Cherry Blossom Preschool

Inclusion: Strong standard

There are very secure arrangements to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These children make rapid progress in their learning and development. Leaders and staff are also committed to helping children and families to overcome barriers to learning. Leaders and staff work effectively with parents and, when necessary, other professionals to meet children's individual needs and promote their learning.

Staff are fully consistent in using agreed methods to communicate with individual children and help them regulate their emotions and behaviour. For example, they make effective use of small-group sessions to provide focused support. Staff also wear lanyards with picture cards, including symbols, to indicate when something is 'not available'. These very personalised images very successfully support children's understanding and emotional wellbeing. All staff are eager to continually develop their skills and knowledge around SEND, and leaders have recently booked a Makaton sign language course.

Funding is used appropriately to purchase specific resources to extend the learning and enjoyment of the children it is allocated to. In addition, some funding is used to provide targeted training to enable staff to support children with SEND or who face disadvantages.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have recently developed a new curriculum. It covers all areas of learning and is based on a range of topics and themes. Staff work together to plan the curriculum activities, successfully promoting children's learning overall. This is because staff are skilful at using their interactions to encourage discussions and introduce new ideas. However, there are occasions when staff do not clearly identify what they want children to learn. At these times, although children have fun, they do not benefit from teaching that is precisely focused, and some gain more from activities than others. The teaching for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is fully consistent and is planned and coordinated well.

Staff are effective at promoting children's communication and language. They introduce new words as children play and engage them in lively and interesting back-and-forth conversations. Staff also plan activities that focus on supporting children's mathematical development. For example, they encourage children to consider the ratios of ingredients as they work with staff to make play dough. The warm interactions of staff, along with the opportunities to make choices and decisions, help children develop confidence. Staff also encourage children to share, take turns and listen to others, which helps promote their social skills.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progress well. Gaps in learning close particularly rapidly for children with SEND and those who face barriers to their learning.

Children become independent, enthusiastic learners, confidently choosing the games they want to play and the activities they want to take part in. They also make choices about where they want to spend time. For example, they decide if they want to play indoors or outside. Children use skills they have acquired over time as they play, such as working out how to balance ingredients to make play dough of the right consistency without specific measurements.

Children use their developing language skills to chat happily with their friends and share stories and jokes. They confidently speak in a group and interact with other children and adults. These skills, along with their ability to carry out practical tasks, such as putting on their coats and shoes, help prepare children for moving on to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children understand the routines and expectations in the nursery. They are aware of when they can choose where and what to play during the sessions. They also understand the arrangements for snacks, mealtimes and group sessions, cooperating well.

Children behave well and listen when staff provide guidance or explanations, which are appropriate for their ages and stages of development. The caring relationships between children and staff help create a positive and friendly atmosphere.

Staff teach children to share and take turns, helping them learn valuable social skills. For example, children wait patiently for their turn to talk during group activities and listen while others speak. They also follow instructions well as they plant seeds. Children reflect on previous learning and ask relevant questions, such as how frequently they should water their flowers.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The care of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is coordinated and effective. Leaders and staff work closely with parents, providing advice and support when needed. This helps to overcome barriers to children's learning.

Key-person arrangements work well. Each child's key person takes the lead in overseeing their learning and development. They plan the next steps for children's learning, assess their progress and liaise with parents. This helps promote consistency and supports children's emotional wellbeing. Effective communication means that all staff understand the personalities, preferences and behaviours of every child in the nursery.

The environment is thoughtfully organised to allow children to play independently and safely. Staff monitor children's movements around the nursery to ensure that they are safe and that appropriate ratios are maintained.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear aim to provide a high-quality service that reflects the needs and abilities of each child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are currently navigating through a period of staff changes and recruitment. This has affected the rate at which they have been able to implement some improvements. Overall, new processes are embedding well; however, there is a lack of clarity over some aspects of the roles and responsibilities of senior staff. As a result, there are gaps in the oversight of teaching and planning. Leaders have introduced a broad and interesting new curriculum that covers all areas of learning effectively. However, they have not established who will take responsibility for ensuring that activities in the curriculum are precisely planned so that the learning intentions are clear. Although staff work together well, this results in a degree of inconsistency in the quality of children's experiences.

There are effective arrangements to support staff, including supervision meetings and a commitment to ongoing training. Leaders value the skills and experience of staff. This leads to respectful relationships and contributes to the overall effective organisation and running of the provision.