Barnabas House Private Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand children's individual needs and provide support that helps them access learning and make progress. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported through targeted strategies, such as small-group activities and personalised guidance during play. This enables them to participate fully and extend their learning and development.

Staff work closely with families and external professionals to shape children's support. For instance, collaboration with specialists ensures that children's next steps are identified and interventions are regularly reviewed. This supports children to make steady progress from their unique starting points and be ready for formal schooling. Funding is used effectively, for example, to provide extra resources and enrichment opportunities. Leaders provide training for staff and continue to develop oversight and monitoring of inclusion practice. This ensures that interventions are refined so that all children benefit fully from inclusive approaches.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The quality of teaching at the setting is inconsistent, and not all children consistently benefit from high-quality interactions and teaching. For example, some routines and group activities, such as circle time, story sessions and wet-weather play, do not fully engage children or build on their next steps. Additionally, transitions between rooms and activities sometimes interrupt children's play, limiting opportunities for sustained concentration and exploration.

Staff generally understand children's individual needs and provide nurturing support. However, children's learning is occasionally narrowed because staff focus more on themes than on providing closely matched activities that build on what children need to know next. This means children sometimes become disengaged. For example, they become restless during activities that do not reflect their developmental stage or interests. While there are emerging strengths, such as promoting independence, encouraging a love of books and supporting communication through some discussion, these approaches are not yet applied consistently. As a result, not all children benefit from the same high-quality interactions and learning experiences.

Leaders recognise that staff need further support to deliver the intended curriculum consistently. However, weaknesses in the quality and consistency of coaching and monitoring reduce the impact of leaders' actions. As a result, staff do not always receive the guidance they need to implement curriculum intentions effectively. This limits children's engagement, progress and enjoyment across areas of learning.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children's achievement across the setting is variable. While some children make steady progress from their starting points, inconsistencies in teaching and daily routines mean that not all children secure and consolidate their learning across the breadth of the curriculum. This affects the depth of their understanding and limits how well they are prepared for the next stage of their education.

Children show curiosity and engagement in some areas, such as during sensory experiences with sand and water or when using bikes and climbing equipment outdoors. These activities help them develop physical skills and explore creatively. However, opportunities to extend learning across other areas of the curriculum are not consistently planned for or followed through in practice. For example, some mathematical ideas are introduced in routines, such as counting cups or plates at snack time. However, children are not consistently encouraged to apply number knowledge or problem-solving skills across a range of meaningful activities. This restricts their ability to develop secure and transferable mathematical understanding.

Children's independence and confidence are developing, but progress is limited because routines can be overly rigid. This results in further missed opportunities for children to practise and embed new skills. As a result, learning is not yet consistently extended or deepened across all curriculum areas.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders do not always ensure that the environments are organised in a way that supports children to make independent choices and build on their existing skills. This limits children's engagement and motivation for learning. Children settle well and build trusting relationships with staff. However, inconsistent routines and behaviour expectations weaken the impact of children's developing behaviour and attitudes. For example, some staff tell children to stop running without providing age-appropriate explanations to help children understand expectations or learn about how to keep themselves safe.

Equally, staff's responses to behaviour vary in quality. For example, when children quarrel and behave disrespectfully to one another, staff redirect the play but miss opportunities to teach children how their actions affect others. As a result, children receive mixed messages about kindness, care and respect.

Leaders and staff act promptly when children do not arrive as expected, demonstrating a firm commitment to children's attendance and safety. However, staff provide fewer opportunities for children to understand the importance of joining in and contributing positively to shared routines and activities. This affects how confidently children participate and how well they develop positive attitudes towards learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Staff build warm and trusting relationships with children. However, inconsistencies in practice mean leaders cannot be assured that children always receive the support they need to stay safe. For example, supervision of children is generally appropriate, but lapses can occur during busy transitions, such as moving between rooms and when staff take children outside. Staff do not consistently implement the outdoor risk assessment in line with leaders' expectations. This means that, occasionally, they overlook hazards outdoors. This limits children's ability to explore safely at all times.

Children have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise, such as running, climbing and pedalling bikes outdoors. They are supported to follow good hygiene routines, including washing their hands and brushing their teeth. The dedicated cook ensures that children have nutritious meals and snacks. This helps them to develop healthy eating habits and instil good habits to lead a healthy life in the future.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have taken steps to improve the setting since the last visit. These include ensuring that staff complete useful training, such as on safeguarding and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have diligently taken steps to ensure that this is understood by all. However, staffing pressures, including leaders covering in rooms, limit the impact of wider coaching, supervision and monitoring. As a result, leaders do not yet consistently drive high-quality practice. This affects children's learning, progress and enjoyment at the setting. For example, staff do not always receive precise feedback on the quality of their practice and are not yet provided with targeted professional development opportunities to improve their overall practice. This reduces the effectiveness of teaching and has an impact on children's wellbeing.

Leaders and staff work with families and external agencies to support children with SEND. Funding is used appropriately to promote inclusion and support learning. Leaders and staff value parents as partners in their child's learning and education. This goes some way to helping children make the desired progress. However, right now, this is not consistent for all children who attend.