Brimpton House Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff identify children's needs at an early stage. Effective partnerships between parents and carers and agencies ensure that children receive tailored and timely support. Staff monitor children's progress closely and review the impact of interventions, adapting strategies as needed. For instance, staff use stories, songs and rhymes to enhance children's vocabulary and communication skills. Families consistently report their children grow, thrive and develop confidently within the setting.

Individual care plans provide consistency and reassurance for parents, who know their children's needs are understood and met. Trusting relationships with families help to remove barriers to children's attendance and engagement, supporting children to access learning regularly.

Staff receive ongoing training to recognise when children may require additional help. Leaders maintain effective links with children's social care. This ensures that children known or previously known to services continue to make secure progress. Leaders apply for additional funding where appropriate, ensuring that children benefit from targeted support. They use early years pupil premium funding collaboratively with families to identify how best to promote each child's development. However, there are not consistent or clear links between purchased resources and children's next steps in learning to further strengthen the impact of this funding.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff design the curriculum to support children's all-round development. They encourage children to practise self-help skills, such as putting on their coats and changing their shoes. Children are able to express their needs confidently.

Children take part in regular 'together time' to enhance their communication and confidence in a whole-group activity. Themes, such as days of the week, seasons and parents' careers, help spark curiosity, with children sharing items from home. However, not all children were observed to join in. Staff have not yet considered how to adapt these sessions so that every child, particularly those who engage less readily, can access the intended learning and fully benefit from the experience.

Staff record children's progress in individual shared learning journals. They use children's interests and personal circumstances to shape rich role-play experiences. For example, they use teddy bears and boxes, alongside a familiar story, to support children to prepare and feel ready to move into a new house.

Staff embed children's mathematical learning throughout daily interactions across all age groups. Children and staff complete headcounts of each other, count when going up the stairs, and count bugs they find in the sand or when stacking blocks. Staff use mathematical vocabulary to ask curious questions about shapes, sizes and placing of objects to encourage children's communication and language alongside their problem-solving skills.

Staff promote children's physical development throughout the nursery. They plan the spacious outdoor environment to support children's independence, such as with access to balancing beams and pedal toys. However, there are times when staff overlook opportunities to extend children's learning outdoors. This mean that children do not consistently deepen their exploratory play and develop new skills.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, children's learning and development typically progress throughout the nursery. Children are able to hang up their coats and wash their hands before mealtimes. This supports children to manage their own needs as they get older.

Children develop a keen interest in books, learning new words and recalling and acting out their favourite parts. During group story times, children are keen to take part in telling the story, practising their language and developing their recall skills. However, some children are less engaged during these times, which limits opportunities to build on their learning.

Children join in happily with familiar nursery rhymes and songs. They enjoy the nursery's 'special song' that celebrates children's all-round development, individuality and unique selves. Children are eager to share their achievements with friends. Children feel proud of their efforts and build their confidence.

Children communicate confidently and are specific should they request help or support with something. This means children are well prepared for the next stage of their development, whether they are moving through the nursery or transitioning to more formal education, such as school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are polite, calm and well mannered. They use 'kind hands' and support one another with their needs. Daily songs that celebrate children's individuality and kindness help them to learn how to care for others and be proud of their differences.

Warm and secure relationships are evident throughout the setting. Children build trusting bonds not only with their key person but with a wide range of staff. This helps them to feel confident in their surroundings and ready to learn. Staff support children to take turns and resolve disagreements. When conflicts arise, staff guide children to understand each other's perspectives and ensure that everyone has fair access to resources.

Leaders promote good attendance and punctuality effectively. They monitor children's attendance closely, with same-day follow-up for any absence and careful attention to emerging patterns. Parents and carers report that any concerns about children's behaviour are handled respectfully, with staff helping them to understand child development and how to support behaviour at home.

Staff consider each child's age, stage and individual circumstances when supporting them to meet expectations. Children are eager to share their achievements, and staff celebrate their successes. This helps to build children's confidence and a positive sense of belonging.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Secure attachments are evident across the nursery. Babies seek comfort from staff when they are unsettled, and staff are able to soothe them quickly. Staff explore the emotions children may be feeling, supporting them to recognise these with confidence. This helps children to understand their feelings and strengthens their ability to manage their emotions as they get older.

Children interact well with their peers. For instance, they vocalise turn-taking during sand-play activities, passing sand scoops between them to ensure that everyone has one. Staff use skilful questions to enhance children's thinking, and children respond by asking curious questions in return. Children show enjoyment and emotional security throughout the day.

Children enjoy healthy and balanced home-cooked meals that are tailored to their individual dietary needs. Robust processes, including a traffic-light system, are used to highlight where children may have specific dietary needs, and frequent checks are made to keep children safe. Children learn how to keep healthy and fit through regular physical activity indoors and outdoors. As children get older, staff introduce the concept of physical education to support children's transition into more formal school routines.

Staff promote children's independence by encouraging children to dress themselves, pour drinks and serve meals. They help children to express their needs clearly, developing their vocabulary, confidence and a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Staff complete regular headcounts to help keep children safe. However, sometimes this process interrupts children's play and learning.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for what they want children to learn. They equip staff to deliver this through regular team meetings, high-quality training and purposeful supervision sessions. Leaders reflect on what is working well and regularly observe practice to understand ways to enhance provision. However, they have not provided further support so that all staff are able to ensure that activities and learning opportunities are accessed by all children.

Ongoing professional development is widely available, strengthening staff's expertise at all levels. For example, the nursery benefits from the additional support and expertise of leaders within the wider organisation. This helps to strengthen their practice in safeguarding, supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and recruitment. This ensures that staff are confident and well prepared to meet children's diverse needs. Staff's wellbeing is prioritised, and staff feel comfortable seeking advice, knowing their views are valued. Safeguarding remains a central focus, with leaders maintaining high expectations and ensuring it features prominently in training and team discussions.

Leaders look ahead to the needs of the local community and are exploring opportunities to expand the building to accommodate growing demand. They work flexibly with other settings within the organisation to ensure that there are always sufficient staff to keep the nursery running safely and efficiently.

Parents and carers and staff frequently highlight how visible and approachable leaders are. This helps to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Leaders actively seek parents' feedback, which they use to shape improvements. Families consistently express how much they appreciate the individual care and support their children receive and the positive impact this has on their development.