Brinds Well Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff build trusting relationships with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They know each child well and tailor support to meet their individual needs. This secure knowledge enables staff to provide targeted interventions that focus on children's next steps in learning, such as developing play skills, building relationships with other children and strengthening their ability to participate in group activities.

Children's barriers to learning are recognised promptly and staff put purposeful strategies in place to support them. Approaches such as visual cues help children understand transitions and follow instructions. Staff support children with SEND and are intuitive to their needs.

Leaders are knowledgeable and provide guidance to staff. They support staff to develop their skills and deepen their understanding of how to use the graduated approach effectively. This ensures staff are able to plan and deliver support that is well matched to children's developmental needs. When it is identified that staff need further training this is provided through meetings and short courses.

Staff work closely with parents to ensure a consistent approach between home and the setting. Regular communication helps families feel involved and ensures that strategies used in the setting are reinforced at home, promoting continuity for children. As a result, children make steady progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff plan activities that are closely matched to children's developmental needs, interests and the current 'inspiration word' for their room. This ensures learning is purposeful and meaningful. The curriculum is clearly sequenced across the setting, enabling all children to progressively build the skills they need for their next steps in learning. Leaders review the curriculum regularly and generally support staff to develop their teaching skills. Across all age groups, children demonstrate curiosity and enthusiasm to explore. However, all children are not consistently supported to follow their curiosity to extend their learning.

Staff use play to introduce and extend key concepts. For example, when babies explore balls, staff talk to them about colour and size, helping them to make early connections. In the older children's rooms, children playing with water are encouraged to count how many scoops are needed to fill a container, supporting early reasoning skills.

However, teaching is not always consistent. At times, staff lack a secure understanding of the intention of activities, which limits their ability to teach with precision and ensure all children benefit from the planned learning.

Staff promote reading and a love of books. Babies listen intently as stories are shared, developing their early attention skills. In the older children's rooms, staff help children to use books as tools for finding out more. For example, when a child spots ants in the garden, they are supported to explore a nature book to learn about them, strengthen their curiosity and understanding that they can find out information from books.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make steady progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or barriers to their learning. Staff encourage children to build their knowledge and skills as they move through the setting, ensuring they are prepared for their next steps in learning.

Babies enjoy playing with toy animals learning to say their names and beginning to link words to objects. Older children extend this interest in the world by exploring the names of dinosaurs and creating volcanos in the sand.

Children develop important social skills. Younger children show empathy, offering toys to comfort others when they become upset. Older children play cooperatively, taking turns and following rules during structured games.

Children use their imaginations confidently. Younger children create hats from play dough, experimenting with shape. Older children draw on their own experiences to role-play scenarios such as birthday parties. The oldest children use these imaginative skills in more complex ways, working together to build structures from building blocks, such as a bug hotel, demonstrating their creativity.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders support all rooms to implement consistent behaviour management strategies and help staff understand how to promote children's emotional regulation. These approaches are becoming embedded, with leaders guiding staff to recognise how individual behaviour can influence the wider group and how to respond calmly and effectively.

Staff work closely with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, supporting them to regulate their emotions. They recognise subtle signs that children are becoming unsettled and respond through sensitive interactions to support children to learn to manage their emotions. As a result, children feel understood and supported. Overall, children behave well and show an understanding of the setting's boundaries.

Structured routines help children feel safe and confident. Staff use visual cues to support children's understanding of transitions and expectations, enabling them to move smoothly between activities.

Children enjoy each other's company and demonstrate positive social attitudes. They play cooperatively, share resources and take turns. When minor disagreements occur, older children often resolve these independently, while younger children receive gentle guidance to help them manage their emotions and interactions.

Staff monitor absences and encourage good attendance, working with parents to understand why regular participation is important for children learning and development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff build warm, comforting relationships with all children. Staff talk to babies during care routines with gentle, attentive interactions, which helps them to feel safe and secure. In older children's rooms staff know children's interests well and use these in meaningful conversations helping them to feel valued. While most interactions are supportive, leaders do not always identify when staff could be more interactive, which impacts on children's confidence to fully participate in activities.

Staff complete thorough risk assessments to ensure children's safety. During extreme weather, outdoor areas are checked carefully to ensure there is enough shade and that children do not spend too long in the heat. Staff make sure children have sun cream applied, wear appropriate clothing and drink plenty of water, promoting safe outdoor play and healthy habits.

Mealtimes are social experiences where staff encourage children to talk and learn about their food, using conversation prompt cards to support discussion. Children are well supervised and staff have a secure understanding of younger children's weaning stages, ensuring food is prepared safely and appropriately.

Children's sleep routines are well managed. Sleeping arrangements are suitable and children are always supervised by staff. Staff have received training to ensure they understand how to keep children safe while they sleep, supporting children's comfort and wellbeing throughout the day.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of what the setting does well and what needs further development. They have identified some inconsistencies in the implementation of the newly introduced curriculum; they are working to embed improvements to ensure all children make sustained and consistent progress, though these are not yet fully established. Senior leaders monitor the setting's development closely and put additional support in place when needed, ensuring that the settings progress continues at a steady pace.

Staff receive regular supervision meetings where leaders provide feedback about practice and support staff to recognise areas of development for themselves. However, leaders do not always recognise and feedback when staff are not supporting children to further explore activities they are interested in. This impacts on children's confidence to engage in activities.

Leaders ensure staff have access to ongoing training opportunities so they can strengthen their knowledge and understanding. However, leaders have not focused precisely enough on the professional learning staff need to enable them to provide children with more consistent experiences throughout the setting. Despite this, staff report they feel well supported by leaders. They feel they are approachable and that leaders help them to manage their workloads effectively.

Leaders ensure that parents receive regular feedback about their child's development. They work effectively with other professionals, such as physiotherapists and early years advisers, to enhance staff practise and ensure all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or barriers to their learning make progress.