Brambles of Yorkswood (Nursery and Out of School Club)

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have embedded a highly inclusive culture. They are highly responsive to each child's individual needs and family circumstances. Staff value children and take time to understand each family's background. They create clear, targeted action plans that identify priorities. This helps to secure timely interventions and shape support plans that meet all children's needs.

Staff consistently provide sensitive, targeted support for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children, those known to social care and children facing other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. They respond to children's sensory needs, for example, using gentle tapping and rhythmic actions to help them regulate their emotions and remain calm. Leaders and staff work closely with the on-site school staff, medical professionals and external agencies to swiftly signpost families to the right support. Wider opportunities, such as wellbeing programmes, further strengthen children's social and emotional development. This consistent, responsive approach reduces barriers early and ensures children feel safe, understood and ready to learn.

Early years pupil premium funding is used thoughtfully. Leaders and staff securely understand the high levels of deprivation within the community they serve and match resources closely to children's experiences and individual needs. For example, they have purchased bike helmets to promote safe physical play and enhanced the outdoor curriculum to encourage exploration and curiosity. As a result, all children benefit from rich learning experiences, and gaps in learning and development close quickly.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders place a high priority on communication and language. This is embedded through their well-sequenced, high-quality curriculum for all children. Leaders and staff are highly responsive to children's individual needs and know them extremely well. They gather detailed information from parents to shape learning and build securely on what children already know and can do. This consistently supports children to learn and remember more.

Staff consistently provide high-quality daily interactions. They use rich vocabulary, such as 'frogspawn' and 'tadpole', alongside visual prompts to support all children's understanding. Staff ask open-ended questions to extend children's thinking, such as, 'What has happened to the balloon?' Babies explore interactive books and delight in saying 'uh-oh' as they press buttons and discover cause and effect. Staff sing 'The Wheels on the Bus', adapting to babies' interest as they join in with smiles and 'swish, swish, swish' actions. This promotes children's communication and language development.

Through play and learning, staff skilfully weave in mathematical language and number. For example, younger children learn to compare 'big' and 'small' sandcastles. They count the scoops of sand into their buckets, saying, '1, 2, 3'. Older children learn to set the table for their friends at mealtimes. They count enough plates, knives and forks. When they recognise that they do not have enough, they say, 'I need one more plate.' As a result, children increase their mathematical skills.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make consistent progress from their individual starting points and are well prepared for their next stage of learning. Babies learn to crawl and cruise around furniture. They say early words such as 'bye-bye'. Older children show high levels of concentration as they build towers, manipulate play dough and listen carefully to stories. They use props and role play to enrich their play. Children confidently say they are 'superheroes' and relate this to characters in the story. As a result, children make positive progress across all areas of learning.

Children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, develop their independence skills. For example, they learn to use the toilet independently, set the table for their friends and follow instructions with confidence. Children take pride in their responsibilities and demonstrate growing self-assurance. They learn the skills they need to be well prepared for their next stage in education, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are highly effective role models to children. They have embedded high expectations for all children's behaviour and routines, which they communicate with parents from the outset. Staff consistently provide targeted support for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children, those known to social care and children facing other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. For example, staff respond sensitively to children's sensory needs through gentle tapping and rhythmic actions. In addition, staff use a calm countdown of '3, 2, 1' to help children settle on the carpet together, supporting smooth transitions. As a result, children follow routines, behave consistently well and demonstrate positive attitudes across the setting.

Leaders and staff continuously review the organisation of routines to meet children's needs and stages of development. Routines such as sleeping and feeding are embedded in practice. This helps babies and children feel secure and settled. Staff work closely with parents to maintain consistent care routines between home and the setting.

Leaders and staff support families to understand the importance of regular attendance. They rigorously monitor children's attendance and punctuality. This enables them to identify patterns, intervene swiftly and work closely with families to secure very good habits for the future.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing consistently. Children experience a calm, nurturing and emotionally secure environment where they feel safe, valued and confident. They build trusting and secure relationships with their key persons. This helps children to feel safe and settled. Babies approach staff for comfort and reassurance through cuddles. They develop secure attachments that promote babies' wellbeing and give them confidence to explore and engage in their environment.

Staff consistently promote children's independence in their self-help skills. Babies and children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, are encouraged to feed themselves, use tissues to wipe their noses and wash their hands. This helps children to develop early hygiene routines and confidence in managing their own needs.

Staff talk with children to help them understand their emotions. They use approaches such as wellbeing programmes and 'The Colour Monster' to build emotional awareness. In addition, they have developed a dedicated calming space to help children regulate their emotions. This helps children to feel settled and ready to learn. Staff promote kindness and respect and help children to recognise their trusted adults. Children learn to support their friends. For example, when they see their friends upset, they say, 'You will be better soon.' This builds children's self-esteem. As a result, children demonstrate self-regulation, supported by skilled staff who use consistent routines that motivate children to develop long-lasting, healthy habits.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

The leadership and governance of this setting are of consistently high quality. They are highly strategic and place children and families at the heart of all decision-making. Those responsible for governance have an excellent oversight of the setting. Leaders use detailed evaluations to identify strengths and areas for development. They rigorously review teaching and learning to ensure children receive the best education possible. Leaders continually strive to provide tailored support for families, ensuring they access the right support at the right time. Parental engagement is embedded in everyday practice. There are superb partnerships with parents, the on-site school and external agencies, which promote involvement in children's learning from the very start. Parents say staff and leaders provide swift and effective support for their children. They say their children are happy, describing the setting as being 'part of the family'. This collaborative approach ensures families feel valued and listened to.

Staff wellbeing is a very high priority. Leaders provide targeted support and high-quality opportunities to enhance staff expertise. This enables staff to feel confident, valued and able to carry out their roles effectively. For example, some staff have completed training focused on supporting children's wellbeing and care. This has supported their understanding of how to help children increasingly recognise and manage their feelings. Leaders' proactive and consistent approach helps to enhance staff skills and professional practice, which has a positive impact on the quality of children's learning and experiences.