CherryHarbour Pre-School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have secure systems in place so that children's individual needs are identified, right from when children first start. They work closely with the families of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to understand children's current stage of learning and how they can best meet their needs. Leaders are strategic in their approach and work closely with other professionals to ensure collaborative plans are implemented. For example, they work with educational specialists and speech and language therapists to implement collaborative plans for children's care.

Leaders support families who may face barriers to their attendance, learning and/or wellbeing, such as those who are at a disadvantage or those who may be known or previously known to children's social care. They support their families' needs closely and provide signposting to local support services.

Staff are knowledgeable about all children's needs. Staff implement tailored and effective strategies and review children's targets regularly. Staff make skilful adaptations throughout their teaching to support children's different stages of learning. Through this consistent approach, leaders and staff make a demonstrable difference to children's outcomes.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leadership of the curriculum is secure. Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn and how staff should plan for children's education. This is generally implemented very well. For example, staff recognise important skills that they want children to learn, such as being independent in their self-care and becoming confident communicators in preparation for school. Leaders provide ongoing mentoring, coaching and support to help staff to implement the curriculum as intended.

Activities are often very well planned. Staff know children well and it is clear that staff have been supported to increase their understanding of how to link experiences to children's specific stage of learning. Staff recognise children's different ages and stages of development and are skilled at supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to access all activities. Teaching is generally of very high quality. Interactions encourage children to think deeply, and conversations build children's language skills. There is a sharp focus on communication and language throughout the setting. However, at times, staff do not make the most of their interactions to help widen children's interest in books, rhymes and stories. Leaders recognise this part of the curriculum could be strengthened to promote and broaden children's vocabulary even further.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children typically make secure progress across the different areas of learning. They learn to understand numbers and counting. Children identify different numbers with ease and begin to use different mathematical language in their play. For example, they describe different capacities as they pretend to make potions with water.

Children build excellent social skills. They learn about kindness and respect for others. Children are beginning to understand how to play alongside their friends. Children are independent and make independent, healthy decisions for themselves.

Children become very confident communicators. They engage excitedly with their friends and staff. There are, at times, limited interactions that support children to develop a love of books, which limits opportunities to explore new language. Despite this, children show confidence as they engage in conversations and have discussions at snack times about the different foods they like.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Expectations for children's behaviour are generally very high. Leaders encourage a positive environment that is calm and nurturing. Staff continually promote kindness, respect and the importance of listening to others. They also support children to develop resilience and confidence as they play with their friends. As a result, children build very positive relationships with one another and can easily follow instructions provided to them.

Staff have been considering different methods to support children to begin to manage disagreements for themselves. This is still in the early stages and, therefore, it is not implemented consistently by all staff. This means children occasionally receive different information from staff about rules and when trying to resolve conflicts. Despite this, children generally play harmoniously with one another and very much enjoy joining in with imaginative games, making 'potions' together and playing with toy dolls. Children develop very positive attitudes to their learning and play as they engage readily in the many opportunities available to them.

Leaders have a robust approach to establishing secure routines for children. They work very closely with families to anticipate any barriers to children's attendance. Parents and carers are aware of how to report absences, and leaders regularly share information with families about the importance of regular, punctual attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are remarkably passionate about putting children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of everything they do. Children consistently benefit from warm and positive attachments through a consistent and well-established key-person approach. This means that children settle quickly and their emotional security needs are met.

Staff consistently promote good health throughout their practice, and leaders are continuously thinking of new ways to extend teaching of healthy lifestyles further. Children are already making independent, healthy decisions for themselves. Together they engage in activities that promote children's understanding of the importance of good hygiene and plenty of exercise. Leaders provide staff with precise training that further increases their understanding of nutritional guidance for young children. Those involved in food preparation are highly passionate about providing children with opportunities to try a range of healthy foods. As a result, children learn about a balanced diet, and parents and carers feel assured of the high-quality meals that children receive.

Children's care needs are met with the highest sensitivity and respect. Staff kindly ask children if they can change their nappy and have cheerful conversations with them throughout the experience. Children feel safe and well supported by caring staff.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have excellent oversight of the setting. Policies and procedures are frequently and rigorously reviewed to ensure practice is consistently of high quality. Leaders use perceptive and detailed evaluation of the effectiveness of the setting to drive improvement. For example, leaders recognise areas of improvement and work together to establish the right method of training for improvement. Furthermore, leaders recognise that there are areas of teaching that need strengthening and take swift action to raise the quality of staff interactions.

Staff feel valued and appreciated in their roles. They discuss that they have plenty of opportunities to gain feedback about their own performance and that they have a wealth of opportunities for their own professional development. For example, staff access training to enhance their understanding of working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, when this is an area of practice they are specifically passionate about. Staff also report very high levels of support for their wellbeing. Leaders are perceptive of staff workload and provide flexible, targeted support to ensure that tasks are manageable.

Leaders engage readily with the community to enhance the experiences of the children that attend. They visit the local area, including beaches and libraries, to extend children's understanding of the world around them. Leaders also use this engagement to ensure their setting is at the heart of the community so that they continuously understand the needs of the families they serve. Leaders also work proactively with the local schools to ensure that children receive a smooth and well-supported transition to school.