Children 1st @ Meir Park

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff quickly and accurately identify children's and babies' individual needs. This is done through careful observation, ongoing assessment and strong partnerships with parents and carers. This enables staff to act promptly and ensure children receive the right support at the right time. For example, when parents report changes in children's behaviour, staff respond swiftly and liaise with leaders to secure additional support. This early intervention makes a meaningful difference to children's outcomes, both at home and within the setting.

Leaders undertake purposeful training and greatly benefit from experienced support from other professionals. They attend regular forums, which provide dedicated opportunities to share expertise and build specialised knowledge that directly improves outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders strategically use additional funding to reduce barriers to learning and enhance children's development. They actively seek parents' views and ensure they understand and approve how funding supports their child. Leaders work closely with external providers and professionals, enabling effective information sharing and consistent approaches. This is particularly beneficial for children with SEND, as it ensures that receiving schools can support smooth and successful transitions.

Small-group activities are highly effective across the setting and provide all children with focused, targeted support. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds access the same high-quality curriculum as their peers. Staff adapt the environment and their teaching in response to their interests and characteristics. They consistently evaluate the impact of support. As a result, children communicate with increasing confidence, clarity and independence.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders design a curriculum that is highly ambitious and sequenced for all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Staff use high-quality interactions to assess what children and babies know and can do. They identify gaps in their learning and introduce new concepts at the right time, demonstrating excellent knowledge of children and their development. Staff skilfully use children's interests to engage them in all areas of learning. For example, they introduce numbers through water play, enabling children to explore mathematical concepts in meaningful and engaging ways. Staff extend children's learning through high-quality modelling, open-ended questions and responsive interactions. They engage positively with children by using clear language, introducing ambitious vocabulary and offering sensitive prompts that encourage children's thinking. Sustained shared thinking is used to deepen children's understanding, extend learning and support children to develop confidence, independence and a strong sense of achievement. Small-group activities are highly effective across the setting and provide all children with focused, targeted support. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds access the same high-quality curriculum as their peers. This promotes their inclusion.

Stories sit at the heart of the curriculum and are used purposefully to enrich children's language development and understanding across all areas. Staff place a strong emphasis on early language so that children develop a broad vocabulary and a love of books. Rich language experiences are woven throughout the day through singing, musical play, shared stories and a wide range of activities that promote children's communication and social skills. Children listen attentively to stories, respond confidently and participate with enthusiasm. Staff support children to develop coordination and control as they confidently use scooters and trikes. They make the most of everyday routines, such as snack time, to provide high-quality modelling and purposeful language. For example, they compare quantities and count items to support number recognition, using commentary and questioning. Staff support children to cut their own fruit, which helps them to develop confidence, patience and fine motor control. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and independence throughout the curriculum.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children are well prepared for each stage of their learning. They are given abundant opportunities to develop and practise their skills, demonstrating increasing confidence and independence. Children benefit greatly from a language-rich, high-quality learning environment where they engage deeply in purposeful, self-initiated play across well-resourced areas. During play, they demonstrate curiosity, sustained concentration and a strong willingness to explore a wide range of materials, including play dough, water and construction resources. Children's physical development is supported effectively through activities that promote the development of both fine and gross motor skills, such as manipulating play dough, using tools and pouring water with control. Early mathematical understanding is embedded naturally as children count, compare sizes, estimate and problem-solve during play. Children demonstrate strong communication and language skills. For instance, they confidently express their ideas, engage in imaginative dialogue and respond well to staff interactions. Their social skills are highly developed, with children collaborating purposefully, sharing resources and joining group play with confidence. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds communicate with increasing confidence, clarity and independence. Resources and experiences reflect the diversity of the setting, including multicultural dolls and stories that represent disabilities and significant events children celebrate. This enables children to develop a deep understanding of what makes them unique.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff embed a respectful culture in which all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are increasingly able to manage and express their own feelings and behaviour. For example, children are given meaningful opportunities to learn about and discuss how they are feeling, to which staff respond sensitively. Staff offer children reassurance and guidance, showing that they understand how children feel, creating a highly safe and supportive environment. They use consistent and inclusive behaviour management approaches, providing children with gentle reminders and setting clear expectations through respectful, child-level communication. They respond promptly to children's cues, adapting their practice to support children to regulate their emotions and re-engage in play and learning. This promotes their participation and inclusion.

