East Cliff Pre-School Bournemouth

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are committed to providing a fully inclusive environment. Highly effective partnerships are in place with parents and carers and external professionals. This, combined with rigorous assessments and monitoring of children as they develop, enables staff to quickly identify any gaps in their development. They put immediate interventions in place to overcome any barriers children have to their learning to help them achieve extremely well. Leaders ensure that staff have the training and skills to meet every child's needs, and they monitor the use of funding to ensure this has the most impact on children's learning. For example, staff and parents agree to use funding to provide specifically tailored outdoor play equipment to fully meet all disadvantaged children's individual needs.

Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged or have barriers to their learning is highly effective. Leaders and staff know the children very well and use successful strategies consistently to nurture their wellbeing and learning. They skilfully calm children when they become upset, support them in joining group times and help them manage transitions throughout the day. Staff ensure the activities they provide support every child's needs. Those learning English as an additional language benefit from the use of signs, items of reference and small-group sessions. This supports the focus on their communication and language skills. Children who are disadvantaged benefit from a wealth of activities to enrich their development and life experiences.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff plan and deliver a broad and exciting curriculum that meets the needs of all those attending. Leaders work closely with staff to observe their practice and provide guidance for making improvements, such as training to support children's listening skills further. Staff assess and support children's learning effectively and are all clear about what they intend children to learn from the activities. This includes targeted activities to help reduce any barriers to children's learning. For example, those with delays in their communication and language development benefit from focused sessions to build on their development. Staff organise music and movement activities to help children release energy and then settle down to focus in their welcome and stories sessions. This helps the youngest children and those with additional needs to sit and engage well with key-person support.

Staff interact with enthusiasm, engaging and motivating children to join in and learn. They sequence children's learning well. Staff increase the complexity of new words, provide different tools to develop children's large- and small-muscle development and coordination and introduce phonics sessions in readiness for school. Staff thread mathematical teaching throughout the activities and daily routines, supporting children to learn about numbers, shape, size and position. However, at times, staff do not build further on children's learning when they find the mathematical challenges easy.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those who face other barriers to learning and wellbeing, typically make appropriate progress from their starting points. Children learn about nature through planting and growing projects, for example. They find out about their community as they go on bus trips. They meet people who help to keep us safe, such as the police, and develop their understanding of the world. Children develop a love of stories. They choose books to read, cuddle up and enjoy getting involved. Children gain valuable skills to prepare them for school and for their future learning. They demonstrate independence, self-confidence and social skills and are interested and motivated learners. Children enjoy opportunities to join in with discussions, think and use the new words they learn. Those with barriers to their learning benefit from one-to-one support to ensure they are consistently included in every learning opportunity. Typically, children progress well in their mathematical development, although staff do not consistently build further on some children's development.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff have high expectations of every child's behaviour, which they manage consistently according to each child's individual needs. Children develop extremely positive attitudes towards learning and each other. They copy staff's kind and respectful role modelling. Older children take responsibility, share and resolve issues amicably, such as using sand timers to manage taking turns fairly. Even the youngest children show empathy to others when they see them upset, such as bringing their favourite toys. Close and skilled staff interaction ensures that children, regardless of any barriers to their learning, learn to listen respectfully when others are talking.

Staff use highly effective strategies to support children in understanding and managing their emotions. Due to the depth of knowledge staff have about each child, they quickly recognise when a child is struggling to manage their feelings and provide the nurturing support to help them feel safe and secure. All children, including those with barriers to their learning, benefit from impactful teaching to ensure they manage changes in their daily routine. They are familiar with the 'stop, look and listen' warning system that staff use to prepare children for transitions and to allow time for them to finish their activities. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to ensure prompt and regular attendance to support the best outcomes for children.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are a priority. Leaders and staff maintain extremely successful working partnerships with parents and carers and external professionals. This ensures they know about any changes to children's needs and circumstances to keep them safe and secure. Children develop very close and trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. Children invite staff into their play, share cuddles and go to them for reassurance and help.

Staff nurture children's healthy lifestyles. From a young age, children learn how to follow healthy personal hygiene routines consistently, such as how to use the nose-blowing stations and wash their hands afterwards. Staff provide daily toothbrushing sessions to teach children the importance of dental care and effective techniques. Children bring extremely healthy and nutritious lunches to the setting, which they enjoy during sociable mealtimes. Staff use personalised interventions that are agreed with parents to help every child join in at mealtimes. Staff provide valuable guidance for healthy meal options at home.

Staff follow thorough procedures to maintain clean, safe and fully inclusive environments. They consistently include adaptations to ensure that children's individual needs are met to include them fully. Staff consistently help children to develop a very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in ways particularly relevant to the local community and their lives. For example, children regularly meet the local police to learn about keeping safe and how they help in the community, and staff provide safe spaces for children struggling to manage their emotions to play actively but safely.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have appropriate understanding of the setting's strengths, priorities for improvement and the quality of staff interactions. This includes how children with barriers to their learning are included and progressing. They understand the needs of the local community and the families they serve and work closely with them to help children get off to a flying start in life. They strive to make continuous improvements that will directly impact on children's development and wellbeing. Parents and carers share extremely positive feedback regarding the care their children receive. They value how well staff know their children and help them to thrive. They feel involved and supported in promoting their children's learning and development further. Leaders support staff to enhance their knowledge and skills further. For example, additional coaching has enabled staff to create an environment where children listen and engage well at appropriate times. This has had a particularly successful impact on children's communication and language development. Leaders have a clear vision for continually improving the high quality of care and education they provide, such as developing staff interactions to enhance children's mathematical learning further. They work in collaboration with staff and parents and actively draw on local professionals for advice and their skills. Staff wellbeing is a priority to ensure they are supported personally and professionally to create a harmonious team.