Acorns Aviva

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders ensure those with responsibilities for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are efficient in their role and understand their responsibilities through effective training. They are highly effective in working alongside key people, parents and professionals to identify any gaps in learning and to efficiently design plans to support children's development. They understand the importance of early intervention and know what children should be achieving and by when. They provide precise, targeted support, which enables well-designed activities such as the 'attention bucket' to help children develop effective attention skills. Children listen carefully to instructions, and most know that they must not touch the resources. All children are included, for example, as they listen to the 'pop' of the sensory toy.

Staff are mindful of any emerging gaps in children's learning, ensuring that they complete detailed observations and assessments. Staff calmly and consistently use strategies that are known to work well for children. For example, they use 'now and then' boards and limit the time that children are waiting during transitions to avoid a decline in behaviour.

Staff risk assess the environment and adapt it to ensure that all children, including those with physical and health needs, can access a broad and balanced curriculum. They use any additional funding and adapt their teaching styles consistently well to include children who may have barriers to their learning. For example, they provide regular outdoor experiences, including forestry skills sessions, to support children who learn better outside and may not have regular access to outdoor spaces.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is well designed overall and provides children with a broad and balanced range of experiences. Generally, staff understand the importance of sequencing learning. For example, they provide activities that help children build their small-muscle strength to prepare them for later learning. Staff use assessment extremely well to support all children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning and for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They help all children to access a curriculum that meets their individual needs and challenges, especially to support their physical and social development. Although older babies listen attentively to stories and engage extremely well in an interactive story about a hungry caterpillar, this is not always consistent. At times, the youngest babies do not always benefit from purposeful interactions, for example to support their communication and language development even further.

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching at their nursery. They have a clear action plan to bring about improvement, especially to support new, inexperienced and unqualified staff to embed the curriculum. For example, not all staff have the confidence to implement the curriculum to fully engage and extend children in their learning. They do not consistently provide 'points of reference' to help children in their creative designs to know what the stars and moon look like or a 'mandala' to reinforce their learning. All children have meaningful experiences to develop mathematical concepts, such as speed and length as they race cars.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, children make steady progress from their starting points. They develop knowledge and skills across the 7 areas of learning and are well prepared for school. Most children achieve well in their communication and language skills. For example, older babies and older children thoroughly enjoy stimulating and interactive story times. They are excited to learn and demonstrate high levels of attention. However, not all children benefit from these positive interactions as practice is not consistent throughout the nursery.

Children develop a growing range of skills that support the next stages of their learning. They show increasing confidence and independence, such as making choices about their play and managing tasks for themselves. For example, older children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and barriers to learning, concentrate well as they thread cereal onto their pipe cleaners to make bird feeders. They carefully think about where these should hang so that the birds can reach them, talking animatedly about their ideas.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders support parents well to establish consistent routines and understand the attendance policy. There are effective systems in place to follow up on any absences and to ensure that any adaptations can be made to ensure that children attend and are punctual.

Children behave well and learn to manage their own emotions and behaviour. Children play nicely together. They are encouraged to solve problems and to avoid minor conflicts. For example, older children debate how they can include more children in their car game. They decide to move the car mat and then think about how they can make the race fair for everyone. Children negotiate well. Staff implement consistent strategies so that children become familiar with rules and expectations. For example, staff remind children to walk around the fire pit when they are in the garden.

Leaders provide a relaxing environment that positively supports children's learning, development and care. There is effective provision for children who need help to channel their energy and focus on what matters. All children develop positive relationships with caring, familiar staff. Overall, children are motivated to learn and have positive attitudes to learning, although this is not always consistent. For example, the curriculum is not always implemented as well as it could be to engage children fully in their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place high priority on children's welfare and wellbeing. When babies and young children become unsettled, nurturing staff promptly reassure and cuddle them. They know the children extremely well and are able to use their interests and favourite toys to distract and re-engage them. Children develop an excellent sense of emotional security. Staff support those children with additional care needs highly successfully. Robust health care plans, readily reviewed with parents and professionals, ensure that staff support children's individual needs extremely well.

Children thrive on the healthy snacks and meals prepared by the nursery in a scrupulously clean kitchen. Children learn about healthy eating. Staff consistently encourage children to try new things. For example, when children push their cheese and courgette bread away, staff encourage children to try, and when this does not work, staff explicitly praise another child trying a new food. This motivates children to try for themselves and then exclaim, 'I love it'. Staff consistently give children praise to help them develop very high levels of self-esteem. They provide many opportunities for children to develop their physical health. For example, children enjoy practising their forestry skills and taking part in sports days, walks around the lake, mini athletics and music and movement sessions. Children learn to channel their emotions and energy very well.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders and managers are effective role models, delivering high standards of education. Leaders have recognised the changes to the setting and have developed a targeted programme based on peer observations, supervision meetings and daily walk arounds. They understand what needs to improve to deliver consistently high-quality care, learning and development and intend to deliver and embed this training in the near future. There are some weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum, including consistently positive interactions to further support communication and language for the youngest children. Staff workload and wellbeing are a key focus. Staff feel valued and well supported, especially in their wellbeing. Staff are encouraged to gain early years qualifications and to access relevant training to develop their skills further.

Leaders develop effective partnerships with parents and other professionals to ensure that children's needs are routinely met. There is precise support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to learning, and children remain at the heart of all decision-making.