Early Start Private Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff foster an inclusive environment where all children are welcomed. Staff identify children's individual needs. They adapt activities to ensure participation across age groups. Babies and toddlers benefit from personalised routines and sensory experiences. Staff support older children to engage fully in group activities and extend their social skills and confidence.

Leaders ensure that children who need additional support receive targeted help. They make adjustments to the environment and activities to reduce barriers to children's learning. Staff receive guidance on meeting children's needs, but some are still developing confidence in applying these strategies consistently. Typically, staff understand and implement appropriate strategies to ensure that all children are able to make relevant progress.

Leaders and staff monitor children's progress to assess the impact of interventions and adapt support, accordingly, including using funding when needed. Leaders have not consistently strengthened opportunities to strengthen self-reflection and staff's practice to further enhance the consistency and impact of inclusion.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is designed to be broad and engaging, reflecting children's interests and developmental stages. Babies explore sensory resources and movement. Toddlers participate in role-play and problem-solving activities. Older children experience structured learning that builds knowledge and skills. Children are well prepared for their future learning.

Staff plan purposeful activities, supporting children's communication, physical development and social skills. They promote children's language through songs and storytelling. For example, babies and toddlers enjoy singing using puppets and musical instruments to bring their play to life. Older children confidently recall a familiar story, talking about the 'Big Bad Wolf'.

Staff provide an array of activities to support children's early numeracy. Younger children eagerly count out the number of scoops needed to fill pots with sand and water. Older children are encouraged to estimate the size, shape and proportion of different vehicles. Staff know children well and typically adapt teaching to meet different starting points and enhance children's skills further.

Some staff are less confident in consistently implementing the curriculum to leaders' expectations across all age groups. Leaders recognise the need to review and strengthen guidance for teaching and self-reflection. However, current systems are not yet embedded, which results in variation in how confidently staff deliver the intended curriculum for all ages of children.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make expected progress from their starting points. Babies explore and respond to sensory activities, and toddlers develop early communication and problem-solving skills. For example, as they experiment with sand and water, they show extending skills in counting and demonstrate their understanding of concepts, such as full and empty. Older children show curiosity and independence in learning. Children engage in activities that build confidence and skills, such as imaginative play, construction and early mark making. They benefit from staff's encouragement and guidance. This generally supports children to consolidate their learning. While children's progress is secure, variation in staff's practice results in some opportunities where children do not extend their learning. This means that children's achievements are not consistent across all age groups.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have ensured a culture that promotes high expectations, where children understand the value of effort and respect for others. Children demonstrate exemplary behaviour and positive attitudes across the nursery. Babies and toddlers show they are starting to regulate their feelings through consistent familiar and personal routines that make them feel safe and secure. Older children play cooperatively and share resources with little support from staff. Staff reinforce their expectations consistently. They support children to understand boundaries and develop confidence in social interactions. Children have impeccable manners.

Children develop strong relationships with staff. They show curiosity and engagement in their learning, asking questions and exploring independently. They persevere with tasks appropriate to their age and stage, demonstrating resilience and enjoyment. For example, older children collaborate on their ideas to bring their creations to life as they build with blocks, achieving an overall goal as a team. Staff implement strict attendance policies and procedures to ensure children are safe and that their health and wellbeing are protected.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children form trusting relationships with staff and feel comfortable seeking support when they need it. Staff notice and respond to children's needs, adapting routines and interactions sensitively. For example, they make baby formula feeds as required. Staff feed babies in a way that they prefer and in line with parents' wishes. They help older children where needed to attend to their own personal hygiene needs and occasionally allow children to have a go themselves, for example, zipping up their own coats. This supports children's developing self-confidence and self-esteem. However, some staff are less confident in new approaches, which means occasional missed opportunities to strengthen children's independence and self-help skills. Leaders are beginning to focus on improving consistency so that all children benefit equally.

Across the setting, children engage in play that promotes cooperation, turn-taking and early friendships. Older children show an emerging awareness of how to negotiate and solve problems together, with staff on hand to guide discussions when needed. For example, staff correctly model toothbrushing, ensuring this enables children to get it right in the future and support their continued good health. Children have access to water throughout the day and enjoy freshly prepared and home-cooked meals. Staff share useful information with parents and carers to encourage and instil healthy lifestyles at home.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations and a positive vision for the nursery. They use performance management meetings and observations of staff to maintain expected standards, and ensure staff's well-being and workload are prioritised. However, some areas of practice remain inconsistent across the large team. While leaders identify some useful areas of improvement, such as classroom layouts and resources, self-reflection does not yet fully evaluate the long-term impact of changes to children's learning and wellbeing across all nursery rooms. Governance arrangements provide oversight, but right now leaders are not using their evaluations of the nursery well enough to further support the overall effectiveness and make sustained improvements that benefit children the most.

Leaders support staff through training, coaching and mentoring. They have introduced structured monitoring to track the outcomes for all children, including children who face barriers to their learning. This ensures children are well prepared for any transitions they face. Leaders closely monitor the implementation of policies, procedures and risk assessment. This ensures the safe and effective running of the nursery. Leaders assess the impact of any interventions in place for children. This helps them to respond to children's changing needs promptly.

Leaders work diligently to ensure the nursery reflects the needs of its community. Leaders offer valuable support for families right from the outset of placement. Parents and carers report they feel supported and included in nursery life. Parents also value the information shared with them through the online app and in person from their child's key person. Leaders understand that strengthening monitoring and widening self-reflection will support them to make further valuable adaptations that in time will enhance outcomes for children and their families even further.