Cracker Jacks Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders prioritise finding out about individual children's unique circumstances to help them understand how to best support children and families. They successfully use a range of assessment methods in partnership with parents to precisely identify and agree how to best support children with a range of backgrounds and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, staff adapt their interactions with any children they identify are not making expected progress in their communication and language skills. They consistently use clear language when speaking to children and provide them with ample time to process what they hear. This enables them to understand questions and practise their speaking skills. Leaders use additional funding well to ensure that children have every opportunity to be part of the setting's community. This provides children who might otherwise face limitations with additional opportunities.

Leaders work in close partnership with other professionals, not only to support children but also their families, where needed. Established staff are experienced in how to support children from a range of backgrounds and those with SEND. They frequently update their knowledge and skills to remain informed of current guidance and good practice. They actively support all staff with how to implement agreed strategies. This supports every child to access the full curriculum and make progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of curriculum quality and teaching. They make informed decisions to drive improvement as they regularly review and refine the curriculum in response to children's needs. Staff offer a balance of adult-led and child-led experiences for all children. Assessment is ongoing and informs teaching to ensure that learning is matched to what children need to learn next. Children love to explore outside, which includes a forest school area. Staff adapt teaching to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively and maintain younger children's sustained engagement during group times. For instance, they make action songs more exciting as they encourage children to move their bodies. This also supports children's coordination and builds their core stability.

Older children are keen to learn, although the quality of teaching is variable for this group of children. Staff do not consistently encourage them to build on their critical thinking skills, such as solving problems for themselves. For example, staff tell children that they need to use thick mud on their brush to make clear, purposeful marks to create a heart pattern using a stencil. Staff teach children mathematical concepts and language related to quantity and size. They show a genuine interest in children's home life. This motivates children to use complex sentences to recall recent experiences with staff and their friends, fostering positive relationships. Staff skilfully introduce babies to new words in meaningful contexts, such as 'juicy' as babies enjoy tasting melon.

Achievement: Expected standard

Typically, children achieve well from their starting points. Gaps in all children's learning are closing consistently, in particular for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Generally, children gain the skills that will prepare them for their move on to school. Babies are inquisitive and actively explore the stimulating environment. They smile with delight as they discover how to make different sounds using musical instruments. Babies babble and swiftly learn the pattern of conversation. Young children show a love of books. They eagerly join in with repeated refrains from familiar stories. Older children listen intently to personalised stories in which staff include the children's names as characters. They take turns to contribute their creative ideas and shape the narrative of the story. Children develop motor skills effectively. They draw on cotton wool pads with coloured pens, place them into a plate of milk and observe how the colours blend together to create new colours. Children build strength and coordination using a varied range of equipment outdoors.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and conduct. They set clear, age-appropriate boundaries that have a positive impact on children's behaviour. Staff reinforce positive social behaviours, such as reminding children to place a pot of pens in the middle of the table to ensure that everyone can share. This supports children's understanding of fairness and cooperation within group contexts. All staff have positive relationships with the children. They consistently identify and praise children for their efforts and achievements. This helps boost their confidence and self-esteem. Tidy-up time is signalled through staff and children singing a familiar song. Babies clearly recognise this cue. They demonstrate their understanding of routine and expectations as they help staff to tidy away resources. Staff use these moments to model positive behaviours. This means that expectations are understood and embedded across all rooms, supporting continuity. Children understand expectations as they transition to the next room.

Staff provide calm, clear explanations and model respectful interactions to support babies to understand kind and caring relationships. Staff support young children to work collaboratively to construct a train track. They teach them to take turns to position a piece of track and provide them with opportunities to practise these skills independently. Leaders take time to share information with parents about the importance of attending regularly.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff create a warm, nurturing environment where babies confidently seek reassurance through spontaneous cuddles. This demonstrates secure key-person relationships. This helps children who are new to the setting to settle quickly. There are inconsistencies in how staff support younger children to develop independence skills. For instance, some staff do not encourage children to manage their self-care and outer clothing. This does not provide all children with the skills to prepare them for their transition to the next room.

Children are provided with nutritious meals, and staff create a calm, comfortable environment for children who need to rest. They regularly check that children remain safe while they sleep. While this supports children's wellbeing and health, staff do not typically help children to develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. This limits children's ability to make healthy choices, understand why these choices are important and develop positive habits from an early age.

Children have regular opportunities to enjoy physical exercise. Regular visits to the sister setting enable older children to benefit from the soft-play provision. Children learn to assess risks and develop spatial awareness. Babies have a wonderful time as they reach high to pop bubbles with their hands. Staff encourage children to identify and discuss their own and others' feelings. Children express who they love and why. Staff actively encourage children to love themselves by reinforcing the importance of valuing themselves, modelling this through gestures, such as giving themselves a hug.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious and have worked closely with external professionals to successfully address the actions raised at the previous inspection. Children now benefit from a curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do, and organised routines are embedded. Leaders continue to reflect on how well staff meet children's needs. However, they have not identified some inconsistencies in staff practice and how well children develop an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. Arrangements to improve staff practice are in place. Staff complete regular training and receive supervision meetings. Leaders encourage reflective practice through peer-on-peer observations. Recent training has strengthened staff's understanding of how children learn through patterns of repeated actions. As a result, leaders and staff have adapted the environment and resources accordingly. Leaders actively support staff wellbeing. Experienced staff say that they feel supported and valued in their role. Newer staff explain how they are given time within their working day to attend their studies. Leaders identify that some children have barriers to their learning. They work in partnership with parents and outside agencies to seek support swiftly. Leaders and staff keep parents fully involved in their child's time at the setting. Parents speak positively about the staff team and the provision their children receive. They feel included in the setting's community and are involved in every aspect of their child's care, learning and development.