Dragonflies Sutton

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff show a commitment to ensuring that all children receive the support they need to thrive. They celebrate children's uniqueness and have an in-depth understanding of their backgrounds and circumstances. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are making fantastic progress from their starting points. Leaders make timely referrals to relevant professionals, and work closely with them to ensure targeted support is in place. Leaders ensure that staff are suitably trained to support children with SEND, and this ensures that immediate support is put in place prior to referrals. Leaders regularly review the impact of support that children receive, and make adaptations to consistently improve children's outcomes.

Leaders carefully consider the individual needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds when purchasing resources. They work closely with parents to review children's changing circumstances and make adaptations where required. This helps to reduce any barriers or gaps in their learning. Children who may feel overwhelmed or need support to regulate their emotions can access quiet spaces. Staff are responsive and support children to return to play when they are ready.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a broad, ambitious curriculum that builds on children's knowledge and ignites their curiosity. Staff observe children regularly, and identify interests and gaps in learning to help them plan engaging learning goals across all areas of development. Babies are suitably challenged in their play. They develop fine-motor skills while completing puzzles and use large-physical apparatus. Older children are creative during small-parts play, and complete early addition and subtraction when setting the table for lunch. Staff teach toddlers about cause and effect during an engaging activity about volcanoes, where children show high levels of enthusiasm and excitement. Staff model language well, and open-ended questions are generally used effectively to extend children's understanding. However, this does not happen consistently for all children.

Children are typically developing their independence. Babies benefit from choosing activities of their interest, and older children select books and complete self-care tasks well. However, this is not yet consistent for all children. For example, during mealtimes, toddlers are not supported to make age-appropriate choices or complete independent tasks themselves. As a result, valuable opportunities for children to develop autonomy and manage everyday skills are sometimes missed.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are progressing well from their starting points across the nursery. They display high levels of confidence and communicate well. Children are motivated and curious in their play, and show genuine excitement during activities. They are keen to engage their peers in activities and take turns to lead during role play. They show pride in their achievements and confidently share their experiences. Children are able to recall their understanding, which shows that over time, knowledge has been embedded.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are making significant progress in their development. They develop knowledge and skills across all areas of learning. Children are developing confidence during routines and benefit from opportunities to be independent. They enjoy completing self-care and hygiene tasks, which supports them in their next steps of learning, including school. While children make continued progress across the curriculum, children do not consistently benefit from opportunities to develop their independence.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children's behaviour and attitudes to learning are consistently positive. Leaders have high expectations for children's behaviour and have clear oversight to ensure this is well embedded. Children benefit from clear and effective routines, and leaders and staff collaborate with children to define and instil expectations. This helps to give clear structure to the day, which is particularly beneficial to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children demonstrate kind and respectful behaviour, and genuine care towards each other. They use manners at appropriate times, and staff are excellent role models. Staff support children to recognise how others might feel and manage their own emotions. The environment is consistently calm, and staff deploy themselves highly effectively to support children with turn-taking and sharing. This helps to create a harmonious environment.

Relationships are positive and nurturing, and all children have secure bonds with staff. Children receive consistent praise and encouragement, which further motivates them and supports their self-esteem. Children show high levels of perseverance during play and have a can-do attitude towards their learning. Leaders promote children's regular attendance and, where needed, take action. For example, they work closely with local authority professionals to support children's circumstances and ensure that children access the curriculum.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children benefit from warm, caring relationships with staff who know them extremely well. Leaders and staff work closely with families when they join, to ensure that they settle in well and have a positive start to their nursery journey. Children are encouraged to share their emotions, and staff use a range of strategies to support them to express themselves. For example, this includes using books that reflect children and their circumstances. As a result, children show emotional security and are ready to learn.

Leaders ensure that children's health and wellbeing is typically promoted well by staff. Children complete hygiene tasks and discuss healthy foods when looking after produce they grow. Free access to outdoor rooftops and daily fresh air further promotes their overall wellbeing. However, opportunities to develop healthy habits are not yet fully embedded, particularly for younger children. For example, during mealtimes, some children would benefit from using an age-appropriate knife alongside a fork, instead of their hands. Furthermore, at mealtimes, younger children do not consistently benefit from independence or discussions about the healthy foods they eat. Consequently, opportunities for children to develop long-lasting healthy habits are not yet maximised.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the nursery's areas of development, and hold themselves and staff accountable for continuous improvement. Following a period of staffing changes, they are now implementing targeted collaborative support to a new and consistent team. This includes addressing identified areas, to increase independence and teaching consistency for all children.

Leaders are highly effective in utilising supervision meetings and observations of practice to identify staff training needs. They show genuine care for their team, including managing workloads and offering individual support to staff who are completing relevant qualifications. Staff consistently report on the fantastic wellbeing support and the impact of focused training they receive. Staff benefit from leaders who are present in rooms and model high-quality teaching. This supportive approach encourages staff motivation and excellent team morale.

Leaders ensure the nursery is at the heart of the local community and embrace the unique community hub environment. They have established excellent links with local authority professionals and utilise their advice and knowledge. Parent partnerships are extremely supportive, and leaders welcome feedback from parents using a suggestion box. They consistently express positive feedback about their children's experiences, in particular the excellent settling-in process.

Leaders show a continued passion to offer an inclusive environment. They ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the best possible experience through early targeted intervention and staff's continuous professional development. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds equally benefit from thoughtful spending of additional funding. This is reviewed regularly and is responsive to their changing circumstances.