Dream Catchers Day Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff identify children who may require additional support. This is done through detailed and precise observations and assessments. Staff speak with parents and carers to help identify if there are any differences in the child between home and nursery. Leaders have a clear oversight of the children within the nursery and the wide variety of families who attend.

Leaders put in place clear plans to support individual children. They guide and mentor staff to ensure this support is effective and consistently impactful. Staff complete regular reports for parents to ensure they are kept informed of their child's development. Staff go above and beyond to ensure these are fully understood by parents. For example, they translate reports for families who do not speak English.

Those with oversight of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are highly knowledgeable. They attend regular and relevant training to ensure their knowledge remains up to date. They attend specialist training to support children who may face specific barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. The nursery works closely with external professionals such as social workers and speech and language therapists. This ensures children are accessing specialist support when necessary.

Leaders ensure the effective use of additional funding. For example, they use the early years pupil premium and other funding effectively. They have used some of the funding to support children's emotional wellbeing. For instance, providing all staff with lanyards with images to further support children's understanding of emotions.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is typically inclusive for all children. The curriculum builds on what staff and leaders hope children will learn as they progress through the nursery. Staff have identified key steps as a guide for children to accomplish before moving to the next room. This takes into consideration any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. There is a focus on supporting children's communication and language. Within the younger rooms, staff sing a range of songs. Children join in with this enthusiastically. These further build on children's language skills. Children learn these nursery rhymes and the actions and request their favourites. Activities within the nursery are planned to support children's next steps as well as their interests. For example, an activity is set up for to support children to explore a range of textures. Teaching of mathematics is effective throughout the nursery. Children are provided with a range of opportunities within their play to develop these skills, such as counting. Some activities are provided by external visitors such as Spanish teachers and football coaches. These are typically inclusive to ensure all children are able to take part. Children's physical development is supported well. For example, staff in the baby room ensure children have ample opportunities to develop these skills through cruising furniture and jumping on a small trampoline.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make consistently steady progress in their learning. They are very well prepared for their next stages of learning, such as school. They develop vital self-care and independence skills. For example, children confidently find their own cups and help themselves to drinks when they feel thirsty.

Children are developing skills in focusing their attention on specific tasks. For example, they become focused on practising their mark-making skills. They practise using pens and clipboards as they confidently make marks on paper.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to their learning make particularly rapid progress in relation to their starting points. This includes children who are at risk of falling behind their peers. For example, children who started the nursery with limited speech, now have range of words within their vocabulary.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They consistently model a range of positive behaviours. For example, they model language such as, 'Please' and 'thank you'. They teach children how to be kind to one another and are excellent role models for this. Children become highly engaged in range of activities across each of the rooms. Leaders promote to parents the value of regular attendance at nursery.

There are well-established and inclusive routines that are understood by children. Parents comment on how well their children know the routines and sometimes like to follow similar routines at home. Routines take into consideration children's individual support needs. Staff are mindful of the children who may struggle with the routines and guide them in a way that is appropriate to them. For example, at mealtimes, some children need regular breaks away from the table. Staff facilitate this while still ensuring they remain included within the meal.

There is a highly effective key-person system in place. This includes ensuring all children have a secondary key person. As a result, children are happy and settled and form positive bonds with caring and attentive staff. Staff teach children how to understands a range of emotions. For example, they use photos and discuss how children in the photos might be feeling. They label emotions such as tired and excited. This helps children to understand a wide range of feelings and emotions.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders have established a range of policies and procedures that ensures children's welfare and wellbeing is consistently prioritised. They regularly review these to ensure they remain effective. Attentive staff work with parents to ensure they are kept informed of changes to children's routines, particularly during times of transition. For example, for those children who are transitioning between one and two naps. Staff get to know children well and how to support them individually. They know which children who may require more support when going to sleep such as those who like their back patting to fall asleep.

Children are regularly supported to tend to their own personal care needs. For example, there are dedicated stations for children to help themselves to tissues. They are taught about positive hygiene practices that are modelled by staff, such as washing their hands prior to meals.

Children, especially disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care are particularly well supported. They have formed positive relationships with their key person. Staff access additional training to help them to learn about potential barriers to children's wellbeing. This ensures these children and their families are particularly well supported.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are extremely passionate and continuously reflect on their practice and provision. They have a clear action plan in place to identify areas they still wish to develop. For example, they have a development plan in place to further improve the baby garden. The nominated individual has a clear oversight of the setting and ensures they put in place effective support for leaders. They are supportive of their wellbeing and workload.

Staff express high levels of wellbeing. They feel well supported by leaders and receive a range of opportunities to further develop their knowledge. This includes additional training and feedback on their practice. Apprentices within the setting feel well supported by leaders. Key staff receive regular supervisions that enable them to discuss any areas of concern. These are not yet extended to include support staff and those who do not permanently work within the rooms. Some training that staff attend has a significant impact on the development and wellbeing of children. However, some training, especially that is completed online, is not consistently understood across the staff team. Leaders have not yet put in place strategies to ensure this training is fully understood.

Leaders proactively engage with parents, who provide overwhelmingly positive feedback about the nursery. The nursery makes available a range of home learning resources. This enables parents to continue children's learning at home if they wish. A wide range of books are available for families to borrow. Staff also make available a range of guidance for parents such as advice on potty training and oral hygiene.