Caterpillars Preschool

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders generally identify children's individual needs accurately. They use parent forms and initial assessments to spot emerging developmental delays. Staff reduce barriers to learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through tailored support plans and targeted communication strategies. For example, staff use sign language for key words during daily routines to help children express themselves.

Leaders use early years pupil premium and disability access funding effectively for eligible children. This targeted funding generally helps secure equal learning opportunities and tailored interventions for these specific individuals. Leaders and staff monitor progress through half-termly reviews. They continuously assess the impact of learning plans to update monthly next steps for children facing barriers.

Staff are trained to continuously assess, plan and review children's needs. Leaders collaborate well with external professionals, including local inclusion services and health visitors, to obtain specialist guidance. Partnerships with families are typically effective in sharing home learning targets to support children's development. Leaders maintain clear processes to support children known to social care services, though none currently attend. However, leaders do not yet ensure staff fully embed practices and routines across the team to swiftly and consistently identify and address barriers.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders generally maintain a secure understanding of the quality of education across the pre-school. They do this to ensure that all areas of learning are included across the curriculum. Staff link weekly observations directly to the early years foundation stage requirements. Leaders monitor these links carefully to check on children's development. Staff use initial check-ups to assess what children know and can do to plan their next learning steps. They successfully prioritise children's communication, language, physical and personal development across all age groups. Staff use helpful visual aids and sign language to adapt learning effectively for children who face barriers to learning.

Staff deliver effective teaching through creative and engaging methods. For example, staff successfully follow children's interests to introduce new ideas during outdoor play. Leaders focus closely on improving staff teaching skills, particularly within mathematics. They introduce clear mathematical words during play and snack routines. For example, children count out pieces of fruit together and use simple shape names. Typically, leaders ensure the curriculum is taught well across the team. However, it is not taught consistently well or to the same high standard across the team. Staff interactions are occasionally reactive rather than proactive.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children generally make steady progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points. They successfully build their communication and language skills across the pre-school. Children who face barriers to learning typically achieve well. For example, children who begin with limited speech steadily gain confidence. They progress from using single signs or words to communicating with increasing independence. Children use their growing speech to get across what they need well. For instance, they confidently explain problems to staff, such as when they cannot get to resources during outdoor play.

Children are suitably prepared for the next stage of their education. They build foundational knowledge and skills by actively participating in daily storytelling and singing sessions. Children build confidence in using early mathematical language during their play. They learn the essential personal care habits and routines required to help them settle into future educational settings. However, inconsistencies in staff teaching practice mean a few children occasionally miss chances to achieve even more.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders generally establish a positive environment with commonly understood expectations for behaviour. Children build warm and trusting relationships with staff across the pre-school. They learn to play collaboratively and share equipment happily during indoor and outdoor play. They learn to follow rules and listen to staff instructions well. Staff support children well to develop positive social skills, encouraging them to treat others with kindness and respect. Children use a specialised self-registration system to share how their emotions change throughout the day.

Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality by keeping a close record of daily attendance patterns. They maintain a secure understanding of individual family circumstances to sympathetically help parents overcome specific challenges. Leaders work closely with parents to overcome these barriers and help families establish healthy daily routines. This targeted work helps all families, including those in receipt of additional funding, form good habits for future learning. Staff carefully consider children's individual needs, family circumstances and developmental stages when supporting them.

For example, staff actively sit with children during activities to model positive interactions and talk through disagreements. They use explicit praise to reinforce positive choices. Typically, staff help children to manage their own feelings and understand their emotions safely. However, staff do not always acknowledge or address shouting or silly behaviours with identical consistency across the entire team.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing across the pre-school. Key persons generally establish secure and responsive attachments with children to help them feel safe. Staff use their secure knowledge of individual children to support their emotional security effectively. Children learn about personal safety and healthy habits through planned daily activities. For example, staff teach children about the importance of good oral health routines. They also guide children to understand how to keep themselves safe, including online and on the road during community outings.

Staff carefully manage physical care routines to support children's health and safety. For example, staff check sleeping children every 10 minutes to ensure safe sleeping arrangements. They launder bedding on site daily to maintain high hygiene standards across the pre-school. Staff manage individual dietary needs safely by using distinct colour-coded mats for children with allergies. They follow safer eating guidelines by cutting food up appropriately to prevent choking risks.

Leaders are in the process of ensuring that all practice and policy is rigorously reviewed. However, some newer initiatives require further time to become fully established across the team. Staff are beginning to implement these recently updated systems, but the overall execution is not yet completely embedded. Consequently, these routines are not yet fully supporting children to consistently make their own healthy choices.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the pre-school's unique community context. They maintain high expectations for children's development and manage effective safer recruitment processes. Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and workload by maintaining an approachable open-door policy and being involved on the ground daily. Staff complete regular professional development, including annual safeguarding updates, to understand their roles. Leaders make decisions in the best interests of children, maintaining purposeful links with local authority teams and inclusion services. This collaborative work helps leaders successfully secure additional funding and targeted support plans for children who face barriers to learning.

Leaders actively seek and implement specialist guidance from external agencies to keep learning accessible for all children. For example, they work closely with local inclusion support services and child development centres to obtain detailed observations and expert reports. Leaders use this professional advice to create tailored support plans that successfully reduce individual barriers to learning.

Leaders maintain a clear oversight of the pre-school's strengths and hold ambitious plans for ongoing improvement. However, leaders are still on the journey toward achieving these goals rather than having fully realised them on the ground. Leaders support the team to work on daily practice becoming completely consistent and fully embedded across all staff.