ABC Childcare Services Cheshire Ltd

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive culture where children's individual needs are identified quickly through effective settling-in processes, discussions with families, progress checks and early assessment. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who speak English as an additional language, those in receipt of early years pupil premium funding (EYPP) and children known to children's social care. Leaders use targeted support, reasonable adjustments and adaptations to reduce barriers, including personalised resources, emotional regulation strategies and flexible approaches to settling and transitions. For example, children benefit from a calm, sensory area, which helps to regulate emotions and behaviours. Practitioners have a secure understanding of children's needs, next steps and progress from their starting points. Leaders monitor the impact of support through observations, assessments, supervision and partnership working with external professionals, using this information to review and adapt provision. This means that children receive timely, targeted support that meets their individual needs, helping them to make progress and feel secure.

Practitioners receive training to strengthen their understanding of supporting children's additional needs. Leaders work closely with families and agencies to shape effective support. EYPP funding is used purposefully to provide resources linked to children's interests and needs, supporting communication, emotional regulation and engagement. Leaders also use local partnerships to broaden children's experiences, for example, sourcing external sensory opportunities through a local charity and visits to the local library and heritage centre, ensuring all children access a wide range of experiences and develop a sense of belonging.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is responsive to each child, building on children's starting points, interests and individual needs while ensuring they access a broad range of learning experiences. At times, teaching does not consistently provide opportunities for some children to extend their thinking, particularly during some group experiences. Leaders are taking steps to strengthen curriculum delivery and improve consistency across the provision.

Leaders prioritise communication and language alongside children's personal, social, and emotional development and physical development, as foundations for learning. Leaders use monitoring, cohort information, training and professional dialogue to evaluate the quality of teaching and identify areas for improvement, including strengthening mathematical development. Practitioners model counting through everyday play, such as counting tentacles, clapping syllables and counting cards, helping children develop early number sense.

Practitioners know children well and use assessment information, observations and professional knowledge to identify next steps and adapt teaching, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing. Children benefit from language modelling, purposeful adaptations and support that enables them to engage, communicate and participate in learning. For example, practitioners use visual aids, slow down their own speech and provide opportunities for children to retell parts of a familiar story. This allows children to process language, build on their vocabulary and develop confidence in their communication skills.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make good progress from their individual starting points, including those requiring additional support. Children strengthen their physical development, gross motor skills and creative skills through large-scale mark-making activities outdoors. For example, they use paint spray bottles to create a large piece of colourful art. The use of the spray bottles strengthens children's hand and finger muscle development, which will support writing skills.

Children experience a supportive environment where their communication and language development is prioritised. Children are valued and understood because practitioners use assessment, progress checks, speech and language screening and effective partnership working with families and professionals to identify needs early and provide targeted support. Children grow in confidence as practitioners use personalised approaches that reflect their interests and needs. For example, they use familiar character resources to help children to maintain engagement during smaller group activities.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those in receipt of additional funding and those facing barriers to learning and wellbeing benefit from tailored interventions and adaptations that support positive outcomes. Leaders monitor children's progress and use cohort information to identify areas for further development. Children are supported to develop the skills needed for their next stage of learning. However, on occasion, some experiences do not consistently provide opportunities for children to deepen their learning and apply their skills independently.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children form positive relationships with practitioners and generally demonstrate confidence, enjoyment and engagement within the setting. Children sit cuddled up with practitioners in an outdoor story area, listening intently to the story and joining in with familiar sections when encouraged to do so.

Typically, leaders and practitioners promote expectations for behaviour through positive interactions, praise and modelling, and children are supported to develop skills such as sharing, turn-taking and listening. Practitioners identify children's individual needs well and use strategies such as visual aids, calm spaces and targeted support to help children regulate their emotions and engage successfully in routines. For instance, children engage with a familiar morning song during group time. They understand that they are expected to put their thumbs up and wait if they would like a turn to offer their ideas when discussing facts about sea animals. Children are developing the skills they need to be ready for their next stage of learning.

Leaders recognise the importance of regular attendance and monitor patterns of absence, working with families to identify barriers and provide support where needed. For example, parents of children with additional needs report flexibility with session arrival times, which supports their child to attend more frequently, promoting their individual needs and routines.

However, the implementation of expectations is not yet fully embedded across the provision. At times, transitions, routines and group experiences result in periods of low-level disruption, meaning that children occasionally lose focus and need additional support to re-engage positively in learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Overall, leaders have established policies and procedures to support children's welfare. However, these are not consistently implemented by all practitioners. For example, children are not always encouraged to take an active role in simple self-care routines such as washing their own hands or wiping their own noses, which reduces opportunities for them to build independence and understand healthy habits.

Supervision during mealtimes is generally supportive, although practice varies, meaning practitioners do not always reinforce safe and hygienic eating habits with the same level of consistency. Similarly, during table activities, practitioners occasionally miss opportunities to explain why certain behaviours, such as swinging on chairs, are unsafe. This means that children, including those with additional needs, are not consistently supported to deepen their understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

Children are provided with healthy food options and opportunities for physical development. Children are cared for by nurturing adults who know them well and prioritise their emotional security and wellbeing. Close key-person relationships, effective support for self-regulation and close partnership working with families help all children feel safe, valued and confident. Practitioners understand children's individual needs well and use strategies such as calm spaces, visual supports and responsive approaches to support emotional regulation.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a commitment to improving outcomes for children and have established effective systems for safeguarding and partnership working. Although leaders have established clear policies and procedures, these are not yet consistently embedded across the team. Variations in the implementation of hygiene routines and aspects of children's care mean leaders do not yet have full assurance that some procedures are consistently understood by practitioners and followed in practice.

That said, leaders identify some strengths and other areas for development within the provision and use monitoring, supervision, training and professional dialogue to support continuous improvement. Leaders have identified mathematics as a priority area and are taking further steps to strengthen practitioners' confidence, subject knowledge and consistency in supporting children's mathematical development. Leaders evaluate the impact of their curriculum through cohort tracking, progress reviews and ongoing assessment, using this information to adjust provision and target support.

Leaders make decisions that support children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children facing disadvantage and those known to children's social care, through effective use of additional funding, targeted support and partnership working with families and external agencies. Leaders value practitioners' wellbeing and support manageable workloads through shared responsibilities, protected time and supportive supervision.