children learn and use words to describe movements as they navigate space safely and practise mathematical vocabulary.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children learn to recognise and express their feelings because staff communicate about their emotions. Staff ensure that children are strictly supervised for safety when they sleep. Children also recognise healthy foods when they talk and eat lunch with staff. Staff enable children who need extra support so they feel fully included in sociable mealtimes. Staff engage successfully through newsletters with parents and carers to help children to understand and benefit from healthy eating habits. Children learn the importance of dental hygiene routines. Leaders invite dentists regularly to talk to children about dental care and appointments.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders develop an exciting and stimulating curriculum that focuses on individual children and the life skills that they will need. Children build effective communication and social skills. They learn how to play together and become independent in caring for themselves. This prepares them very effectively for the next stage in their education, such as going to school.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Children learn to persevere as staff converse with them during play. Staff model new vocabulary and ask useful questions, which extends children's learning effectively. Staff are extremely skilful at knowing when to provide more dialogue or to listen attentively. They encourage children to test their ideas and consolidate their existing knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders plan a very effective mathematics curriculum, which staff weave into everyday activities and routines. For example, children join in with counting songs using their fingers. Older children learn to count out counters against their chosen snacks. Staff differentiate teaching for every child. This ensures that every child, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, makes significant progress. Staff are very skilled at supporting children's emotional and social development. Children use the outdoors to develop their coordination, agility, balance, core strength and fine motor skills very well. They gain knowledge from books, such as how to grow plants that provide vegetables for children to use in cooking.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders ensure that children are at the heart of all decisions made for a positive impact on their outcomes. For example, when implementing the curriculum, staff consider children's preferred way of learning to ensure that they thrive in the nursery and local environment. Children also enjoy regular outings in the local area with staff, such as visits to a nearby care home, which helps them develop a sense of community.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have a well-developed understanding of the setting's strengths and keenly reflect on their practice. They are supporting staff to match activities to younger children's stage of interest to enable them to fully participate and extend their learning. This is being embedded through staff learning to recognise younger children's explorations in the outdoor area. For instance, staff help younger children to water plants and see how vegetables grow. Consequently, all children who attend, including children who face disadvantage, make remarkable progress from their starting points. Staff morale is high because leaders are

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Expected standard

supportive and mindful of their wellbeing. They are supported through observations and supervision meetings to identify strengths and areas for development. Individual training programmes, such as Maths Champions, ensure that staff are fully skilled in their work and responsible for new initiatives. Staff speak highly of the teamwork approach in the nursery.

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Expected standard

Leaders work very closely with parents and carers to establish very firm partnerships. Parents praise the quality of education and care that their children receive. Communication, including regular children's progress reports, helps parents to support their children's learning and development at home.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders promptly identify children who need extra support by making timely referrals to relevant services. This ensures that they provide children with help without delay. All children are supported well, particularly those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders and staff act decisively to reduce any difficulties in children's learning. They plan effectively for such gaps, helping children to make secure progress. Leaders work in partnership with other professionals and parents and carers to give support and interventions for children as required. For example, they have arranged specific language activities for children who may benefit from further communication support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff ensure that all children can access the provision by making suitable adaptations and offering well-chosen resources. When needed, they use visual aids and sensory resources to encourage children to join in with activities. Staff ensure that their teaching meets the specific learning needs of children, such as providing a calm area. Staff use their curriculum guidance to monitor children's progress and milestones effectively. They have high expectations for children's learning. However, younger children are quieter in structured activities, and staff miss deepening their learning at times. Nevertheless, senior leaders' evaluation accurately highlights that staff's interventions are embedded well when teaching through younger children's interests. This strengthens children's confidence, attention and learning further.

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

Children arrive at the nursery excited and eager to start their day. They are thrilled as they are greeted by happy and attentive staff. Children leave their parents and carers with ease, as staff are genuinely pleased to see them. They form positive and caring relationships with their key persons. Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They quickly immerse themselves in their chosen activity. For example, children become engrossed in a story read by staff. They role play cooking their favourite dish. Children play well alongside one another and build respectful relationships. Children thoroughly enjoy sand and water play as they fill containers and water strawberry plants. They concentrate well as they draw freely and practise early writing skills in the outside space. Children make rapid progress and consistently achieve well from their starting points. Staff strengthen learning through

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

revisiting activities with children and providing targeted interventions.

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

Children benefit from an ambitious curriculum. They are well prepared for the next stage of learning. Children demonstrate a love of books. They sit individually or share stories in small groups on a cosy mat in the garden. Children recall their previous learning and think about what will happen next. They are familiar with routines and expectations. Children show perseverance and determination when undertaking tasks. For example, they choose tissues and scrub hard to remove chalk marks, with attentive staff offering reassurance.

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

Parents and carers speak highly of all aspects of care and education provided for their children. They comment on targeted teaching for their children when needed. Staff celebrate children's individuality and plan activities that promote an understanding of similarities and differences. For example, they invite parents into the setting to celebrate their heritage.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to match activities to younger children's stage of interest to enable them to fully participate and extend their learning.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the nominated individual, the deputy manager, staff, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, parents and carers and children 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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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: The Square Nursery School Ltd

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:45 - 16:15

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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. 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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