Copper Beeches Day Nursery Ltd.

Inclusion: Strong standard

Teaching is highly inclusive and strategically adapted. Staff amend routines without hesitation and ratios are reviewed to offer children more adult attention. These excellent adaptations mean the curriculum is accessible for everyone and well matched to children's differing abilities. All children are supported to thrive.

Staff create a culture where every child matters. They work closely with a range of wider professionals, drawing upon their specialist expertise to enhance the excellent support offered to children. For example, staff currently work with visual impairment specialists, speech therapists and local authority quality advisers to meet children's unique and diverse needs extremely well.

Staff complete detailed observations and assessments of all children. This accurate monitoring enables staff to be responsive to children's individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who need extra help benefit from timely support. Detailed care plans are swiftly written and implemented into practice without delay. This urgency means that all children progress well from their starting points, including those with SEND, or those facing barriers to their learning.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, closely linked to their values and ethos. They intend for children to be 'happy, confident and independent' and together, staff and leaders excel in achieving this vision. The curriculum has been co-designed, incorporating the views of parents, children and staff to ensure it reflects and encapsulates everyone's different priorities. Learning is carefully sequenced, so children build and gradually develop the necessary skills in preparation for the next stage in their learning and eventually school.

Staff generally work well together as a team, helping each other and working collaboratively. However, when staff changes are necessary and teaching responsibilities are handed over, staff do not always effectively share details of activity intent so learning can continue without interruption.

Children are given plenty of opportunities to practise what they already know. Staff recognise the value and importance of children repeating skills to thoroughly embed new knowledge into their long-term memory, for later recall. There is a mix of adult-led activities and child-initiated play, offering children breadth of learning opportunities and their steady progress is supported.

Leaders recognise the importance of supporting children's language skills. All staff have received appropriate training about how best to support children's emerging communication skills. During planned activities, staff talk to children and engage in meaningful discussions about play. Staff pause, allowing time for children to think and answer questions. Typically, this is a language-rich environment. However, during routine tasks, such as mealtimes, staff interactions do not extend children's conversational skills at the highest level.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children benefit from well-sequenced teaching and activities suited to their abilities. For example, mathematics is explicitly taught for the oldest children. They learn to count, categorise, recognise mathematical shapes and understand quantity and volume. Younger children enjoy thinking critically as they solve simple problems when playing with large wooden shape sorters. Babies benefit from lots of opportunities to practise and master their emerging walking skills and core physical strength. All children make steady progress from their starting points.

Children prepare well for the next stage in their learning. They show resilience and a positive 'can-do' attitude. They also have strength in character to share their ideas and opinions, even when these differ from their peers. Children are happy, confident and self assured. These personal attributes are a secure foundation for children's future success. Children make some progress in their language skills, however they are not yet excelling in this area because staff do not always engage children in conversations, particularly during mealtimes.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Older children are fiercely independent and they confidently complete a wealth of tasks for themselves. This is an impressive aspect of children's development. They tidy away toys, wash hands, serve food and pour drinks with minimal supervision and in an assured manner. These personal attributes of confidence, independence and self-assurance are a strong foundation for children to succeed in their future learning journey.

Friendships between children flourish. For instance, children sit holding hands and casually talk to each other, giggling as they share ideas. They read stories aloud to a group of friends, during child-initiated story sessions. Children enjoy the company of friends and consequently they are excelling in their social skills. Children play harmoniously and behaviour is exemplary.

Staff seamlessly adapt their behaviour management strategies, depending on children's ages and stages of learning. For instance, they use verbal instructions or visual prompts to explain what is happening now and next. Children understand what is expected of them, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Children attendance is consistently high and absences are unusual. Leaders promote regular attendance because they value the importance of continuous and uninterrupted learning. This impacts positively on outcomes for children's learning and development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Music plays throughout the nursery at key times of the day, such as sleep times, creating an ambient and serene atmosphere. Furthermore, staff are notably calm and gentle in their interactions, fostering strong attachments with children. Quiet spaces throughout the nursery rooms enable children to have time and opportunity to relax. These strategies successfully promote children's strong sense of emotional wellbeing.

Children learn about healthy and sustainable lifestyles, contributing to their tremendous health and wellbeing. For instance, they grow potatoes and strawberries, learning where their food comes from in hands-on and practical ways. Recent improvements to procedures relating to managing dietary requirements safely are fully established. This fully promotes children's health and wellbeing. Children recycle rubbish and compost their food waste. They show excellent awareness and consideration about the impact they have on the natural world. Leaders and staff have received an externally accredited award for their ecologically-friendly approach to children's care and learning. Children's health and wellbeing is extremely well supported.

Staff explicitly teach children about their emotions, through books, activities and toys. Children learn about different feelings, such as fear, anger, happy and sad. In turn, children have a strong sense of emotional wellbeing. They are extremely mature, considerate and begin to appreciate the impact their words and actions have on others.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the nursery strengths and priorities to improve. The leadership team is aspirational and dedicated to offer the very highest quality provision. They have a clear action plan which is reviewed and updated every month, without fail. This means the priorities to improve are acted upon quickly and leaders ensure that developments are continual and purposeful. There is a true culture of reflection and improvement, led by inspirational leaders.

Investment in staff wellbeing is a high priority for leaders. Staff comment that they are happy, motivated and committed. Many of the staff team have worked in the setting for several years and parents comment this established and stable team is reassuring for families. High morale impacts positively on the quality of staff's first-rate practice.

Training offered to staff is targeted and worthwhile to improve the quality of their practice and outcomes for children. Effective staff supervision, such as appraisals and peer observations, enable leaders to understand where staff excel and areas they need additional support. As a result, professional development is precisely matched to staff needs and raises standards and quality to ultimately benefit children. Leaders understand that improving staff skills to extend children's language and enhance communication between colleagues will improve outcomes for children.