Consistent routines and responsive interactions create a positive atmosphere in which children feel safe, supported and ready to participate. Children show strong levels of engagement, confidence and enjoyment, and they form positive relationships with both staff and peers. They demonstrate growing independence and curiosity, which are supported by routines that are predictable and well established. Staff maintain a calm and organised atmosphere, ensuring that children are closely supervised while still being given space to explore and practise new skills. Positive social behaviours are evident as children play cooperatively, show consideration for others and follow routines well. The environment is well organised and inviting, with accessible resources that encourage independent choice and sustained engagement.

Leaders proactively talk to parents and carers about the funding available, ensuring they fully understand what is on offer. They support parents to complete applications online, which is something parents positively reflect on. This helps to remove barriers for families and contributes positively to children's attendance and engagement.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children greatly benefit from staff who confidently identify opportunities to further their learning and development. For example, staff have recently introduced activities such as cookery and yoga to promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles and emotional wellbeing. Staff read stories to help children to make sense of their emotions in an age-appropriate way. Children relate to characters, confidently describing feelings such as 'calm'. Staff introduce additional vocabulary, such as 'relaxed', reminding children of recent yoga sessions where they learned to 'inhale' and 'exhale'. This helps children to develop a deeper understanding of their emotions. Staff demonstrate a strong awareness of children's backgrounds and experiences, such as when family members are in hospital. They use this knowledge sensitively to support children's emotional wellbeing and help them to express their feelings.

Leaders provide parents and carers with a wealth of information about meals and portion sizes and invite them to sample their healthy menus. They provide children with free toothbrushes to support the promotion of good oral health at home. Staff interactions with children are warm and developmentally appropriate, helping babies and children to feel secure, valued and confident to explore with growing independence. They are attentive and responsive, offering support, challenge or reassurance as needed. Children demonstrate strong social skills and confidently follow routines, such as washing their hands and finding their placemats, and interact positively during snack time by sharing fruit and practising turn-taking and conversation. Overall, children manage personal care tasks with confidence. They wipe their faces, use the toilet, wash their hands and prepare for sleep time with growing independence. However, occasional variations in staff practice mean this independence is not always promoted consistently, reducing opportunities for children to strengthen these skills further.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

At the beginning of the inspection, leaders did not organise staffing arrangements as effectively as they could. However, this had minimal impact on children, who at the time were very settled and engaged in their play.

The provider has notified Ofsted of recent incidents, including a child being given the wrong medication and an incident where two children were briefly left unsupervised. Leaders have reviewed procedures for moving children around the building, ensuring headcounts are consistently completed and all children are accounted for. Leaders have reviewed processes for administering medication. They have increased staff's confidence to raise concerns about unsafe practice. This helps to safeguard children.

There is a strong culture of continuous improvement. For instance, leaders conduct staff observations and engage in purposeful discussions to help staff learn and develop, improving their practice. They place a clear emphasis on learning from previous incidents and from the wider sector, including experiences shared through the media. This highlights that leaders regularly review their service so that it remains current and responsive.

Staff report that they feel confident approaching leaders for support and say they are happy in their roles. Leaders provide staff with opportunities for professional development that are aligned with identified training needs. Parents and carers express high levels of satisfaction with the setting. They report that their children are happy, settled and keen to attend. They recognise the strong progress their children have made in their learning and development, particularly in mathematics. They value staff's ongoing support and guidance with potty training, demonstrating that staff respond positively to families' individual needs.