Dingley's Promise Droitwich

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create an inclusive culture for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work effectively with the local authority's early years inclusion team to identify children who may benefit from a place at the provision. Staff provide personalised support that reflects children's individual needs. They work with parents and carers to help children prepare for transitions into the setting and when moving on to other settings.

Leaders have designed an effective assessment toolkit that helps staff to identify children's starting points accurately. They work closely with specialist services within the local authority. For example, leaders seek advice from the visual impairment team about the layout of the environment. This helps to ensure that children can access and explore the activities on offer as independently as possible.

Staff use a range of communication strategies to support children with communication and language needs. These include gestures, objects of reference, visual prompts, Makaton signs and single words. When staff use these strategies well, children understand routines more clearly and are supported to communicate their needs. However, staff do not use these approaches consistently with individual children. As a result, individual children do not always understand what is being asked of them, which limits their ability to participate fully.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders' approach to what they want children to learn is underpinned by their motto, 'One Size Fits One'. They use this approach to design a well-sequenced curriculum that helps children to build their knowledge and skills over time. The leadership team has developed its own assessment system, which breaks learning down into smaller steps of progress. This is well suited to this specialist setting for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Typically, staff consider carefully what they will teach and provide for all children, while recognising the specific support individual children need. This enables staff to deliver an inclusive curriculum and adapt teaching activities effectively to meet children's diverse needs.

Children develop their physical skills and independence through a range of engaging and purposeful activities. For example, they use strength, balance and coordination as they climb a ladder, walk across a plank of wood and slide down independently. Staff observe children carefully and provide praise and encouragement that helps to build their confidence. When children show an interest in exploring the water tray, staff respond promptly and extend their learning. They use simple language, such as 'more water', and give children time to process and respond. Staff capture children's attention by demonstrating how to pour water through funnels. These well-considered interactions support children's communication and language development, while also promoting confidence, independence and sustained engagement in play.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically achieve well in this nurturing specialist setting for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They make positive progress from their individual starting points and develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stage of learning. Children begin to communicate their needs using their preferred methods of communication. For example, they sign 'more' to request further songs. Children also show interest in books and begin to identify favourite stories, such as 'The Billy Goats Gruff'. Through meaningful activities, children develop early mathematical knowledge. For example, they identify shapes, such as circles, when drawing a troll's face and begin to count the eyes they have drawn. Children also make progress in their emotional development. They begin to recognise when they are experiencing deep emotions and seek support from their key persons to help them regulate. This sensitive support helps children to feel emotionally secure. As a result, children develop increasing independence, confidence and resilience.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff know the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities extremely well. They build secure attachments and trusting relationships as they play alongside children. As a result, children are happy to explore and learn in this inclusive environment. These thoughtful relationships help children to feel safe, secure and valued.

Staff consistently promote children's positive behaviour. For example, when children crawl underneath a table, staff gently redirect them using clear language, such as 'good sitting', while signalling towards a chair. They praise and encourage children when they respond positively. Staff also respond sensitively when children begin to show frustration, such as when other children use resources they have been using. They take time to explain sharing using simple language. For example, staff remind children that there are 'lots' of resources available. Through calm reassurance, staff help children to understand and manage their emotions. As a result, children receive support to regulate their behaviour and understand expectations. They develop positive relationships with others.

Leaders and staff build respectful relationships with parents and carers. They promote positive habits for children's learning by encouraging regular attendance at the setting. Leaders have effective systems in place to monitor children's attendance. As a result, children receive support to attend regularly and begin to develop the routines and habits they will need for school.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff provide consistently sensitive and responsive care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is built on an inclusive culture throughout the setting. Key persons securely meet the individual care needs of all children. Staff support children's emotional wellbeing and help them to begin to develop skills to regulate their emotions. They recognise when children find it difficult to manage their emotions, particularly during changes to routines. For example, at lunchtime, staff use the sensory space to provide calm reassurance for children who find it difficult to settle. Children respond well to this support and increasingly seek comfort and reassurance from their key person. This helps children to build secure attachments with staff, understand their feelings and develop confidence in their personal, social and emotional development.

Children benefit from well-supported routines that promote their health and independence. They receive support from staff to follow self-care routines, such as handwashing. At snack time, staff encourage children to feed themselves, hold their own drinks and make choices using picture boards and simple language, such as 'I want…'. Staff supervise children closely. This promotes children's safety and independence. Leaders encourage parents and carers to provide healthy lunch boxes. They use family support workers to offer workshops on nutrition. This helps parents to understand how healthy choices support children's growth and development.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The leadership team has a clear vision and carries out its statutory duties effectively at this specialist setting for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders share a clear understanding of the setting's direction. Children continue to benefit from a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment that supports their learning, development and wellbeing. Leaders recognise that, as a newly established team, they have not yet had sufficient opportunity to embed the setting's priorities consistently.

Leaders ensure that staff access relevant training to strengthen their inclusive practice and meet children's individual needs. Staff have completed their in-house training, such as Dingley's Promise, which helps them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to support children with SEND effectively. Leaders also consider staff wellbeing and workload carefully. This helps staff to use their time effectively and carry out their roles with confidence.

Parents and carers speak strongly about the responsive caring relationships they have with leaders and staff. They say that children's time at the setting has helped them to develop confidence and independence. Parents also value the support provided by the on-site family support workers, including workshops that help them to understand aspects of early years development. However, not all parents are clear about how to support their children's learning at home or understand their child's next steps in learning. This means that opportunities for some parents to build on children's learning at home are not consistently developed.