Children 1st Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders identify children's needs through information from parents and carers, staff observations and ongoing assessment. Leaders work with parents, staff and relevant professionals to agree suitable support. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and others facing barriers to learning have individual plans that identify their needs, targets and appropriate strategies. Leaders review these regularly to check that support is helping children make progress.

Generally, staff adapt experiences so that children can take part in the curriculum. They use visual timetables, flashcards, short instructions, additional processing time, and one-to-one or small-group activities. For example, staff use children's interest in trains to help them settle and participate. They incorporate toy vehicles into painting activities and provide familiar trains and comfort objects when children need reassurance.

Leaders typically work with speech and language therapists, doctors, occupational therapists, health visitors and the local authority team that supports children with SEND. With parental agreement, they share relevant information and apply professional advice. They also support applications for education, health and care plans when required. This coordinated approach helps staff to reduce barriers and provide consistent support that reflects children's individual communication, sensory, physical and emotional needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a broad curriculum that reflects children's ages, stages of development and interests. Staff give particular attention to communication and language for babies and children who speak English as an additional language at home. This supports children to build their vocabulary and communication skills. Leaders and staff review planning and observations. They hold regular discussions about children's progress to identify what children need to learn next.

Staff generally use play and conversation to build on children's knowledge. For example, during a dancing activity, staff describe an animal that is orange and has stripes. Children identify a tiger. Staff extend children's interest by providing orange and black scarves for children to move like tigers, while learning about the animal's features. In addition, staff support children to count their steps as they move. This develops vocabulary, recall, early mathematical skills and imaginative physical play.

Staff make suitable adaptations so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and others facing barriers can access learning. However, teaching is not consistently of the same quality across the provision, in particular, during large-group sessions. Staff do not consistently consider how loud activities affect listening and attention. For example, on occasion, loud music results in staff raising their voices, making it difficult for children to hear instructions and sustain their attention.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and others facing barriers to learning, make suitable progress from their starting points. Babies and younger children develop their hand-eye coordination and manipulation as they complete puzzles and use shape sorters. They strengthen their large muscles through crawling, throwing, catching and moving around the indoor and outdoor environments.

Typically, older children develop an interest in books and stories. They point to pictures, join in with familiar words and select favourite books to share with others. Some confidently gather their friends to retell familiar stories, sing rhymes and explore sounds through their play. Children who are learning English as an additional language increasingly understand instructions, use new words and communicate their preferences.

Staff use what they know about children to identify appropriate next steps. Consequently, babies become more physically confident. Generally, older children extend their early language and literacy and develop the independence and physical skills needed for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders establish familiar routines that help children to arrive happily, settle quickly and independently organise their belongings. Children choose from active, creative and quiet experiences. Generally, they show positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate, solve problems and persist with activities that interest them. Leaders monitor children's attendance effectively. They follow up unexplained absences so that children remain included in the setting's community.

In the main, staff model respectful interactions and help children to cooperate, share resources and take turns. When older children have a minor disagreement, staff intervene calmly, remind them to use indoor voices and help them continue playing together. Staff adapt routines for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, they use pictorial flash cards to show children how long they have before tidying up, while visual timetables help them understand what will happen next.

Staff generally remind older children about expectations, such as walking safely indoors and putting away resources. However, they do not consistently explain why these expectations matter or how children's actions affect other people. On occasion, staff tell children to stop running or throwing toys on to the floor without helping them understand how to take responsibility and care for their environment.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders generally establish routines that support children's health, comfort and independence. Babies learn to feed themselves using spoons, while older children practise using the toilet, washing their hands with soap and water and managing their clothing. Staff provide help when needed, while encouraging children to do as much as possible for themselves.

Children benefit from a nutritious menu and sociable mealtimes. Staff discuss the food children are eating, and children pour their drinks and help to distribute lunch. Leaders also promote oral health. They use additional funding to provide resources to help children learn about brushing their teeth. Parents and carers report that this has improved toothbrushing routines at home.

Staff provide responsive care and recognise when babies and children need reassurance or quiet time. Children have secure relationships with familiar adults and confidently ask them for support. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, medical needs or allergies receive appropriate adaptations. Staff use different plates to identify allergy meals and supervise children carefully to avoid cross-contamination.

Sleep arrangements reflect children's ages and individual needs. Babies under one-year-old use separate cots, while older children use suitable mats. Staff remain in the temperature-controlled sleep room so that sleeping babies and children remain within sight and hearing. This helps any changes in their breathing, movement or comfort to be noticed promptly.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders understand the provision's strengths and areas for development. They monitor practice through supervision meetings, observations, learning walks and professional discussions. The nominated individual works closely with the managers as part of the senior leadership team. Together, they check staff knowledge through questions, quizzes, meetings and supervision sessions. This helps to maintain oversight of their roles and responsibilities.

Recent training in speech and language development has improved practice. Staff now use gestures and visual timetables during daily routines to strengthen children's communication and understanding. Staff also complete mandatory training, such as around safeguarding, the 'Prevent' duty and health and safety. However, leaders do not target professional development precisely enough to address variations in teaching across the provision. Consequently, children do not consistently benefit from the highest-quality interactions and learning experiences.

Staff report that leaders are approachable and that they feel supported and valued. Supervision provides opportunities to discuss children's development and staff wellbeing. Leaders recognise that more frequent recorded check-ins would help them monitor agreed professional development targets between formal supervision meetings.

Leaders establish positive partnerships with parents and carers through newsletters, daily discussions, reports, photos and termly parents' meetings. Parents contribute information and ideas from home, helping staff respond to children's interests and care needs. Links with schools, early years professionals and community visitors, including a dental nurse, broaden children's experiences and support continuity in their learning. Leaders reflect on feedback and use these partnerships to identify further improvements.