Cuddles Day Nursery Parkstone

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders are highly experienced and have developed a culture where each child and their family is really well known and understood. Children's needs are meticulously assessed, which enables staff to closely match and adapt their teaching and support for each child. For example, they arrange for specialists to review their provision before children with specific needs start. This ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are known to children's social care, make excellent progress from their starting points.

Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of their local community and provide targeted support for children and families, such as coat sharing initiatives. These actions consistently reduce potential barriers to learning. Staff are extremely well supported by leaders in accessing further training and in tailoring their approach to meet children's needs.

Leaders consistently review the impact of their actions and act promptly to engage support and advice from their extensive network of wider professionals. They skilfully embed this to further benefit children. For example, they learn new communication approaches, which staff teach each other before going on to teach parents. Additional funding is spent with sharp focus. Leaders provide resources to ensure that all children can participate fully in additional opportunities, or to support with specific targets, such as toy mobile phones to encourage communication.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have a clear vision for their highly inclusive curriculum, which supports learning across all areas. They continually adapt their provision to ensure that all children benefit, such as by building in new experiences such as theatre trips. Staff skilfully focus on developing communication skills. They use every possible moment as a teaching opportunity. For example, they link songs and rhymes to children's words as they craft. Staff nurture children's curiosity and imagination, asking questions and prompting thought.

Staff know all children deeply and focus closely on what they know and what they need to learn next through ongoing assessment. They adapt their approach to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that they make the best possible progress and swiftly address any gaps. Mathematical understanding is consistently embedded. For example, children use mathematical language as they experiment and compare the splashes in the stream caused by small and big stones. Older children count fruit and measure towers that they build.

Children's physical development is prioritised. They demonstrate stamina and develop their walking confidence as they regularly walk to the local woods. Babies pull themselves up on equipment and are challenged to reach for toys. Children develop a love of books. They share them with fascination with staff, enthusiastically pointing out different features individually, and also sustain attention when reading books in groups as a result of skilled adult teaching.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children rapidly become capable, confident communicators. They describe their thinking as they explore with growing curiosity. For example, they look closely at plants in the woods and describe the insects that might have landed on them. Children develop their sense of autonomy as they consistently make choices, such as whether to use binoculars or magnifying glasses. Babies develop their physical skills as they scoop sand with spoons, swirl paint in circles on their paper and reach for exciting resources.

Children are very well prepared for upcoming changes, including for the transition to school. They develop the ability to maintain attention and listen attentively, such as when enjoying a story. Children's foundational skills and knowledge rapidly develop as they progress through the nursery, which ensures that they start school with the skills they need. Their independence and confidence flourishes. Children who experience potential barriers to learning make excellent progress across the curriculum, and their experience is consistently seamless.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff consistently support children in developing their behaviour, carefully considering their age and stage of development. There is a harmonious culture, and children demonstrate really positive attitudes. They are given clear warnings before things change, such as with time countdowns before tidying up. Staff praise children and encourage a culture of peer support. For example, toddlers clap each other after they clear their lunch places.

Children settle extremely quickly and enjoy close relationships with staff. Leaders and staff have a very clear understanding of each child's home life and use this knowledge to support the children skilfully. Staff model kindness and consideration in their interactions, which children go on to copy. Children consistently collaborate and work together, such as when working with peers to create a tower to touch the ceiling.

Leaders have embedded a powerful system of routines that the children follow increasingly independently. These routines make the children feel safe, support the ongoing development of their independence and prepare them for later learning. For example, they sustain attention in whole-group stories. Leaders have a proactive approach to attendance, and children benefit as a result. Potential barriers are quickly identified and addressed effectively, such as with wellington boots being provided to ensure that all children can take part in woodland sessions.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders have established a system in which staff carefully tailor everything they do to thoughtfully match children's individual routines and developmental stage. Staff build very secure relationships as a result of how well children are known, and they are very attentive to children's care needs. For example, they encourage the children to notice when they need to blow their noses and help them to do this themselves. Staff skilfully teach children how to recognise and manage their own emotions. For example, they acknowledge when a child feels frustrated as their tower is knocked and help them to discuss how they feel about it with their peer.

Mealtimes are social occasions. Children work together to lay the tables and prepare the space, before sitting with staff and peers and chatting happily as they eat their freshly prepared, healthy meals. Staff encourage them to try new foods, and children encourage each other. Children build life-long healthy habits, such as with support from the setting in tooth brushing to build confidence at home. They learn to keep themselves safe. For example, staff point out sharp prickles in the woods, and the children carefully avoid them. Sleep routines are very calm and attentive. They benefit from staff support throughout to ensure that they sleep well, and staff expertly support families to tailor nap times in preparation for pre-school.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have a very comprehensive understanding of their setting and the local community in which they are based. They place the service of that community and the needs of their families and children at the heart of everything that they do. They work closely with all families to ensure that they receive tailored support where needed and to build effective working relationships.

The staff culture is a particular strength. Many staff have worked at the setting for a long time, and they value the support that they receive from leaders and the wider company. Staff receive regular training to develop their skills, and the impact of this training can be readily seen in practice. For example, a focus on developing communication in recent years has led to consistently skilled practice in this area across the staff body. Leaders and staff seek out feedback and respond to this in a proactive manner, consistently seeking to do the very best that they can for all children.

Parents value the support that they experience from leaders and staff alike. Leaders are highly proactive in building relationships with all families, such as in developing special seasonal events to welcome them in. Parents are consistently positive about the ongoing communication that they receive. They also feel that any special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early and skilfully supported.