Blossoms Community Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders find out about children's unique backgrounds to help understand how to best support them and their families. Leaders identify and assess children's individual needs with care and precision through ongoing and targeted assessments. They quickly recognise when children require additional support and respond by working in partnership with parents and carers and external professionals to ensure timely support. Individual support plans are shared with all staff, and are regularly reviewed to support a shared commitment to early intervention. However, staff do not consistently adapt activities to make them accessible to support all children's learning needs.

Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge of child development. Established staff are experienced in how to support children from a range of backgrounds and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They frequently update their knowledge and skills to remain informed of current guidance and best practice. This is shared with the whole staff team. Recently this has enhanced staff's knowledge and confidence in implementing strategies to support children's speech and language needs effectively. Funding is used strategically to purchase resources that match children's interests to swiftly close any gaps in learning. This has had a positive impact to help children regulate their emotions and articulate their feelings. Leaders support the progress of disadvantaged children and those previously known to children's social care through close monitoring and targeted support.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate understanding of curriculum quality and teaching. The curriculum is based around core values that are seamlessly woven through all areas of learning and development. Children generally acquire the skills they need to be ready for the next stage of their learning. However, teaching of mathematics for older children does not consistently develop their understanding of size, shape and capacity. For instance, staff do not extend learning during water play when children use pipettes to suck up and squirt water into different containers.

Leaders and staff know children well, including what makes them unique. Staff determine accurate next steps following regular assessments, and typically support children to achieve these through play and learning. However, staff do not always identify when they need to adapt activities to enable all children, such as those with barriers to learning, to fully benefit from activities. For example, some children may learn best in smaller groups. Staff's effective use of questioning helps to develop older children's thinking skills. They give children time to talk about their thoughts and ideas. Staff broaden younger children's vocabulary as they introduce new words and their meaning, such as 'spicy'. They regularly sing children's favourite songs to them. Staff use the local community to provide children with real-world experiences that meaningfully connect learning to everyday life and build on their physical and social skills. Children learn about the natural world, occupations and road safety awareness.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make progress in their learning, particularly in communication and language. Gaps in children's learning are closing for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Typically, children gain the skills that will prepare them for their move on to school. Young children are curious and actively explore the stimulating environment. They smile and laugh with delight as they hold hands and jump up and down to the songs they sing. This also motivates young children to join in with some new words. Children make secure attempts to pronounce words correctly and clearly repeat words in context, such as 'tap tap', as they beat teaspoons on metal colanders.

Older children flourish in confidence and become articulate communicators. They show a love of books and eagerly talk about the characters they see on the pages. Children use dough and music-based activities to strengthen the small muscles in their hands. They follow instructions, build concentration and develop coordination.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff typically have high expectations for children's behaviour and conduct. Staff calmly manage any instances of inappropriate behaviour. This supports children to show respect for their environment, resources and each other. Staff teach older children methods to begin to regulate their own behaviour, such as taking slow, deep breaths when they experience strong emotions. Staff are positive role models, demonstrating good manners. This motivates children to copy, and treat others well.

Staff build positive relationships with children. Children thoroughly enjoy interactions with each other, and with staff, which supports their play and social skills. They pretend to cook a meal and staff sensitively support them to share resources. Staff understand that some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities find changes in the daily routine challenging. They work with children's preferred regulation techniques, enabling them to remain calm. Staff typically manage most daily routines well, such as sleep routines and outings in the community. The lunchtime routine for older children is not sufficiently refined, and some children experience a wait before receiving their meal and during hygiene routines afterwards. This reduces how well children benefit from these key times of the day and hinders some opportunities for sustained engagement in purposeful learning. Leaders support parents and carers to understand the importance of regular attendance and punctuality from when they first start.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff support children to form secure attachments with their key person. Effective staff deployment ensures that children spend valuable time with their key staff. This helps children who are new to the nursery to quickly feel secure and settled. The well-established team of staff support one another well, and understand and meet the needs of children who need additional support. This collaborative approach ensures that children's wellbeing is prioritised and staff are responsive to children's needs. Staff identify when young children are feeling warm, and encourage them to drink water and help them to remove a layer of clothing, for instance. Routines such as sleeping and feeding are tailored, with staff present during sleep times to conduct regular checks for safety. However, the lunchtime routine for older children is not yet seamless. Children learn about physical development and their personal safety. Staff teach older children to hold out their arms to balance on a raised beam. Staff remove chairs from some tables to encourage standing during activities, helping develop children's core strength and stability.

Children are provided with nutritious meals and systems are in place to ensure children's dietary needs are met. Staff support children to learn about portion control and the impact food has on their body. Staff regularly talk to children about their feelings. They use stories and planned activities to help children identify and understand their emotions. Staff validate children's feelings and support them to link emotions to real-life experiences.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders show considerable dedication and commitment to providing high-quality care and education for children. They are reflective and actively seek ways to make improvements. They recognise that the lunchtime routine for older children requires further refinement to ensure smooth transitions. They have trialled several routines and are still in the process of supporting staff to embed the best ways to manage this key time of the day and other elements of their teaching, such as mathematics.

Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to ensure that all children receive the support they need. They monitor progress and review support regularly, making adjustments as required. Leaders ensure that staff benefit from training that is impactful, such as completing relevant courses and applying new knowledge to their practice. They understand that there is still work to do to ensure that staff adapt teaching and resources appropriately for all children. Leaders' commitment to ongoing development and inclusive practice ensures that the nursery is a safe and supportive environment for all children.

Staff morale is high and leaders prioritise staff wellbeing. Initiatives such as 'employee of the month', voted for by staff, parents and carers, enhance morale and contribute to a positive, motivated team culture. Leaders and staff ensure that parents are fully involved in every aspect of their child's time at the nursery. Parents comment on how they trust staff to meet their children's needs. They value how leaders and staff treat them as an extension of the nursery family.