CareLoveLearn at St Oswald's

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify children's needs to ensure they are met. Staff carry out regular monitoring of children's needs and observe their next steps to help identify gaps in learning. Leaders and staff complete baseline assessments and initial communication and language assessments. Where any gaps in development are identified, staff communicate their findings to parents, and they work together to implement plans and support packages to help children make progress.

Leaders and staff consider all children's potential barriers to learning through the settling-in processes. Referrals to other agencies are made in a timely manner, and staff liaise with other professionals, including speech and language therapists and educational psychologists, to provide coordinated support to ensure all children get the help they need. Leaders use local services to support children who speak English as an additional language or those known or previously known to social care. This helps to identify barriers to learning they may face and what the setting has implemented already. As a result, leaders and staff can easily identify what additional support can be offered to help children to make progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have developed their own 'Care, Love, Learn' curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and builds on children's previous learning. It is designed to cover all areas of learning and development and sets out clearly what staff want children to know and learn. Adaptations to the curriculum help to ensure that all children, including those who face barriers to their learning, can make progress from their starting points.

Staff focus their planning on promoting children's personal, social and emotional development, and helping them to learn about their feelings and behaviour. As a result, children are secure, safe and happy. Staff promote a love of books, with a focus on storytelling and sharing songs and rhymes. Physical development is prioritised across the setting, with many opportunities for activity both indoors and outside, where children can practise their developing skills. Staff model mathematical language through daily activities and play, to help children develop an understanding of number, shape and size.

Staff typically tailor their teaching to support children's individual needs. However, this is not consistently implemented, and children's individual next steps are not always considered in planning learning experiences. This means that learning is not always personalised to what children need to learn next.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children form close relationships with their key person and their peers. They know who to go to for comfort, which helps them to feel self-assured and confident. They learn about emotions and how to talk about their feelings. Overall, children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning. They make progress from their starting points, regardless of any special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to learning. Where gaps are identified in children's development, leaders ensure that these are addressed promptly.

Children typically benefit from a range of activities where they can build on what they already know and can do. As such, most children develop the skills they need to move their learning forward. Children engage well in activities. They receive opportunities to share stories and songs with their key person, who narrates their play and helps them to learn new vocabulary. Children have daily access to the outdoors and opportunities to develop their physical skills, where they can practise rolling, climbing and jumping.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are very settled and happy. Leaders emphasise the importance of positive behaviour management. Children quickly learn what is expected of them and the rules and boundaries of the setting. Children are starting to build positive relationships with staff and are comfortable with them. Leaders have high expectations for behaviour. They model positive behaviour, including manners and positive interactions. They identify where children may need support with behaviour and reminders of the rules. Children are engaged in routines. Staff use a tambourine to help signal when it is time to tidy up and encourage children to join in. They know the routines already and are aware of what is coming next.

Leaders and staff monitor and promote attendance and punctuality. They work with parents to help them understand the importance of children attending regularly and the benefits of this for their learning and development. Leaders and staff support children to develop a positive attitude to learning and support them in exploring feelings and emotions. Children learn how to express when they are happy, sad or angry, and staff support them in acknowledging these feelings.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are supported well and form secure attachments to their key person. Children are happy, safe and secure and know who to go to for support and comfort. They are reassured by familiar adults, and the key-person system is well embedded. Leaders work closely with parents to help promote children's welfare and wellbeing. They provide information to parents about the importance of minimising screen time and the effect of this on children.

Leaders and staff promote the importance of being healthy. For example, they provide children with activities to encourage healthy food choices and teach them about foods that are good for their body. Leaders also work with parents to inform them of the benefits of a healthy diet. However, this is not yet reflected in the meals provided by parents. This means that children do not always receive healthy meals and snacks in their packed lunches. Leaders and staff promote independence, particularly at mealtimes, when children get their own trays and unpack their own lunch boxes. Staff follow the nursery's safer sleep procedures. They ensure that sleeping environments are safe, clean and well maintained. Staff stay with the babies and younger children while they sleep.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas they want to improve. They have worked on designing and implementing a new curriculum which celebrates children's achievements. They are mindful that this is in its infancy and not yet fully embedded. Leaders aim to prepare all children for future learning and the transition to school, regardless of any barriers they may face to their learning.

Leaders implement a robust procedure for safer recruitment. Once recruited, leaders run extensive suitability checks, including references. All new staff have 3-monthly reviews and a thorough induction process. Leaders support staff through regular supervisions and appraisals. They celebrate staff strengths and identify areas where improvements can be made to practice. Staff are conscientious and attend additional training to help them to improve their teaching.

Parents speak highly of the setting. They talk about the support they receive as a family and for their children's learning. Parents say that the staff are 'excellent with the children and can't do enough for them'. Transitions to school are effective, especially when children have their lunch in the hall so they know staff, the routines and behavioural expectations. Leaders and staff are aware of the requirement to promote healthy eating. They provide information to parents and/or carers to help them to understand the importance of healthy packed lunches and snacks. However, this has not yet had the desired impact for all children.