Child First Bicester

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for children who face barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Regular observations and assessments, including required assessments at age 2 to help to identify any gaps or need for extra support.

Those responsible for overseeing the provision for children with SEND know and understand their roles well. They support other staff, including helping to put in place plans with appropriate targets for children, which they monitor and review regularly. Staff plan learning experiences to support children with SEND, including small group activities that help support children's development of relationships with other children and build on their language skills. Leaders and staff use additional funding thoughtfully and consult with parents about how it should be spent. For example, they agree on resources to purchase that will support children's learning both at home and in the nursery. Leaders monitor the impact of this funding to ensure it benefits children's progress. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and any professionals involved with children's SEND or other needs. This helps to promote continuity and consistency in the approach to supporting children to promote their wellbeing and progress. Children who need extra support generally progress securely, such as in their language development and social skills.

Staff and leaders know children's backgrounds and provide activities which reflect their diversity. This helps children learn about their similarities and differences.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The quality of some staff's interactions and teaching is variable. This does not support children's learning consistently. There are times when children are left to their own devices and are not always supported well by staff. Staff do not always recognise and respond to children's behaviours to help address unacceptable behaviour.

Leaders have recently introduced a revised curriculum. Staff show understanding of this and how the intent links to areas of learning and activities they provide. Key persons know their key children's next steps in learning securely. Staff responsible for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who need extra help understand their needs well, including areas of learning where children need more support. Staff complete regular observations and assessments which helps them to monitor children's progress. Leaders regularly review information to help them identify any gaps in the curriculum or children who may need more support to help them progress. Leaders consider how the curriculum is sequenced to help children build on their skills and knowledge over time to prepare them for their future learning.

Although there are some weaknesses in some staff's teaching and interactions, there are other staff who provide better engagement with children. For instance, staff provide warm and responsive interactions with babies while singing and playing musical instruments. Staff incorporate mathematics during play well, such as counting, using positional language and identifying patterns and shapes with children. Staff provide activities and resources that help children to develop their small and large physical skills. For example, older toddlers use their muscles to squeeze water in and out of pipettes and pre-school children develop balance and coordination using tyres.

Achievement: Needs attention

Although children make some progress in their learning and development, they do not consistently receive the support they need from staff to ensure they make the progress they may be capable of. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning are typically supported well. However, other children do not receive consistent support from all staff. For example, some staff do not manage children's behaviour consistently, which means that some children do not always focus, listen or understand expectations well enough. This also has an impact on children's communication and language development as not all staff provide effective interactions and teaching. However, at times children receive positive support for their language development, such as through regular singing and stories. Children receive some appropriate support to help them build relationships with other children. They generally enjoy the resources and activities on offer and typically show curiosity as they explore and learn.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Staff do not always manage children's behaviour consistently. At times, staff provide different approaches and messages to children. This does not help children learn the boundaries and behaviour expectations. For instance, some staff explain to young toddlers that toys are not for eating while others allow children to walk around and chew on these. Some staff praise children well and encourage collaborate play between children, helping them to learn to take turns. Some staff recognise children who need additional support with their behaviour and provide this effectively. However, not all staff respond consistently to children's repeated unwanted behaviours. As a result, children are not always taught to understand expectations or follow agreed boundaries.

Staff implement effective safer eating routines consistently to promote children's safety. However, staff do not always support other children effectively, such as older toddlers who are waiting to eat or those who have already eaten. This leads to a chaotic environment where children are not engaged or supported effectively as staff are not deployed well. At times, this results in some staff trying to engage with and supervise large numbers of children. Children's behaviour sometimes deteriorates, such as running in and out of doors, which puts them at risk of potential accidents. Leaders do take action when they become aware of issues arising. They recognise that recent changes of rooms children are based in and changes of mealtime routines for some age groups are not yet embedded.

Key persons typically develop warm, trusting relationships with their key children. Parents are encouraged to ensure their children attend regularly and on time for their sessions to take part in the main play and activities on offer.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

There are occasional incidents where staff do not risk assess aspects of the environment or children's needs securely. For instance, they leave hand sanitiser where children can reach it and some repeatedly put this on their skin before staff notice and move it out of reach. Occasionally following children's accidents, staff do not initially thoroughly check for injuries to ensure appropriate first-aid treatment is given more promptly. Children are typically cared for in a clean and well-maintained environment, which is generally well resourced. Staff's supervision of children is mainly adequate to keep them safe and well.

Children typically follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. They are offered healthy well-balanced meals and older children learn about taking care of their bodies and teeth through activities planned by staff. Leaders have provided training to ensure staff have a secure knowledge of safer eating and safer sleeping procedures. Staff are vigilant in these practices to keep children safe and well at these times.

Staff and leaders provide effective settling-in procedures to help them get to know children and families well from the start. Babies receive nurturing care and form positive bonds with their key person. Staff help older children to begin to recognise their feelings and emotions, such as through discussions, books and play with soft toy characters from stories.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have been working towards improvements. They recognise that there are areas of staff's practice to develop. Leaders have an action plan in place to help them build on the consistency of staff's practice. Leaders model expected practice, including teaching, interactions and behaviour management. They intervene to provide direction and guidance to staff to help improve practice in the moment. However, leaders do not ensure that staff implement the guidance provided by them in their practice consistently, including staff deploying themselves effectively to meet children's needs. A recent provider review of safer recruitment has resulted in robust processes to check new and existing staff's suitability to work with children. Leaders provide a programme of staff training, which has included safer sleep and mealtime procedures. Staff say they feel valued, their wellbeing is supported and their workload is manageable.

Leaders and staff typically form secure parent partnerships. Parents generally comment positively on the staff's communication about their children's care and learning needs. Leaders organise regular parent information sessions to help parents to gain more awareness of how to support their children, such as supporting school readiness. Leaders and staff communicate and work with outside professionals when required. They share relevant information to support children's learning, wellbeing and welfare securely.