Ashfield House Day Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make rapid progress at this nursery. Leaders are passionate and dedicated to providing high-quality care and education for children who may face barriers to learning. They consider children's experiences outside of the nursery and work closely with parents and professionals to narrow any gaps.

Staff are highly competent at assessing children's development and confident to identify when additional support or professional input may be needed. Robust procedures are well understood by all staff. Leaders work closely with external professionals and have developed excellent channels of communication to seek advice and ensure children receive the right support at the right time. Parents are involved at every stage and report that leaders' actions have had a lasting positive impact on their children.

Staff expertly support children with SEND. They are fully included in every aspect of the nursery day. Carefully considered adaptations to mealtimes and during planned learning ensure children benefit fully from the curriculum. For example, children with SEND benefit from movement breaks during mealtimes. They rejoin the group when ready to finish their healthy lunch. Staff are confident to explain how they have been supported to understand how to break learning down into small, manageable steps. The well-resourced sensory room supports children's emotional development and helps them to regulate their emotions during the nursery day.

Funding received to support children is used effectively. Leaders allocate funding for additional staffing, so children receive targeted help throughout the day. Reviews take place regularly. Staff note children's progress in the moment and quickly adjust next steps to keep children moving forward. Parents remain consistently informed and involved. They contribute to plans, attend meetings and share key information at handover times.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that supports children's learning across all the areas of the early years foundation stage. They understand the nursery's strengths and devise action plans where they identify improvement is needed. For example, leaders have developed the outdoor learning environment to offer children better opportunities for physical play and exercise, as this is a priority of the curriculum. However, at times, the quality of teaching is not fully consistent across the whole nursery. For example, sometimes, staff are unclear about what it is that they want children to learn from planned activities. This means that, on occasion, children are not consistently supported to build on their skills and do not always fully benefit from all learning experiences. That said, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as those who face other barriers to learning, experience high-quality support. For example, staff adapt support so children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning can consistently engage in planned learning alongside their peers.

Typically, staff support children to build the skills they need for their next stage. Independence is built into everyday routines. For example, pre-school children are given additional responsibilities at snack time. They decide the fruit for snack, set the tables, pour their drinks and clear away their plates.

Staff support children's communication and language well. In the baby room, staff comment on what babies are doing and model clear sounds and words, such as 'squish squish'. Babies watch closely, copy the sounds and respond in their own ways. Staff give them time to respond and encourage them to speak more. Children enjoy learning mathematical vocabulary. They sing counting songs, join in counting their toys and relish describing things according to size and shape.

In the pre-school room, staff purposefully introduce children to carefully selected stories to build vocabulary and understanding. For example, staff introduce children to 'Little Lou and the Woolly Mammoth' story to support building friendships, their understanding of feelings and introduce them to vocabulary that enables them to name their emotions and communicate how they feel.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress because staff accurately identify their starting points and put support in place straight away, including while they await input from external professionals. They engage in activities that are precisely matched to their needs and grow in confidence as they practise and refine what they can do.

Children become confident communicators. They use new words, share their ideas and enjoy conversations with adults who listen and respond.

Children are well prepared for school. They are proactive in their learning and make choices in their play. Older children develop role-play games collaboratively, admire each other's artwork and enjoy socialising over mealtimes, where they use cutlery and tidy away their belongings with increasing independence.

Children develop a genuine love of reading. They choose books with interest, talk about their favourite stories and retell familiar events with growing confidence. They visit the local library, where they explore new books and make choices for themselves. However, occasional variations in the quality of teaching mean some children's progress is not always consistently accelerated.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have established a robust key-person system. Staff build trusting relationships with children and know them well. Children run into the arms of staff and enjoy working with them on tasks. For example, children create still life paintings of daffodils to mark St David's Day. Staff encourage children to celebrate each other's creations, and they successfully share paint and water.

Staff skilfully adapt routines to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, they break tasks down into smaller steps and adapt tasks so they can participate alongside their peers. For example, children with SEND are supported to recognise when they are thirsty. Staff encourage them to find their own water bottle and put it away in the right place with success.

At times, however, some routines are not fully planned with all children's needs in mind. For example, sometimes, staff do not consider how to use age-appropriate strategies to gain children's attention and remind them when something is going to happen, such as a mealtime. This means that, on occasion, routines are less smooth in some rooms. Sometimes, children are less sure about what is happening next and are not as consistently engaged in their learning.

Leaders have developed clear expectations for behaviour that are typically applied throughout the nursery. Staff promote positive behaviour effectively and act as strong role models. Pre-school children mirror these behaviours. They are kind to one another, take turns and can share their toys successfully. For example, 2-year-olds share pens on the drawing table and help each other find the right colour lids for their pens when tidying up.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders have developed effective settling-in procedures. Children and family needs are central to the process. Staff are flexible and tailor settling-in sessions to the individual child. This ensures that children feel safe and secure when they start. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with parents and maintain ongoing communication with them when children arrive and leave. This helps to ensure that parents have up-to-date information about their children's needs and development. This is particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents are fully involved in the regularly planned development review meetings and assessments.

Staff speak to children with kindness and respect. During nappy changing routines, staff ask children for permission before changing them, and children respond willingly. Sleep routines are gentle and nurturing. Staff are close by and support children to fall asleep in a relaxing, calm environment. Safety measures are generally implemented robustly.

Typically, staff use their ongoing commentary to highlight where children need to take care of themselves and be safe. For example, children know to remain seated during mealtimes. In pre-school, children work alongside staff to prepare the snack for their friends. Overall, children are taught the importance of effective hygiene procedures. For example, they wipe down the tables and put away used items in the correct place to be washed as part of the routine. When children cut peppers, staff take the opportunity to discuss healthy foods and lifestyles with the children. They support families and children to understand the importance of ensuring dental health during themed weeks, which supports healthy physical development.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a professional and reflective approach. They have a clear understanding of where their actions are making a difference for children and families. They involve parents and staff in shaping the direction of the setting. However, leaders have not yet fully embedded a successful approach across the nursery so that children consistently experience highly effective routines and learning.

Leaders maintain a strong focus on supporting children and families who experience disadvantage. Additional funding is allocated with a clear rationale and is monitored for impact. Early years pupil premium is used to improve outcomes for children. For example, funding is used for resources to support emotional regulation. Funding for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is planned and reviewed to support sustained progress. For example, investment in consistent staffing ensures that children with SEND receive consistent support.

Leaders provide staff with regular, purposeful supervision and maintain an open-door culture. They check in routinely on staff wellbeing and respond promptly to emerging workload pressures or concerns. Staff enjoy their work and feel supported by leaders. Staff turnover is low. Staff access ongoing professional development that is aligned with the needs of the setting and the children who attend.