Bo Peep Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported within the setting. Home visits at the start of each child's journey enable staff to gain a robust understanding of individual needs. Staff assess children's needs precisely, plan targeted support, implement strategies consistently and review progress regularly.

Leaders ensure that all plans are created in partnership with parents and external professionals, including inclusion teachers and educational psychologists. With parental consent, these specialists are welcomed into the setting to observe practice, contribute to assessments and help track children's development. Reports and assessments are shared transparently, ensuring that everyone involved has a clear picture of each child's progress. Additional funding is used highly effectively, resulting in clear improvements to children's access to the curriculum. Leaders make decisions that demonstrably enhance the opportunities and experiences of children with SEND, enabling them to make excellent progress across all areas of learning.

Children are supported to communicate their wants and needs through a well-embedded visual routine and the use of a picture exchange communication system. These approaches ensure that every child understands that their voice however expressed is valued and heard.

Parents describe the support they receive as invaluable. They feel their children are recognised as individuals and provided with the encouragement, adaptations and provision they need to thrive.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the curriculum within the setting. The curriculum is carefully designed to offer children a broad and ambitious range of opportunities across all areas of learning and development. Staff have a clear understanding on what it is children already know and can do and what it is they want them to learn next.

Staff support children to develop their language skills. They engage in meaningful conversations with children, giving them a wealth of opportunities to recall information and share past experiences. Children learn how to converse respectfully with each other, waiting for someone to finish speaking before they have their turn. With younger children and for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or English as an additional language, staff use clear and concise language alongside visual cues to help children build on their vocabulary.

Staff explicitly promote children's mathematical knowledge. As they play in the kitchen area, children compare the sizes of real fruit, using language such as 'heavy', 'light', 'small' and 'large' with confidence. There are occasions, however, where children may not know an answer or miscount in haste while measuring. Staff do not correct these misconceptions for children, which would strengthen their developing knowledge further.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), generally make steady progress from their starting points. Some inconsistencies in practice result in minor misconceptions being overlooked, preventing children from fully securing and extending their learning.

Older children have extensive vocabularies and are excited to share their knowledge with others. During story time, older children read along word perfectly with the story 'Superworm', displaying excellent recall of familiar stories.

Children's physical development is prioritised through weekly 'playball' and karate sessions. Children enthusiastically follow instructions as they throw, kick and catch balls. Sessions take place in small groups and are tailored to meet the needs of all children. Children with SEND laugh and smile with delight as they explore these different ways of moving alongside their peers, with an adult close by for support if needed.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

The setting has an extremely well established and robust key-person system in place that fosters highly effective, nurturing and secure relationships between staff and children. All children, including those who have only recently started at the setting, demonstrate a confidence to explore the environment, knowing staff are close by if needed.

Children demonstrate consistently positive attitudes to their learning and to each other. Staff are extremely positive role models for children; they teach children the importance of treating others with kindness. Older children, without prompt, help younger children to open the lids on their lunch containers when they see them struggling. They cheer each other on during the 'playball' session as they take turns to kick the ball as far as they can, celebrating each other's successes.

Children display exemplary manners and work collaboratively. At snack time, they use spoons to scoop the cucumber, melon, apple slices and tangerines into their individual bowls. They thank each other as they pass the bowls along and wait patiently till everyone has been served before they begin eating.

Leaders are extremely quick to take decisive action to identify and tackle barriers to attendance. This is done sensitively with parents, working together consistently to put in place strategies that establish positive routines and improve children's attendance. This has had a significant impact for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff are sensitive to the needs of individual children when it comes to care practices. They ask if they can change their nappies, using the visual routine for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or for children who speak English as an additional language. This supports all children to understand the routine, which they comply with happily. Staff sing or use this one-on-one time to talk to children about their day and how they are feeling.

Older children are very confident to discuss how germs are spread and share the story of 'Sneezy Susie' and how she sneezed over everyone and spread her germs. Children proudly share that they do not do that. They cover their mouths with their elbows when they cough and sneeze.

Staff support children to recognise, express and manage their own emotions. When children may be feeling overwhelmed and need space, staff sit with them on the carpet and read quietly with them one-to one. This cosy, quiet space gives children the opportunity to self-regulate and take time for themselves.

Staff provide children with the knowledge they need to stay safe and healthy. For example, they remind them to sit down while using scissors and to not put their knives in their mouths at lunchtime. However, staff do not expand on why this is important to help children understand what could happen and support them to make safer choices independently in future.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have an accurate overview of the setting, which allows them to consistently put in place systems that focus on securing excellence for all children. The manager is relatively new to post. She has already made successful changes that have improved the outcomes for all children.

Partnership with parents has been enhanced through a change in communication systems, which now allows greater two-way communication between parents and staff. This means that parents are now more involved in children's learning and have a much clearer understanding of how their children are progressing and how they further support their learning at home.

There is a culture of continuous improvement instilled among staff, and all staff are encouraged and supported to engage in further training opportunities, which have a positive impact on the quality of provision and on practitioner's practice. Leaders are eager to use individual staff's skills and interests as learning opportunities for children. A gardening club, led by a staff member, has supported children to develop their own compost, plant their own vegetables and take a wider interest in nature. Staff feel extremely well supported within their roles and feel valued for the work that they do.

Leaders are extremely reflective. Weaknesses in practice have been identified by leaders as part of self-evaluation and are taking time to embed but are rigorously monitored. They regularly ask those using their services for feedback and input. For example, when reviewing the extra curriculum offering and looking for an additional programme, they consulted with parents and now have a weekly French class as this is what parents felt would enhance their children's learning further.