Childcare @ Sunbeam

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff identify children's needs early to reduce barriers to care and learning. Leaders actively seek professional advice to support disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They ensure that staff receive training that strengthens their ability to meet children's care needs. This positively shapes children's social development and gives them opportunities to be physically healthy. Staff track development using repeated cycles of assess, plan, do and review, and they demonstrate a strong understanding of each child's needs. Leaders use funding purposefully to enrich children's experiences, and they build strong partnerships with families to provide consistent support. For example, they provide staff with training to upskill staff on how to best support children with speech delays and physical disabilities.

Leaders identify barriers to learning early and implement strategies that help children overcome them. They adjust activities and offer targeted guidance. They celebrate every achievement, no matter how small, such as children arriving settled and joining in with snack time. Leaders and staff support children to make progress from their starting points. Leaders regularly review children's targets and assess their next steps in learning. Staff and children build warm, trusting relationships as children seek physical comfort when distressed. Parents report that they feel supported and confident in the work of staff and leaders, and their children are happy to attend.

Staff work collaboratively with external agencies when needed, ensuring children with additional needs receive targeted and effective support. Children receive a positive start to life because staff, leaders and families work together to create a nurturing, inclusive environment where each child feels valued, supported and ready to learn.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders hold an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and use this knowledge to identify clear areas of need, particularly in communication and language. They outline strategies that aim to meet children's individual needs, ensuring they receive positive care and education that gives them a strong start and helps them work towards expected standards. The curriculum intent is clear and directly targets the priority areas of personal, social and emotional development and communication and language.

Leaders introduce strategies such as key stories, targeted vocabulary, and frequent language-rich interactions to strengthen children's speech and communication skills. However, story sessions do not consistently engage all children. Staff do not consistently embed these strategies in their daily teaching. As a result, support for children's speech and language development is not consistent across the setting.

Leaders and staff demonstrate secure knowledge of the early years foundation stage and apply this confidently in daily practice by using their understanding of child development to plan purposeful activities that support children's interests and current stage of development. Staff navigate play, both indoors and out, to ensure the safety of all children is effective. Activities promote learning, and outdoor tough trays build on topics learned indoors. For example, children explore dinosaurs in habitats following on from key stories where children have looked at different habitats used by a range of animals.

Leaders identify communication as a highlighted area of support needed for children within this setting. However, teaching skills across the staff team do not consistently promote children's effective communication skills. For example, staff occasionally over direct questions to children and do not always give children enough time to respond during activities. When this happens, it limits children's thinking time and does not allow children to practise effective speaking and understanding skills.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make clear progress from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff know children well. They respond to children's individual needs effectively. This supports children to feel secure. As a result, children confidently explore their environment with adult support when needed. Positive outcomes in children's learning are seen as children become familiar with new environments that support their learning. Staff adapt care routines so that children can join in, such as washing their own hands. This supports children's independence and supports children's transitions across the setting for school.

Children grow in confidence. They explore play opportunities such as play dough activities and practise manipulating materials using their fingers and a range of tools. Children successfully build on fine motor skills as they squeeze, roll and push play dough. Staff praise children and encourage them to keep trying. Children show resilience and positive attitudes to learning. Staff adapt their teaching so every child feels happy, included and able to take part. Staff ensure that all children are supported to prepare them for their next stage of development. For example, staff use well-structured care plans to ensure children receive appropriate opportunities to build on their physical skills, such as running and climbing outdoors. Leaders work with school teachers to ensure consistency in children's care and learning when they move to school.

Older children contribute to singing activities positively. They engage well and follow prompts to choose props to decide which song they would like to sing next. Children display confidence in signing a range of rhymes using speech sounds and actions. Children take turns and sing collaboratively, displaying positive attitudes to learning. At times, staff do not always seize all opportunities to extend children's development. Children, occasionally, become distracted during story times. Children with known barriers to learning are not always effectively supported to engage in story routines. They become overstimulated with props, resulting in staff having to stop the story and redirect their teaching and the activity.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Relationships between staff and children are positive. Staff promote positive attitudes to learning by praising children having a go with water play. Staff know children well and encourage them to splash and pour water with jugs. Children follow the direction of staff as they share and take turns. They observe others and play alongside positively with their peers.

Staff set clear and positive expectations for children's behaviour. Children respond well to routines because they understand what is expected. Staff consistently encourage children to be kind, take turns and share, which helps them build respectful relationships with others. Leaders closely monitor children's absences and work with families to encourage regular attendance. Staff identify children's individual needs early and remove barriers to learning by making reasonable adjustments, ensuring every child understands the setting's rules and expectations. Staff demonstrate kindness and patience and calmly communicate expected behaviour to all children. Their actions create a nurturing environment where children feel safe, valued and ready to learn.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise the wellbeing and welfare of every child to a high standard. They ensure effectively that every child feels safe, supported and valued. Staff hold a comprehensive understanding of children's needs and the circumstances of their families, which enables them to offer invaluable tailored support. Key-person relationships are strong with children and their parents.

Staff promote long-lasting healthy habits by providing regular opportunities for children to develop their physical health and independence. Children learn to make their own healthy decisions, such as recognising when they need the toilet, choosing to wash their hands and managing their own hygiene, including cleaning their noses. Leadership places a strong and intentional focus on meeting all welfare and wellbeing requirements. Leaders use their extensive network of charities and multi-agency professionals to provide support that goes beyond the expectations of the setting. Staff and leaders celebrate this commitment in everything they do, creating a culture of genuine care and trust. This joined-up approach ensures children and families receive consistent help, both at home and in the setting.

Healthy routines are embedded throughout the day. Children learn how to brush their teeth, wash their hands independently and make healthy choices during snack time. Staff implement strategies to ensure that the individual needs of children who have allergies and intolerances are met effectively.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders use detailed analysis of the setting's strengths and weaknesses to understand the specific needs of the children and families they serve. They respond to this information by making purposeful changes that directly improve outcomes, for example enhancing play spaces to best support child-initiated play. Leaders implement well-planned strategies that support all children's care and development, with a particular focus on those who are disadvantaged. These strategies aim to help staff provide targeted support so children can make strong progress from their starting points. However, strategies are not equally adapted across the setting. Teaching is not always highly impactful for all children. Leaders provide staff support with regular training and supervision. However, professional development opportunities have yet to have a highly positive impact on the teaching skills of some staff. The curriculum aims are not always clearly implemented across the setting. As a result, targets for children are not always ambitious.

Leaders engage effectively with parents and a wide range of professionals to ensure children receive high-quality care and education. Their actions help children settle quickly and experience smooth transitions both within the setting and when moving on to new environments. Leaders bring valuable expertise and strong networking skills that allow them to offer comprehensive support to families. Leaders seek multi-agency involvement promptly and work collaboratively with connected services to improve outcomes for children. Their proactive approach ensures that support is timely, joined up and responsive to individual needs. Parents consistently report that they are happy with the progress their children make. They feel well informed about their children's learning and appreciate the clear communication from staff and leaders. This strong partnership enhances children's overall development and confidence.