Daisy Fays Carnon Downs

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff use the advice of external experts and specialists to create effective learning opportunities and make adaptations in the setting. For example, they have introduced baskets of real objects, such as nappies and bottles, for children to choose so they can say what they want or need. Leaders and staff regularly review the impact of interventions and ask for further advice if children's progress rates slow down.

Parents and carers are constantly involved in key decisions and evaluations of how to support their children effectively. For instance, staff use funding to provide resources in the setting that parents have said support their child at home. Similarly, staff regularly communicate to parents about the resources and methods that progress children in the setting and provide ideas to use at home. This continual sharing of key information, and adjustments to how best meet the children's needs, provides children with highly impactful experiences. For instance, parents work with staff to create a sensory area containing resources that supports children to play calmly and attentively.

Leaders ensure that staff have an excellent understanding of the specific needs of all children. They work closely with staff, communicating any changes to adaptations and interventions already in place. They provide relevant training for staff linked to children's individual needs and monitor how well all staff support the ongoing progress of children. Staff offer children relevant and highly effective interactions. Children benefit from a consistent and progressive approach to their learning and development and make swift progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff provide a curriculum that covers all areas of learning and development. They initially focus on children settling into the setting and developing their personal and emotional skills, such as joining in activities and interacting with others. They monitor planning and observations of children's learning to identify areas that need more focus. Staff adapt planning to ensure that all children access a wider range of learning opportunities. For instance, staff in the pre-school room differentiate a painting and sticking activity for younger children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities by adding opportunities to print instead of paint and stick small items.

Staff focus on babies achieving key skills in their physical development as soon as they start in the setting. They understand how to progressively build their skills. For instance, staff teach babies to stand on them and bounce to build the strength in their legs, before encouraging them to pull themselves up and stand without adult support.

Staff prioritise children's mathematical development and provide a mixture of planned and spontaneous activities to support their learning. For example, they routinely count with children during circle times and when lining up to go outside. Staff take opportunities during children's play to secure and extend their knowledge, learn new vocabulary and practise mathematical words. For instance, they encourage children making patterns in soil to think about and name the shapes they are making before introducing new shapes. They model mathematical language, such as 'circular' and 'side'.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children develop the key skills for their next stages of development, such as a love of books and reading. They choose to read in free play times and are keen to take home books from the setting's 'lending library'. Babies turn pages and enjoy staff reading to them. Older children join in excitedly with repeating parts of well-known books. Children benefit from this support for their knowledge of words and time to practise their speech skills.

Children in the pre-school room make progress in their listening. They pay attention to others and develop their physical skills. Children benefit from these experiences that prepare them for their learning, when they start school. Children achieve well from their starting points in development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive support to make progress and build skills towards age-appropriate knowledge.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff establish high expectations and clear routines for children. Children follow the '12 golden rules' in the setting and the set routines. For instance, children learn to stop, listen and copy staff wiggling their fingers when they need to listen to instructions. This supports children during transition times in the day. All children are highly responsive at these times and manage their behaviour very well. Children display high levels of respect and understanding for the behaviour expected of them.

Staff explicitly teach and regularly remind children of the importance to be kind. They focus on supporting positive interactions, such as sharing. Staff use daily circle times to discuss how staff and children have been kind that day. Children give other examples of what they can do for others to make them happy. Staff support children to learn how to share and resolve issues, such as wanting the same toy. Children copy this independently and play extremely harmoniously together, including babies. Older children independently find boots and coats for their friends, displaying thoughtfulness for others.

Leaders and staff place an importance on children attending the setting. They quickly identify when children have not arrived and contact their parents and carers to find out why. Staff work with parents to support regular attendance and find solutions that benefit the children's development and their family's needs. For instance, they offer later start times for parents who need this flexibility due to work commitments or when dropping off other siblings to school. This supports children's regular attendance and ongoing progress towards their next stages in learning, including preparing them for school.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff provide a safe and secure environment for children. They have procedures in place so children can focus on their play. For instance, the setting is highly secure and not accessible to anyone outside without staff's knowledge. Staff have a good understanding of safer sleeping practices and follow these to support children's safety and welfare. Staff teach children to attend to their own needs. For instance, babies learn to wash their hands and feed themselves at mealtimes using spoons and forks. Older children learn to attend to their own toileting needs and to tidy up their own items at mealtimes.

Staff provide nutritional meals and plan topics in the curriculum for children to learn about health and healthy eating. However, mealtimes do not consistently provide opportunities to secure children's knowledge and extend their learning of healthy food choices. For example, staff explain what foods children have when serving, but do not talk about the benefits of the foods. Although the setting offers healthy food choices and teaches children about healthy foods at other times, children do not fully develop their understanding and secure their knowledge. Also, staff's interactions at mealtimes do not encourage children's development of social skills as well as at other times during the day. For example, they do not ask questions or offer the same level of interactions while children are waiting for foods to be served and while children are sat at the tables. Consequently, children are quieter than they typically are at these times, which does not extend their skills to communicate and interact with others.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders support staff's professional learning. They provide regular opportunities for training, feedback on staff's practice and model effective teaching. New staff benefit from an induction targeted to their individual needs. Leaders have prioritised training that impacts positively on improving interactions with children and meeting their needs.

Leaders and staff are keen to progress and make improvements to the setting. They meet regularly to evaluate the impact of what they offer children and identify priorities for improvement. Staff feel valued, listened to and involved in the decisions made in the setting.

Leaders seek expert help from qualified professionals and use their feedback to make timely and impactful changes. For instance, they used targets from early years specialists to improve the resources and interactions in the outdoor area. All staff have taken part in carefully selected training that has improved staff's and children's enjoyment of learning outside.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers and outside agencies to support children to settle into the setting and when transitioning to school. For instance, they work with paediatricians and health nurses when children have more complex health or learning needs. They ensure that all stakeholders are involved in supporting the setting to meet the learning and development needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who receive additional funding.