Country Tots Childcare NW

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders consistently consider children's uniqueness and make systematic and robust adaptations to their curriculum to best support each child. They promptly identify children's individual needs through clear assessment processes. Plans are continually under review with parents, so they remain highly focused. Leaders' knowledge and understanding of how best to utilise external professional support is evident. This builds trust, shared understanding and support, which is significantly praised by parents.

The collaborative approach leaders take ensures all children, including those facing barriers to their learning, can thrive. Leaders implement interventions to ensure that barriers to learning are effectively addressed for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care. Leaders use their knowledge of children's interests to pique their curiosity in all invitations to play. Therefore, all children benefit from rich, tailored experiences and opportunities that are inclusive of their individual needs.

Regular professional development and reflective practice ensure that the leaders apply strategies consistently and impactfully. Staff skilfully apply learning from training in daily practice. For example, enhancements added to provision linked to children's interests see those who face barriers to learning engage with high levels of focus. Staff systematically adapt activities to bespoke next steps, so children are successful. As a result, all children make significant progress in communication, emotional development and independence, reflecting the high success of this inclusive approach.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders design a highly inclusive curriculum that is ambitious, creative and decidedly responsive to children's interests and uniqueness. Staff place a high priority on developing children's communication and language skills. They ensure that every conversation they have with children reinforces and extends children's vocabulary and speaking ability. Staff give children time to practise and embed new language and skills through purposefully planned learning opportunities. They are highly effective in every interaction and take full advantage of every teaching moment that arises, for example, exploring movement words such as 'jump', 'leap' and 'stretch' while some children are completing obstacle courses. Other children can be heard using 'squeeze' and 'spray' when using spray bottles to wash toys.

Teaching is consistently purposeful and responsive. Staff's in-depth knowledge of each child's unique needs and stage of development allows them to plan short, sharp, impactful sessions that spark the children's curiosity. They incorporate meaningful learning into each invitation to play. For example, staff make excellent use of being situated on a working farm by feeding sheep on daily field walks and exploring life cycles as they watch chicks grow.

Through high-quality interactions, leaders and staff swiftly identify gaps in learning. Staff's clear planning creates a consistent pathway, ensuring learning is revisited and embedded over time. The team ensures that the curriculum is adapted effectively to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, can fully participate. Parents are very positive about staff's support for children's bespoke needs. They state this is a true reflection of the dedication of the team, which is finely attuned to their child's needs, and they praise its hard work.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make significant progress and achieve consistently well across all areas of learning. From the earliest stages, communication and language are prioritised, with children confidently using ambitious vocabulary. Children benefit from a consistently high focus on personal, social and emotional development. Toddlers explore and name emotions when exploring stories and songs, supporting early understanding of their own wellbeing. For example, children make expressive faces in mirrors as they learn.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, show sustained focus and positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and treat one another with respect and kindness. Children build strong relationships with peers, playing collaboratively and cooperating harmoniously. For example, they work together and share that they 'are making rainbow cakes' with baking tins in the outdoor areas. Children learn to share and take turns to build excellent emotional resilience and empathy, with careful guidance from staff who have consistently high expectations.

Learning continuously builds on what children already know and can do. Children explore puzzles, mark making and numbers within the provision. For instance, children sit and explore tape measures and look for the numbers that are significant to them, proudly naming and identifying them with friends and staff. This varied approach keeps learning interesting and focused, ensuring children secure breadth and depth in knowledge and skills. Children are confident and independent young learners.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have embedded a wholesome environment where all children thrive and achieve. Children consistently reach their full potential. Leaders are finely attuned to children's individualism and uniqueness and celebrate this through wide-ranging invitations to play. Children are excited to attend, and leaders are proactive and quick to identify non-attendance. They act swiftly in collaboration with parents to support them as needed. This decisive and rigorous approach supports children and families, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, to establish a strong foundation for regular attendance as children move on to school.

Positive and nurturing relationships ensure children confidently follow routines that are well rooted in high expectations. Staff are positive role models and, as a result, children demonstrate excellent behaviour and have a strong sense of belonging. For instance, they warmly include new adults in their play and excitedly show them resources. The children have extremely positive attitudes to learning and, with the ongoing support of staff, children consistently show high levels of perseverance. When children encounter problems, they tackle them both independently and together as a team. Any disputes are promptly dealt with. The clear boundaries set by staff offer a fair and nurturing response, which children are highly responsive to.

Children are remarkably independent in their sleep routines, which is fostered by highly impactful teaching and careful monitoring by staff. For example, children get into their beds, listen to white noise and happily settle down to sleep.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders are thorough and rigorous in their approach to policies, which are consistently reviewed and refined to prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders and staff have a high level of understanding of these and embed them with great success in a safe environment where all children explore and thrive.

Staff have a precise knowledge and understanding of the children. They build highly trusting relationships and regularly ask children how they are feeling. For instance, children who are upset are promptly given the support and care they need to recognise and manage their emotions. Staff successfully encourage children's independence skills. For example, children are highly self-sufficient in dressing and undressing when transitioning between indoor and outdoor play. Older children confidently serve their own lunch meals and proficiently use a knife and fork. While eating, staff closely supervise and help children to understand the benefit food has for their bodies through impactful conversations. This creates a solid foundation for adopting healthy habits. Staff vigilantly ensure children's dietary requirements are closely followed, while ensuring a balanced diet. A coloured plate system and individualised information cards on chairs support newer staff to learn systems quickly and effectively.

Individualised and meticulous consideration is given to settling children. Leaders make every effort to give them a calm and positive early experience. For example, if children become upset, staff offer caring support and read a book until they feel more settled. Parents express full confidence in staff's care, noting that they understand their child's routines, preferences and needs. Leaders and staff consistently ensure that each child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to social care, feels safe, valued and supported, reinforcing children's deep sense of belonging.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate and highly reflective. They systematically evaluate the setting's practices and implement initiatives that drive improvement through continuous development. Leaders have a clear action plan forecasting the goals for the coming years and are consistently ambitious in their aspirations. This highly impactful approach reflects the dedication to care, teaching and support for all children, their families and staff.

Through consistent and proactive supervision, leaders cultivate strong collaboration among staff, parents and external professionals. They hold the children's best interests at the heart of all they do and continually strive to offer them the best experiences and opportunities that support their individual learning needs. Leaders are proactive in their approach to supporting children with barriers to learning. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are known or previously known to social care, gain swift support from external agencies. Interventions are promptly in place, and funding is used to close gaps effectively. Parents are kept well informed and are consistently supported by leaders to continue their children's successful learning and development at home. Parents share their delight and gratitude for the ongoing support leaders provide, describing the pivotal role they play in their child's developmental journey. This further secures partnerships, enabling children to consistently achieve and thrive.

Leaders place a high emphasis on staff's wellbeing and professional development. Staff report feeling supported through an open-door culture, regular check-ins and tailored training opportunities. For example, new staff are given time to shadow more experienced colleagues. This helps them to develop confidence and competence, ensuring all children receive safe, attentive and knowledgeable care.

Leaders make positive links within the local area, signposting families to play groups, events of interest and sessions that will broaden the children's experiences. They reach out to local schools to support transitions for those children who are reaching the end of their journey with them to ensure they have the best possible start to school. Leaders' willingness to strive for the very best for their children is reflected in their consistent, self-evaluative approach to leadership. This focused attitude results in securing excellent outcomes for all children in their care.