Daisy Fays Falmouth

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture in which they identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and understand them well. Staff recognise children's emerging needs early and work closely with families and external professionals to shape timely and highly effective support. Leaders provide knowledgeable oversight across the nursery group. They support staff to apply a structured approach to additional support consistently. As a result, staff are confident in adapting practice for these children, making reasonable adjustments and reviewing whether support is making a difference.

Leaders and staff use additional funding purposefully to reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing. For example, they have used disability access funding effectively to create a sensory room and enhanced staffing, deploying additional staff thoughtfully. This helps children with SEND feel secure, communicate more and participate more fully. Staff consistently use personalised visual aids, tailored communication strategies and close partnership with speech and language professionals to support children's development. This highly effective support is helping children with SEND to make clear progress from their starting points, particularly in their communication, engagement and social development.

The setting's inclusive practice extends beyond supporting children with SEND. Staff value children's home languages, celebrate different cultures and make thoughtful adaptations so that children and families feel welcomed and represented. Leaders and staff consistently make a demonstrable difference to the experiences, participation and progress of children with SEND and those facing disadvantage.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have established a broad curriculum. This has a clear emphasis on children's personal, social and emotional development, communication and language, physical development and readiness for school. Staff understand what children need to learn. They use assessment appropriately to plan experiences that build on children's interests, starting points and next steps in learning. This is evident in the baby room, where staff promote early communication, independence and secure routines well. In the pre-school room, children engage in activities that support their vocabulary, early writing, fine motor control and understanding of the world. However, teaching is not consistently effective in all adult-led group situations. In the pre-school room, some quieter children do not typically receive support to participate fully when more confident children dominate resources and discussion. This reduces the impact of the otherwise thoughtful curriculum planning and teaching.

Staff use targeted support purposefully, including tailored strategies for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those receiving early years pupil premium funding. Many children, including those who are disadvantaged, receive help to access the curriculum and make progress from their starting points. Staff promote communication and language effectively through songs, stories, conversation and purposeful questioning. Children show enjoyment, concentration and growing confidence.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children build secure knowledge and skills from their starting points. Babies communicate through sounds, signs and familiar words. They feed themselves and move with increasing control. Toddlers strengthen their language, coordination and social awareness through active play, daily routines and shared experiences. In the pre-school room, children extend their vocabulary, concentration and understanding as they prepare for their next stage of learning. Older children explain their ideas, recall what they know and can do and join in activities with interest and confidence. However, in pre-school group times, some quieter children do not participate as fully as they could.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those receiving additional funding build their communication, engagement and participation. Children speak with a broad vocabulary, join in songs and learn to share and take turns successfully. Toddlers confidently count to the number nine and recognise and name shapes, such as circle. Children are well prepared for the next stage of learning, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff provide a calm and welcoming environment, where children are happy, settled and secure. Across the nursery, relationships between staff and children are warm, respectful and nurturing. Staff respond sensitively when children need reassurance. They use calm comfort, praise and gentle explanations to support children's emotional security and positive behaviour. Babies and toddlers join in well with familiar routines, such as songs for tidying up, handwashing and mealtimes, showing that staff establish clear expectations consistently. Children are typically happy to take turns, make simple choices and engage positively with others in play and group experiences. They are kind and considerate. For example, babies collect coats for their friends and older children join in cooperatively with shared activities.

Staff support children's growing independence through everyday routines. Babies learn to feed themselves, toddlers wash their hands and use cutlery. Older children receive encouragement to put on their own shoes and coats. Children respond promptly to routine prompts and songs, which helps the day to run smoothly and supports their sense of security. Leaders monitor attendance and explain that they follow up children's absences promptly. This helps to promote continuity of care and supports children's welfare. Staff create an orderly and positive environment in which children generally behave well, understand routines and develop confidence in themselves and others.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff build responsive relationships with children and help them to feel happy, settled and secure. Staff know children's day-to-day care, dietary and medical needs well. They manage routines, such as snack, lunch, sleep and transitions calmly and purposefully. Babies feed themselves and join in with signs and songs. Toddlers tidy away toys and respond confidently to familiar routines. These experiences strengthen children's independence, emotional security and healthy habits.

Staff meet children's individual needs well. Staff follow safer sleep guidance, complete regular checks and support children with additional needs appropriately. Staff adapt routines, use visual cues and work closely with families and professionals to support children with special education needs and/or disabilities. They use funding purposefully to reduce barriers to children's participation and wellbeing. This helps all children feel to secure, make progress and communicate more as they take part in nursery life. Leaders and staff further promote children's health and wellbeing through regular outdoor play, healthy meals and attentive supervision.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders typically understand the nursery's strengths and identify key areas for improvement. They maintain oversight of safeguarding, curriculum delivery and staff practice across the nursery and the wider group. Leaders explain their systems clearly and keep the day running smoothly. They use supervision sessions, room-based reviews and regular group meetings to monitor practice, support staff wellbeing and share expectations. Staff feedback that leaders value and support them, and staff report enjoying their role and working in the nursery.

Overall, leaders strengthen staff practice through targeted professional development. However, they have not recognised that there is some inconsistency in the quality of the support given to pre-school aged children. Leaders successfully ensure that all staff are confident in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and conduct focused weekly reviews of the SEND provision. They share current guidance from the local authority inclusion team and help staff to review support and refine strategies over time. Leaders use additional funding thoughtfully, work well with external professionals and keep children's best interests central to decision-making, especially for children with SEND and those facing disadvantage. Leaders create a supportive culture that promotes children's safety, inclusion and progress.