Achievers Day Nursery Ltd

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a welcoming and caring environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and who face other barriers to their learning, thrive and make progress. Staff know children well and recognise quickly when children may benefit from additional support, demonstrating the positive impact of training to ensure that staff meet children's individual needs effectively. They work closely with leaders and parents and carers to provide consistency in children's care and learning. However, on occasion, staff do not organise transition periods effectively during the day, to ensure that they provide clear instructions for children.

Leaders and staff value the advice given by other professionals and develop targeted plans to provide children with the necessary support to help close gaps in their development. Staff use signing throughout their interactions with children. They implement strategies effectively to calm children when their behaviour become dysregulated. Leaders review information about children's individual needs and monitor their progress when considering how to make the best use of additional funding.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for the curriculum. They communicate this effectively to staff to ensure that they have the same high expectations. In particular, staff prioritise children's physical, communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. This helps children to acquire fundamental skills. Staff use what they know about each child to provide targeted educational experiences that build on all children's prior learning as they transition from the younger age groups up to the oldest. For example, babies hear staff use number names when they sing nursery rhymes, while toddlers receive encouragement to count for themselves. Pre-school children explore the patterns they make in slime and talk about shapes when creating flags.

Leaders have invested heavily in training staff to use signing. All staff implement this consistently throughout the day, which benefits babies and non-verbal children in particular. They watch staff with interest when they sign, and develop the confidence to communicate in different ways. Staff sing and read books to children often and model a broad vocabulary, such as talking about objects that float and sink. Staff working with the oldest children motivate them to think and express their ideas. For example, staff ask questions that start with 'I wonder' and leave sufficient time for children to respond. However, on occasion, staff working with the older babies and toddlers do not provide as effective support and encouragement for these younger children to practise speaking. For instance, during snack times and while children play, staff sometimes give lots of instructions and ask closed questions, to which children respond non-verbally or using simple one-word answers.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning, make progress from their starting points. Children develop the skills they need for later learning. A well-sequenced curriculum typically helps to provide children with the support they need to build on their existing skills. Children are curious, enthusiastic and eager to explore. Babies develop physical skills when they crawl and move around to see what toys and resources staff have set out around the room. Toddlers and 2-year-old children build strength and coordination when staff support them to use the climbing wall, stretching out their arms and legs to reach the holds. Pre-school children experiment to find out how much water they can put inside a toy boat before it sinks. Pre-school children become confident to express themselves, although some younger children receive less support for their language development.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff are warm, calm and caring. They act as positive role models for children. Children play together cooperatively and behave well. Staff use appropriate strategies to help children to understand and follow the rules. Two-year-old children announce confidently that they might 'bump heads and then cry' if they run indoors. However, there are some inconsistencies in the staff's organisation of transitions in the daily routines. Consequently, at mealtimes, babies spend too long sat at the table waiting for staff to wash all the children's hands and serve snack, without interaction from the staff. During these times, babies sit silently and watch what is going on around them.

Staff give praise to help develop children's social skills. When staff support pre-school children to take turns and celebrate the children's kindness, children continue to share the toys without any further assistance from staff. Leaders understand the importance of punctuality and regular attendance for children's education and to help prepare them for later learning, including attending school.

Children develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff are skilled at identifying children's stage of development and matching this with the learning opportunities they provide. For example, staff working with pre-school children recognise when children require further support for their coordination and fine motor skills. They recognise that children need these skills before they are able to scrape their leftover food from their plates into the bin at mealtimes. Staff plan suitable activities to give children more opportunities to practise the required skills.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff ensure that care practices meet the personal needs of children of all ages, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are patient and kind. They work diligently using a range of suitable strategies to help new babies settle in. For example, staff distract them by singing nursery rhymes that children enjoy and give reassuring cuddles. Children establish positive relationships with their key person. They demonstrate their pride and confidence, such as showing visitors their sticker rewards for positive behaviour. They announce excitedly to staff when they successfully fasten the straps on their shoes. Children are independent in their self-care from a young age. For example, they look at their reflection in a mirror to help them wipe their faces clean after lunchtime. However, due to some weaknesses in the staff team's planning of the daily routines, all toddlers enter the toilets to wash their hands at the same time. During this time, staff are unclear which children have washed their hands and some children become unfocused and wander away from the group.

Staff support the pre-school children to recognise and express their feelings and emotions. For example, they encourage children to talk about their likes and dislikes of food at lunchtimes. Staff support children to use dolls to show the love and care they give to their new baby siblings at home. Leaders understand the importance of children being physically active and spending time outside. Staff plan regular time for all children to play in the garden and in the large soft-play room. Leaders work with staff to plan healthy and balanced meals for children, taking into account their individual dietary needs and preferences.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of the nursery's strengths. Overall, they recognise what changes they can make to benefit children and their families. For example, since the government funding has been made available to younger children, leaders have made changes to the age groups in each room. This ensures that staff are able to continue to meet children's individual needs effectively. Leaders identify areas for improvement that will directly impact on children's care and development. They take this into account when providing training and support for staff. As a result of leaders prioritising training around children's communication and language, staff use a range of effective strategies. However, at times, these are not implemented consistently.

Parents and carers share positive feedback about the care and education their children receive. This includes the support that staff provide to enable consistency when potty training children. Parents talk favourably about their children's transitions from one room to another. They comment positively about the detailed communication they receive regularly from staff about their children's experiences.

Leaders monitor staff's practice and wellbeing. Staff morale is high and they report that they enjoy working at the setting. Leaders ensure that policies are followed and apply flexibility to support children's individual needs. They are quick to notice when children and families may need further support, and work closely with other professionals to put this into place. Leaders understand the impact that this has on children's wellbeing, welfare and education.