Apple Blossom Pre-school and daycare

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have highly effective systems in place to swiftly identify and assess children's specific needs. They ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children, and their families receive the support they need. Leaders are acutely aware of the importance of regular attendance and work exceptionally hard to ensure that children access their early education. They use additional funding proficiently, offering extra sessions in the holidays and helping with transport to get to nursery. This has a positive impact on children's learning and welfare.

Leaders work efficiently with a wide range of professionals and external agencies to shape and assist children's experiences and enable them to reach their full potential. Together, they formulate personalised plans that are specifically tailored to each child's ability and share these with parents to provide a consistent approach. Leaders closely monitor children's progress, alongside other professionals, to ensure that the support they are providing is effective. As a result, children's gaps in learning quickly close. Leaders and staff are highly reflective and recognise where they need to develop their knowledge further. They access relevant training that is appropriate to the needs of the children to help them achieve their best possible outcomes, for example training to support children who speak English as an additional language and a therapeutic workshop.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design their curriculum to build on what children know and can do, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children. They review their curriculum regularly to consider what has worked well and what they need to improve. For example, when children are struggling to manage their emotions, staff plan activities that children enjoy to sustain their attention. Staff meet with parents when children first start to enable them to understand children's needs and abilities. They complete frequent assessments of children's development and involve parents in the process. Staff ask parents to bring in photos from home to build children's confidence talking to others in social situations.

Staff engage children in conversations during activities, asking them questions and extending their communication and language skills. During a mark-making activity, they talk about numbers and how to pair different items together, which supports children's mathematical development. Children remain attentive, painting and creating patterns using the materials on offer. Staff carefully listen to children when they are talking to help clarify their thinking and adapt their teaching, where needed.

Leaders and staff have a secure understanding of child development, and generally, staff deliver the curriculum intent well. However, at times, staff do not seize opportunities to extend children's knowledge through everyday activities, for example helping children learn how to initiate play with their friends and join in with their games to build their social skills further.

Achievement: Expected standard

Typically, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children, make progress in their learning from when they first start. Any barriers in their learning, such as speech and language delays, are reduced so that children make the progress they need to be ready for their next stage in learning, including their move to school. As they arrive, children independently take off their coats and hang up their bags, and they pour their drinks with confidence at snack time. Children have positive attitudes to their learning and involve staff in their play. They talk with staff about their experiences outside the setting, including likes and dislikes in food.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged children. Overall, children interact well together and form positive relationships with their peers and staff. They are learning how to manage their own behaviour. Staff use 'emotion cards' to enable children to talk about their feelings and express themselves. They encourage them to think about their breathing when children are exhibiting any heightened emotions to help them learn how to calm themselves. Staff are positive role models and teach children important skills they need for their future learning. They remind them about behaviour expectations, including sharing and saying 'yes please'. They give positive praise and encouragement to build their confidence and self-esteem.

Leaders and staff promote regular attendance and understand the importance of working with families to ensure that all children, including disadvantaged children, have consistent access to their full entitlement. Staff are kind and caring and give children extra comfort and support to help them settle into nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The key-person system works well. Children form secure attachments with staff, which supports their emotional wellbeing. Staff talk to parents when children arrive about how their children have slept and how they are feeling so they are able to sensitively respond to children's individual needs. Leaders and staff understand the importance of a healthy diet and good oral health. They talk to parents about appropriate food and drink to help ensure that packed lunches are healthy. Staff encourage children to wash their hands before eating to embed positive hygiene routines. They provide healthy options at snack time, such as fruit, milk or water. Leaders have policies in place that support children's welfare and wellbeing. However, sometimes, when procedures have been modified, parents would like to know more about why the changes have been made to aid a consistent approach in meeting their children's emotional needs.

Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about maintaining healthy lifestyles through physical activities, such as yoga. Together, they stretch up high and down low to the music. Staff give children choices about what exercise they would like to do next to help them learn that their views are of value and important.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of the setting's context, strengths and areas to develop. Leaders and staff work well as a team, particularly with regard to providing an inclusive provision. They recognise the changing needs of the community and the demand for childcare places for younger children, which is new to them. Therefore, leaders and staff have undertaken relevant training in relation to babies and safer sleeping to ensure that they have current knowledge about the younger age range. They work closely with the local school and other professionals, such as the local authority, to drive improvements and keep abreast of all the changes. Staff feel valued and well supported by leaders, particularly when undertaking qualifications. Staff have regular supervision and discuss their wellbeing and strengths and set actions to develop their skills.

Leaders reduce barriers to learning by using additional funding efficiently to support children's best interests and help any gaps in development swiftly close. For example, they purchase games that children can use at home to promote sharing and taking turns. Leaders are thoughtful and engage positively with parents, particularly of disadvantaged children, to ensure that children receive their full entitlement. However, occasionally, when leaders have made changes to procedures, the reasons are not fully understood by parents.