Acorn Pre-School & The Mighty Oaks

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders place a purposeful emphasis on both effective partnerships with parents and carers and highly accurate assessment to help support all children, including those who face various barriers to their learning. Regular discussions and meetings with all staff help to ensure priorities for learning are clearly communicated. In turn, gaps around what children know and understand are swiftly addressed through a wide variety teaching methods and experiences. These reflect the individual stage of development and understanding of each child. For example, staff encourage particular children to develop physical strength and dexterity. They encourage children to use their whole bodies while they run, climb and begin to balance. Children use their hands and arms to create large movements while they paint on a board. Staff talk about the marks children make, helping children hear words and phrases to aid their growing vocabularies and communication skills. When gaps in physical development begin to close, staff incorporate different resources in children's play, encouraging them to use tools, such as spoons and bottles, to move sand. As a result, children develop the small muscles in their hands, preparing them for later tasks that require dexterity, such as handling tools with control.

Leaders and staff use their insightful knowledge of children's development to help set realistic next steps for key children to move forward through a clearly sequenced curriculum. Staff work closely with outside professionals, agencies and parents to help ensure routines and strategies are consistently effective. As a result, children feel able to join in routines, play and learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders and staff effectively work together to plan an ambitious curriculum that inspires children through new experiences, exciting themes and enthusiastic teaching. Leaders regularly review the effectiveness of the curriculum, helping to ensure it remains relevant to differing cohorts of children. Staff adapt activities and resources to help encourage children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning to access what they want in ways that meet their needs. Staff set out resources that interest children and provide an effective balance between children's self-chosen play and exploration and adult-led activities and and high-quality interactions. This allows children time to return to resources to repeat and practise skills and experiences to help them consolidate their learning.

Leaders ensure the curriculum has a focus around children's communication and language to help them express their thoughts and needs while they build social connections with their peers. Staff regularly take children to play at a local care home for the elderly. This helps children learn about the community in which they live whilst building on their listening and communication skills.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make consistently swift progress in their learning and development. When the time comes, children are well-prepared for their move to nursery and in some cases school. This is particularly notable for children who face barriers to their learning. Children master skills for independence, such as putting on their own coats and shoes and pouring their own water at snack time. They show an interest in numbers and letters, such as spontaneously counting and using pencils and paintbrushes in a meaningful way.

With support, children recognise their emotions and behaviours and begin to know how they can express their feelings. This helps children work out ways to regulate their emotions and behaviours so that they are able to interact with peers in a positive way. Children form close relationships with staff and make friends with their peers. Children begin to develop roles during their play and negotiate how and when they can share resources. As they grow, children become confident, articulate individuals.

Children widen the experiences they bring from home. They enthusiastically join in planned sessions focusing on sports and exercise and repeat some of the skills they acquire throughout the week. Children are curious to find out information about ducks, linking this to a charity event leaders organise for the local community. They talk about why they raise money and link this to their growing awareness of kindness.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Given their age, children behave very well. Leaders ensure staff provide consistently effective support and guidance to help children foster positive attitudes towards their learning and others. Staff are excellent role-models, demonstrating kindness, respect and calm interactions which children consequently display themselves.

Staff foster warm and trusting relationships with children. They take time to listen to children and offer reassurance and support when children feel upset or unsettled. This helps children find ways to regulate their emotions and behaviours so that they are able to continue their play and learning with enthusiasm. Leaders and staff form positive and supportive relationships with parents and carers. Leaders give clear explanations and expectations to parents from the onset of their engagement with the preschool. For example, leaders highlight the benefit of children's regular attendance. They work closely with parents to help ensure that the times and days children attend are the most accessible for family circumstances to aid regular attendance. Leaders ensure any absences which they have not been told about are swiftly followed up. This reflects the provider's clear ethos to support children's welfare.

Staff support children during times of transition during the day, helping children adapt to routines and manage their expectations about what is going to happen next. This contributes to the harmonious and calm environment. For example, from a very early age, children show resilience while they happily go to wash their hands in preparation for lunch.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders have a clear ethos to offer support and, when necessary, advice to parents and carers to help promote security and consistency for children. Clear working relationships quickly develop, helping leaders signpost parents to external agencies and professionals for further support. Staff work closely with these professionals too so that there is continuity for families. In turn, children are settled and feel able to separate from their parents when they come into the preschool.

Staff support children to recognise emotions. Through their nurturing characteristics, staff give children time to express how they feel, acknowledging that it is acceptable for children to feel sad or angry. They gently remind children about the resources and strategies they can use to feel content, helping children develop self-worth and confidence. For example, staff remind children about the breathing techniques they learn during regular yoga sessions and explain how these methods can be used whenever children want to feel calm again.

Leaders ensure staff are effectively deployed within the playroom and garden. This enables staff to supervise and give support when needed while children learn to manage age-appropriate risks for themselves, such as when they create obstacle courses with low balancing planks and stepping stones. Staff sit with children during snack and lunch times. They talk to children about the different kinds of food that are nutritious and gently remind them to take time to chew their food. Children enjoy brushing large models of teeth, contributing to their awareness of suitable oral health. This aids children's establishment of positive health and hygiene.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate and committed to their roles. They have high expectations to help promote high-quality care and education. Regular supervision and review of practices helps to identify any areas for individual or team development. Staff are given time during the week to complete planning and assessments, helping to maintain acceptable levels of workloads. Professional development is promoted through training and networking opportunities with other agencies and professionals. Leaders access different sources and types of courses through the local authority and professional bodies, helping to ensure staff's knowledge and understanding remains up to date and relevant for the different cohorts of children. Staff report that recent training linked to two-year-olds has helped them gain a deeper understanding of their learning needs.

Leaders maintain positive and trusting relationships with parents and carers and other local professionals, including key staff members in the nursery, school and children's centre. This aids the effective early support leaders initiate for children and parents, helping to reduce barriers to children's continued learning. Leaders ensure the key person system is securely embedded, helping to support the highly effective levels of communication and assessments. Parents report that the support they and their children receive goes 'above and beyond' their expectations.