Dinos Nursery and Preschool

Inclusion: Strong standard

When necessary, staff take decisive action to adapt and refine their teaching to help children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn better. Highly successful strategies, such as adapted resources and targeted support from specialist professionals, help to ensure that each and every child thrives emotionally and developmentally.

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils and show determination that every child receives the support they need to succeed. They pro-actively and tenaciously advocate for families with wider agencies to ensure that children in their care receive the specialist expertise they deserve. Leaders take great pride in treating all children as special and unique individuals. This is a truly inclusive setting, where all children have the very best start in their lives.

Staff identify the needs of children with SEND quickly and accurately. They make frequent observations of children's progress through well-established assessment systems. These help staff to have an exemplary understanding children's individual needs and how best to help them.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum builds in complexity over time to ensure that children experience appropriate and increasing challenge. Leaders have created a high-quality, well-designed curriculum. Learning is carefully sequenced, taking account of assessment and tracking records, to ensure that children build and develop their knowledge. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Key skills, including physical and social skills, are mastered, alongside personal attributes, such as independence and confidence.

Teaching prioritises children's speech and language skills. Staff are well trained and consistently model language. For example, they often introduce new vocabulary during play to extend children's understanding. Books are read aloud in an animated and engaging way, immersing children in language during story sessions. Children are captivated as staff use different voices to depict book characters' personalities. Children speak with increasing fluency and confidence, supported by excellent teaching in this area of the curriculum. Furthermore, children benefit from a dedicated library space, which has been carefully designed to nurture a love of storytelling and early literacy skills in a calm language-focused environment.

Staff regularly observe children and track their progress. They use this professional assessment to celebrate children's achievements and address any gaps in skills promptly. Assessment systems are simple and effective.

Overall, children make progress from their starting points, and, in some areas, such as speech and language, they achieve rapidly. However, staff are less confident in extending and enhancing children's mathematical skills. As a result, children do not always benefit from sufficient challenge to achieve the highest level of development in this area.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress across the curriculum, particularly in communication and language. They develop early literacy skills through meaningful, engaging experiences, such as writing shopping lists in the role-play area and recognising their names on lunchtime placemats. They make marks and begin to understand that print carries meaning, building a secure foundation for later reading and writing. Children show curiosity and understanding of the world through hands-on learning, for example caring for caterpillars and observing eggs to hatch into chicks, which develops knowledge of life cycles and living things.

Babies and younger children make steady progress in physical development, exploring climbing equipment to strengthen core muscles and practise balance and coordination. Older children develop fine motor skills through cutting and building activities. Children gain confidence in using technology, supporting early digital skills and readiness for life in modern Britain.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged or facing other barriers, are supported through inclusive practice and close partnership with parents and professionals, ensuring that they make meaningful progress from their starting points and are well prepared for the next stage of learning, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children's attendance is high. Leaders work closely with parents to emphasise the importance of attending regularly. This ongoing focus on punctuality is successful because children are seldom absent. As a result, their learning is continual and uninterrupted, enabling them to make steady progress across all areas of development. This consistency helps to strengthen their confidence, independence and readiness for the next stage of education.

Children know what is expected of them due to the reassuring familiarity of well-established routines and daily procedures. For instance, children line up in anticipation of outdoor play. They cooperatively help to put toys away after activities. Children are mature, cooperative and helpful because they understand clear boundaries and expectations.

Staff are consistent across the nursery in their exemplary behaviour management strategies. For instance, staff use pictorial timetables and traffic light cards to help children understand what is happening now and next. Children's behaviour is continually harmonious.

Children benefit from an abundance of opportunities to be social and form lasting friendships. Children seek out their special friends to join in their games. For instance, children giggle as they collectively explore lights and materials in the dedicated sensory room.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children thrive in their emotional wellbeing because they benefit from trusting relationships with superbly kind, nurturing and empathetic staff. There is a strikingly calm atmosphere in the setting, reinforced by the gentle and relaxed staff team. Children benefit greatly from these positive relationships and the tranquil environment, as they are settled, happy and confident to explore and engage in learning.

Leaders ensure that children's welfare and safety are central to all decisions they make. Staff reflect this cautious approach to welfare. For example, they implement risk assessments with rigour and diligence to protect children from possible harm, ensuring that children can play and learn safely.

Mealtimes are a sophisticated and social occasion. Tablecloths, fresh flowers and menus help create a relaxing, home-from-home atmosphere, which encourages children to eat at a leisurely pace, enjoy mealtimes and develop positive social and conversational skills. Children and staff sit together, chatting about their weekend plans, which further supports children's language development and confidence. Children have wonderful appetites and enjoy their food, contributing to their excellent physical health and wellbeing.

Staff have completed safer sleep training, and resting children are closely monitored to ensure their ongoing welfare. Gentle music plays to create a sense of serenity during sleep times. Children wake rested and ready to play and learn. Routines are flexible and adapted where necessary to meet children's individual needs. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are allowed to choose when to join in, supporting their emotional wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are aspirational and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to offer families a high-quality service. They regularly meet to discuss and reflect upon the successes of recent activities and practice. They have a secure oversight and know what they do well. An extremely detailed action plan, which is updated frequently, helps to drive timely and ongoing improvements.

Staff have immediate access to a wealth of training and development courses through an online professional development system. They access training to extend their skills, such as recent training on safer sleep and behaviour management. However, training opportunities are not always targeted to narrow gaps in staff's practice or knowledge.

Partnerships with parents are well established. Parents receive daily updates, via convenient online communication methods, about their children's experiences and progress. Well-attended 'stay and play' sessions offer opportunities for parents to come into the nursery, fostering positive relationships with home. A newsletter is published each month, providing timely updates about nursery business. Parents comment that they feel part of a 'big family', and children benefit greatly from this open and regular communication between the nursery and home.

Leaders have a good oversight of children's progress. They monitor the quality of teaching to assure themselves that standards are consistent.