Cherry Tree Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

The welcoming and highly inclusive environment benefits all children, particularly those children who face barriers to their learning. Every child and their family are considered unique. They are valued and well supported. Leaders and staff are highly dedicated to their work with children. They ensure that all children have the best possible start to their education. Leaders and staff consistently identify and assess children's individual needs through observations and assessments. They work closely with parents to establish children's capabilities and what children need to be learning next. Any barriers to children's learning are quickly identified. They are provided with highly effective targeted support to ensure that they progress well in their development and learning.

Additional funding is used effectively to support and help further progress children's development. Resources are purchased to help children understand and manage their emotions. Additional staff are able to work alongside children in a one-to-one capacity. Staff receive specialist training to enable them to meet children's individual needs, such as training on supporting children to manage their behaviour, and how to support children who have experienced trauma.

Leaders establish positive partnerships with external professionals and families. This provides a collaborative approach to supporting children and addressing any gaps in children's learning. Effective strategies, such as the use of visual cues, one-to-one support and small-group interventions helps to ensure that all children thrive and develop the skills needed for the next stage in their education and for future life experiences.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a suitable understanding of the quality of staff teaching. They are aware that there is still progress to be made and additional training is yet to be fully implemented. For example, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the staff team, which affects the delivery of the curriculum. There are occasions when purposeful learning could be improved during adult-led activities. This often leads to learning being incidental rather than meaningful, and occasionally impacts the progress that children are capable of making.

Staff generally plan activities based upon children's interests and their age and stage of development. Children's early mathematical skills are well supported as they enjoy counting, sorting and using estimation during water play. Physical development is very well considered as children use tweezers to pick up items. They thoroughly enjoy running around in the fresh air, negotiating equipment, climbing and balancing. Staff provide gentle reassurance and encouragement, which helps to build children's independence and confidence. This is particularly well managed for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Typically, staff have an understanding of what children are capable of and need to be learning next. Adaptations, such as one-to-one support, successfully ensure that all children have access to learning. Occasionally, the lack of consistency in the quality of teaching limits the deepening of children's understanding and can prevent them from further extending their learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children enjoy their learning. They independently lead their own play and access resources freely. Children confidently express their needs and enjoy staff joining in with their play. They demonstrate high levels of concentration and attention. Children make expected progress in their development. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid progress in their development as they play alongside other children, taking turns, painting and making a malleable dough for their friends to play with. Overall, children develop increasing independence in their self-care and play. They wash their own hands and confidently make choices about their play and learning. Children of all ages are very physically capable. They take on physical challenges outdoors, such as negotiating obstacles and climbing.

All children do well in the setting and are well prepared for the move on to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are excellent role models. They have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff consistently recognise and reward children's respectful attitudes and kindness, such as when tidying-away toys, and sharing toys when other children do not have any. Staff work successfully with families and outside professionals to support those children who struggle to manage their emotions. Any unwanted behaviours are dealt with consistently and fairly. All children have a very secure understanding of what is expected of them.

Staff are trained to recognise when external events impact children's development and learning, and use their extensive skills to sensitively deal with this. Daily routines are firmly embedded so that children have a secure understanding of what will be happening next. This approach effectively helps to support all children, particularly those children who struggle with transitions and those who face barriers to their learning.

Staff work hard to create a stimulating learning environment. This positively impacts on children's attitudes to learning and their consistently high engagement. Staff build on children's curiosity, and invite them to join group activities and support them in their chosen activities. They fully consider children's individual capabilities, and age and stage of development when planning activities. Staff make adaptations to daily routines for any children who need support, such as with handwashing and toileting.

Good attendance is effectively promoted, and staff follow clear procedures to monitor and support children's regular attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are provided with a wide variety of healthy snacks and meals. Staff help children to understand the impact that physical exercise has on their developing bodies. For example, children touch their chests to feel their heart beating after running around. Staff support children during eating and drinking, and children quickly learn that they must not leave the table with food in their mouths. Any allergens, dietary requirements and medical needs are managed effectively to ensure that children are kept healthy and safe.

Staff are rigorous in their checks when children are sleeping, including physically touching children to make sure that they are comfortable, safe and properly resting. Children are taught how to manage their own safety, such as through reminders to walk indoors and not to climb too high on outdoor-play equipment.

Overall, staff support children to manage their personal needs effectively. For example, staff encourage all children to wash their hands before eating. Staff provide effective role modelling to support children's understanding. However, children do not consistently and freely have access to drinking water, which means that children have to ask when they want a drink. For example, although children are given water to drink during snacks and mealtimes, their drinking cups are not always accessible. This means that some children, particularly the youngest, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, may not always be able to access a drink when needed.

Leaders and staff work hard to support all children to recognise their feelings and manage their emotions through discussions, activities and small-intervention groups. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning have their emotional needs met.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and any necessary areas for development. They respond appropriately when issues arise, such as reviewing risk assessments and adapting the protocol for allergen management when children are eating. They provide refresher training for all staff, and highlight further training needed to enable staff to more effectively support children's behaviours and the management of trauma. Staff feed back that they feel listened to and well supported in their roles.

Leaders carry out regular supervision meetings with staff. This helps them to provide helpful feedback on staff practice and to check staff's continuing suitability to work with children. They work effectively with external professionals, such as social workers and teachers. Parents are invited to be involved in their children's learning, which is supported through suggestions on how to continue learning in the home. This collaborative approach supports a consistent and joined-up approach to children's development.

Leaders and those who are responsible for governance are dedicated to further developing the nursery, such as through providing training to support staff's knowledge on how to successfully deliver the curriculum. However, this is yet to be fully embedded to enable leaders to evaluate its impact on children's outcomes.

A key strength of the leadership team is the inclusive attitude and provision for children who are at risk of falling behind, such as children who face barriers to their learning and/or have special educational needs and/or disabilities.