Alexandra Park Creative Nursery School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a collaborative approach to supporting children and their families. Staff identify and implement ways to overcome barriers. For example, they consider quiet spaces to support children where needed. This helps children to feel calm and remain engaged. As a result, all children are making progress.

Staff demonstrate a firm understanding of individual children's needs and the action they are taking to support progress, including where children have special educational needs and/or disabilities or speak English as an additional language. Observation and assessment are used well to monitor progress and to identify gaps. Additional support is offered where required. Staff consider ways to adapt and support engagement. For example, staff use visual cues and sign language to aid children's communication and understanding.

Leaders for special educational needs attend meetings and collaborate with other professionals, such as psychologists and health visitors. They work closely with staff and parents to ensure there is a coordinated approach to support offered, including decisions about the use of additional funding for individual children. For example, managers are keen to support staff with specific training and sensory resources to help children to engage and make progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is effectively designed to support all areas of learning, with learning indoors and outdoors. Staff understand the curriculum. They plan effectively for children's learning. Staff make adaptations to ensure that all children, including children with gaps in learning, are able to learn and make steady progress.

A strength of the curriculum is the focus on language and communication. From an early age, staff use sign language to support children to communicate. Progress in children's speech and communication is swift. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, typically demonstrate proficient speech and communicate effectively alongside their peers.

Children benefit from activities that enhance their creativity and imagination. Staff skilfully engage with children who are building. They add resources to add complexity. Children use past learning as they problem-solve and make increasingly complex structures. Children develop skills that will support future learning.

There are ample opportunities to support physical development. Children benefit from space to run, jump and balance. They enjoy scooping soil and filling containers. Staff use these opportunities to introduce mathematical language. Children learn concepts such as full and empty. Typically, teaching is effective. However, there are occasions when the implementation of the curriculum is less effective. For example, some staff have less knowledge about how to respond to children's emerging learning. Their teaching skills are not yet embedded to support children with the same high-quality interactions that other staff demonstrate.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL), make steady progress across the 7 areas of learning. Some children demonstrate communication and social skills that exceed expectations. Pre-school children generally use skills of collaboration, negotiation and turn-taking with friends. These skills will support them as they move to school.

Children demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude. They demonstrate their autonomy as they make decisions, for example to move play to outdoors. Children persevere at tasks, bringing friends in to support them. For example, they ask their friends to help them move large resources that take 2 people to carry.

Children, including children with SEND, make progress from their starting points. Where children speak EAL and where children have gaps in learning, these gaps typically close, and children make progress alongside their peers.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for all children. Staff demonstrate consistently kind behaviours and are quick to remind children of the importance of being kind to friends. Staff consider the age and ability of children when setting expectations. For example, they demonstrate to babies, using clear single words. They help older children consider each other's feelings. Children typically respond well. They use resources safely and usually play collaboratively with friends.

Staff and children form strong bonds. They develop relationships that are happy and trusting. For example, babies snuggle on the knee of a familiar adult. Children form friendships with their peers. They look for their friends arriving, and they make plans for playing together.

Leaders at the setting encourage parents to come into the setting and talk about their jobs to children. This helps children to learn about a world outside their own. Staff also plan events where children can share their creativity with parents. Art, music and imagination are used to help children share their learning and to celebrate different cultures. These experiences support children in developing knowledge and respect. Leaders work flexibly with parents to prioritise and support good attendance. This helps children to get maximum benefit from the setting.

Leaders identified that mealtimes needed action. They have noted improvement following adjustments to reduce the number of children eating in one sitting. However, during some routines, such as when children's care routines are being completed, expectations about how staff can support children to remain engaged are less clear.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The key-person system is well embedded. Children have secure relationships with their key person and with other staff who care for them. Staff have a secure knowledge of children in their group. They talk confidently about children's interests, their likes and dislikes. For example, staff know if children like a specific comforter and will offer this when children are tired or going to sleep.

Leaders and staff work in close partnership with parents to support children's wellbeing and progress. Staff talk to parents, and, together, make a plan to support children when they identify gaps in children's learning or changes in their behaviour. This helps children to benefit from a consistent approach.

Children gain secure skills of independence. Young children manage self-care tasks independently. As children progress, they are taught to consider risks and manage risks safely. The setting has a consistent routine that is effective. However, managers have identified that some transition times are less effective, and they are working with staff to support these times.

Partnerships with parents help staff to gather important information about children's individual needs. Where children have allergies or medical needs, this information is shared so that children can be supported and kept safe. For example, robust systems are in place to ensure children with allergies are only offered foods that are suitable for them.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious plan for supporting continual progress. They offer a curriculum that supports children to be independent, learning through creativity and exploration in the setting's well-planned and equipped indoor and outdoor spaces. Leaders know the families attending and the local community. Many children speak English as an additional language or speak dual languages. Leaders ensure that communication and language are firmly embedded in the teaching and the curriculum offered.

There are robust systems in place for safer recruitment, and leaders offer secure induction, supervision and mentoring of staff. In addition, staff benefit from coaching and peer support to build knowledge and share skills. Staff report that they feel well supported and valued. However, leaders should build on the skills and knowledge for all staff to embed consistently high-quality teaching across the provision.

Leaders demonstrate their ability to correctly identify the strengths of the setting and any areas for improvement. They are currently working with staff to make transitions at mealtimes more effective and have already noted some positive results.