Cliffe House Day Nurseries Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders with responsibility for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely effective in their role. They are proactive in identifying additional needs and barriers to learning. They quickly assess children's needs using, for example, speech and language toolkits and progression maps. They identify the appropriate support in the setting or through external specialists. These leaders work collaboratively with parents to help them understand and access the support and additional funding available. This helps to ensure children receive the right support quickly so that they make positive progress from their starting points.

Leaders with responsibility for SEND support parents in choosing appropriate schools. They invite school staff to the setting and work together to support children's smooth transition on to school. For example, they share important information and successful strategies they have used.

In the setting, these leaders support staff in the rooms to understand how to support children with SEND and other barriers to learning and wellbeing. They develop individual plans, ensuring that staff and parents know and understand children's targets. They regularly monitor the support provided for children through the progress children make, and share successes with parents. As a result, all children make progress and all families feel included, valued and welcomed.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Overall, teaching is effective and supports all children to make progress from their starting points. Leaders monitor teaching and the progress of children in each room. They support room leaders to identify gaps in learning across the cohort and plan activities that help to develop these aspects. Staff make observational assessments and plan next steps for individual children based on learning needs and interests. They are supportive of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning. They are responsive and typically adapt their teaching to children's individual circumstances.

Across the setting, staff focus on the development of children's speaking skills. In the baby room, staff say words repeatedly and slowly, encouraging babies to find their voices and copy words. As children become older, staff chat with them as they play alongside them. Staff encourage children to put words together to say simple phrases and sentences. Staff engage in conversation with older children and use story language to enhance children's play and imagination. For example, they pretend to be the troll and ask, 'Who is that trip trapping over my bridge?'

The teaching of some aspects of literacy is not consistently matched closely to the developmental stage of older children. At times, children are moved on too quickly to formal literacy learning. Consequently, important foundational listening skills are not consistently and deeply embedded.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children's speaking skills gradually become more sophisticated as they move through the setting. For example, babies babble and make animal noises. Toddlers put words together to speak in simple phrases and short sentences. Many older children can speak in longer sentences, and they confidently chat with friends and staff. They listen to staff and learn to wait their turn to answer questions. They use speaking to plan games together.

Children develop their physical skills, gradually becoming more competent in balance, dexterity and motor control. For example, babies pull themselves up and cruise around furniture before taking their first steps. Toddlers build hand strength as they squeeze and press play dough and pipettes. Older children draw shapes on the chalkboard and glue small collage pieces to pictures as they develop finger strength and dexterity.

Children learn to say numbers in order and recognise shapes and amounts as they play and during everyday routines. For example, children look carefully at colours and the shapes of spaces as they complete jigsaw puzzles.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff are extremely successful in helping children to manage their emotions and behaviour. They use emotion check-ins as children arrive in the morning to help children express simply how they feel. Staff are responsive to children's emotional needs. For example, they help children calm down in the den areas where they cuddle up closely to staff with soft toys.

Staff demonstrate respectful, warm relationships with each other, children and their families. They model polite manners. As a result, children follow their lead and say 'please' and 'thank you'. They learn to play together and follow the expectations of the setting with gentle reminders from sensitive staff as required. They learn that their actions may affect their friends. Consequently, children throughout the setting behave very well. They are busy, interested and deeply involved in their play and the activities on offer.

Staff and leaders work very effectively with parents to identify triggers to children's occasional unwanted behaviour. They plan successful strategies collaboratively to help children modify their behaviour at the setting and at home. This consistent approach helps children develop appropriate ways to express their feelings very successfully.

Children get to know the regular routines extremely well, and as they get older, they responsibly follow them without staff prompts. For example, they clear their plates and move on to their chosen activity independently after lunch.

Caring leaders and staff provide support to families so that children, including those with barriers to learning and wellbeing, can attend regularly and on time.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders monitor children's wellbeing and welfare regularly. They are proactive in seeking external support when families need it. This helps them overcome barriers. For example, they ensure families are supported to get their children to the setting regularly and on time.

Staff are alert to children's sleep needs. They communicate with parents daily and respond to babies and children's changing needs flexibly. They provide suitable sleeping areas and attentively observe sleeping children to ensure their safety and comfort.

Staff provide healthy, nutritious meals. They ensure they take account of the stages of weaning of babies, allergies, intolerances and cultural preferences. They supervise children closely at mealtimes to ensure they are seated and eat safely.

Staff support children to develop independence throughout the day. Babies are encouraged to feed themselves using spoons, while older children begin to pour their own drinks and serve their own food. Children also become increasingly independent in managing their personal care, such as using the toilet and washing their hands. However, opportunities to develop some self-help skills are not yet applied consistently across the setting. For example, children are not always encouraged to put on their own coats and shoes, with staff sometimes completing these tasks for them. As a result, children do not consistently develop the confidence and independence to manage these routines for themselves across all areas of the provision.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders support the development of staff through monitoring observations, supervisions and regular staff development. For example, they provide training courses, support and coaching in the rooms to help staff further develop their skills. They support staff workload. For example, they ensure staff can complete assessments and other paperwork within their working day by providing extra staff in the rooms.

Leaders work effectively in partnership with parents. They ensure they are kept up to date on their child's development, next steps and home learning opportunities. Parents are delighted with the care and learning the setting provides. Staff communicate regularly with parents at the door and through an online app and newsletters. Parents are invited to termly parents' meetings to discuss children's progress and next steps.

Leaders evaluate the provision and have identified strengths and devised an action plan of priorities that they are working on. They plan to develop further links in the community and local area to enhance children's experiences further. Leaders have focused on developing communication and language learning across the setting. They have provided staff training and support. They work closely with speech and language therapists when necessary.

Leaders are ambitious for all children and have designed a broad, balanced and thoughtfully sequenced curriculum. However, aspects of the literacy curriculum are less well developed. Children do not always have sufficient opportunities to securely embed and apply early literacy skills before moving on to more formal learning. In addition, leaders have not established strong enough links with local schools to ensure that curriculum expectations and progression are closely aligned. As a result, some aspects of children's learning are not built upon as effectively as they could be when they move on to the next stage of education.