“These inspections are our opportunity to show and tell. To celebrate what we’re doing day in, day out.”

– Clare Crowther, Atelier Director

Think of this episode of Atelier Talks as your essential guide to acing your nursery’s Oftsed inspection. We take you behind the scenes of our recent OFSTED inspection, which resulted in our Chippenham setting proudly retaining its Outstanding status.

This episode is one you don’t want to miss as we share everything you need to know BEFORE you get ‘that phone call’, from the paperwork to ensure you have to hand, to how to empower your nursery team with confidence to showcase the very best of your Early Years setting and practice.

Whether you’re a nursery manager, setting leader or Early Years educator, we’re opening up everything we’ve learned across seven Outstanding inspections to help you feel confident, and well prepared for yours.

We’re sharing what worked, what surprised us, what we held steady through, and how to put your best foot forward without putting on a performance, but holding on to your values so you can showcase your pedagogy, and stand proud in who you are and what you do day in, day out.

• What to expect when the call comes and how to prepare your team in a calm, empowering way
• The “learning walk” demystified: what to say, how to show it, and why consistency is key
• Comfort blankets and confidence boosters: how we prepare our staff and documentation
• Why embedding reflection and critical friendship across your team is your best OFSTED strategy
• How to answer difficult questions with honesty and strength (especially in unique settings)
• The tools, systems and routines that helped us stay calm, collected and focused
• Our top tips for inspection day, from the practical to the emotional

Website and newsletter: ateliernursery.co.uk

Instagram: @ateliernurseryltd

Consultancy enquiries: Contact us via our website

Together, we’ll unlock the potential for incredible growth and learning.

Atelier Talks is a Decibelle Creative original podcast

Produced by Decibelle Creative – decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative

Keywords: OFSTED Outstanding, Early Years inspection, nursery manager tips, learning walk EYFS, OFSTED preparation, key person approach, Early Years leadership, Early Years self-evaluation, child-led pedagogy, inspection readiness, show and tell not hide and seek, mixed-age settings, nursery staff confidence, EYFS documentation.

“It’s about pedagogy, not Pinterest.”

– Clare, Director

What does an enabling environment really look like? In this episode of Atelier Talks, we explore how thoughtfully designed environments (both physical and emotional) can transform your Early Years setting.

This episode is a real behind-the-scenes exclusive insight into how we design and continually review and adapt our nursery spaces here at Atelier. From authentic tools and open-ended resources to carefully curated emotional environments, we discuss how we build spaces that reflect the children at the centre of them; places that inspire autonomy, creativity, and joy. This episode offers a wealth of practical ideas to help you reimagine what your own environment could look like when you really get down on the children’s level and ask yourself “what does it feel like to be a child here?”

• What makes an environment “enabling”, beyond surface aesthetics
• Why reliable, well-stocked spaces matter just as much as beautiful ones
• How we use authentic tools, natural materials and loose parts in our mixed-age setting
• The role of the emotional environment in supporting wellbeing and deep learning
• How we structure continuous provision, block play, clay work and real-life provocations
• The Reggio Emilia influence behind our workshop model and third teacher philosophy
• Our approach to zoning, flow, and flexible furniture for evolving cohorts
• Examples of community projects and how we bring families and local voices into the nursery

The magic of Atelier draws on foundational thinking from a range of influential Early Years theorists and educators. If you’d like to find out more about the voices that shape our deeply relational, child-centred practice here at Atelier, those mentioned in today’s episode are as follows:

• Loris Malaguzzi – founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, which inspires our workshop model, visual presentation of materials, and the concept of the environment as “the third teacher.”
• Friedrich Froebel – for his philosophy on occupations, block play, and the foundational principles behind hands-on learning and real tools in Early Years.
• Simon Nicholson – originator of the Theory of Loose Parts, which underpins our use of open-ended, natural materials.
• Elinor Goldschmied – for her work on heuristic play and treasure baskets, foundational to sensory exploration in early childhood.
• Reggio Children – referenced more broadly in relation to environments, mark making, and provocations, such as “paper as a receiver” and collaborative projects.
• The Hundred Languages of Children – a core concept from Reggio Emilia practice guiding our creative and multi-modal learning environments.

Website and newsletter: ateliernursery.co.uk

Instagram: @ateliernurseryltd

Consultancy enquiries: Contact us via our website

Together, we’ll unlock the potential for incredible growth and learning.

Atelier Talks is a Decibelle Creative original podcast

Produced by Decibelle Creative – decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative

Keywords: enabling environments, pedagogy not Pinterest, Reggio Emilia, Froebel, block play, loose parts,...

“It’s a privilege to look after other people’s children” - Lauren

What does it take to build deep, lasting trust in a nursery setting? In this episode of Atelier Talks, we explore the role of the Key Person approach, often referred to at Atelier as the Key Family model.

Rooted in attachment theory and steeped in real love (not just “professional love”), in this episode we unpack how relationships are built, maintained, and celebrated at Atelier, from home visits and settling-in sessions to key family time and sibling connections.

You will learn how to strengthen your relationships with families within a nursery setting, or if you’re an educator wanting to deepen your understanding of responsive care, this episode offers plenty of practical strategies and inspiration to reimagine how love and trust can underpin your practice.

• What makes the Key Person approach at Atelier different from standard EY models
• Why trust, attachment, and emotional safety unlock growth and learning
• How we’ve embedded the Key Family model across our mixed-age, free-flow settings
• The importance of home visits, continuity, and relational care
• Tips for overhauling your settling-in process
• Practical staff development strategies to support this approach
• Building strong parent partnerships through openness and community

Standing on the shoulders of giants:

• Peter Elfer - the Key Person approach and the concept of the "stretching elastic" between child and practitioner.
• Elinor Goldschmied - “islands of intimacy” and relational care.
• Jools Page - her research into the concept of professional love in Early Years education.
• Dr. Chris Pascal - for questioning the term “professional love” and encouraging us to simply recognise it as love.

Website and newsletter: ateliernursery.co.uk

Instagram: @ateliernurseryltd

Consultancy enquiries: Contact us via our website

Together, we’ll unlock the potential for incredible growth and learning.

Atelier Talks is a Decibelle Creative original podcast

🎧 @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com

Keywords: Key Person approach, Key Families, Early Years education, nursery trust-building, attachment theory, emotional development, settling-in strategies, responsive care, parent partnerships, professional love.