Eastwood Community Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a generally positive and inclusive environment, where children feel welcomed and supported. Leaders and staff work together to create a space where every chid is recognised as an individual. Through regular observations, ongoing assessments and open communication with parents and carers and external professionals, staff are able to identify children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders make sure that key information is shared clearly and consistently. Daily conversations, well-maintained records and clear guidance help staff understand each child's next steps and the plans that support them, ensuring continuity in care and learning.

Leaders and staff take steps to remove barriers that may hinder children's progress. Targeted interventions, such as one-to-one support give children opportunities to build essential skills. Leaders use additional funding appropriately, selecting resources and experiences that reflect children's interests and encourage engagement. For example, additional resources to support children's emotional development are used effectively to help children regulate their emotions.

Leaders monitor children's progress and review the impact of support. Regular meetings with parents, key persons and external professionals are beginning to help ensure that plans remain relevant. Staff access training that reflects the needs of the children. This enables them to support children with emerging or identified needs. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language and communicate positively with parents, so families feel included, respected and valued within the setting. Leaders support children and families who have previously been known to children's social care and work with them to help maintain children's wellbeing and engagement.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The curriculum is not implemented consistently enough to secure expected learning. Staff do not use what they know about children's prior learning to shape activities or ensure that teaching builds sequentially over time. Learning intentions are often overly general and not aligned with children's next steps. This limits the purpose and impact of activities. At times, interactions are reactive rather than purposeful. As a result, some children lose focus and do not make the progress they are capable of.

Leaders design a curriculum that broadly reflects the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. Staff provide opportunities for children to explore sensory materials, construction, role play and creative activities. For example, younger children explore colour and texture through activities such as vegetable printing and sensory play. Staff support children's communication and language through everyday interactions. They model vocabulary during routines, such as naming items in children's lunchboxes and joining children in songs and conversations. Staff also introduce mathematical language during activities, using words, such as long, short, heavy and light during play-dough experiences, which helps children begin to develop an early understanding of measure.

Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their physical skills both indoors and outdoors. Children access the outdoor area regularly where they ride bikes and trikes, use balance equipment and explore the mud and sand kitchen. These experiences help children develop coordination, balance and confidence in their physical abilities. Indoors, activities such as puzzles, mark making and play dough support children's fine motor development. Overall, staff provide learning experiences that support children's communication, early mathematical understanding and physical development. However, inconsistencies in teaching, assessment and leadership oversight mean that staff do not consistently maximise learning for all children.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children make some progress, however, overall achievement is inconsistent because the curriculum and teaching, is not yet embedded securely. While many children demonstrate emerging skills across the prime areas of development, staff do not consistently use assessment to plan precise next steps, which limits how well children can build on what they already know. As a result, some children do not make sustained progress in their development.

Despite this, many children develop communication and language through everyday conversations and interactions during role play and shared routines. They listen attentively during activities and begin to use new vocabulary as they begin to interact with others. Children also demonstrate positive attitudes to learning when activities capture their interest. For example, they explore what happens when water is added to sand, demonstrating curiosity, persistence and early problem-solving skills. Children also develop independence in daily routines, such as accessing their own water and playing alongside others.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children behave well and show a clear awareness of the expectations within the setting. Staff model respectful interactions and use calm, consistent cues to support children's understanding of boundaries. This helps to create a settled environment where most children remain engaged in their play and learning. Leaders and staff notice when children need emotional support and respond with reassurance and guidance. All children benefit from warm, nurturing relationships that help them feel secure and ready to explore.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning. They show curiosity, make choices confidently and sustain interest in activities with support from staff. Leaders continue to review how the curriculum promotes children's emotional development and supports younger children to express their feelings appropriately. For example, children use different-coloured resources to identify and communicate their emotions. Staff model language linked to feelings and guide children to choose strategies to help them feel calm and regulate their emotions.

Daily routines are understood by most children. Staff teach them how to care for their environment, including tidying resources and managing simple tasks independently. Children, including those who experience barriers to learning, develop an age-appropriate awareness of how their actions affect others. Positive strategies, consistent expectations and secure partnerships with families support children's emotional wellbeing. Staff work with families to promote regular attendance. As a result, children are settled cooperative and ready to learn.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff demonstrate a clear focus on children's wellbeing. They know each child well and can confidently describe their personalities, interests and any emerging barriers to learning. This understanding enables them to plan an environment that generally meets children's needs. Staff provide sensory experiences and calm spaces where children can rest or regulate their emotions. This helps children to feel settled and ready to engage. Children form secure relationships with their key persons and seek comfort when they need reassurance. Consistent praise helps children develop confidence as they explore.

Children who experience barriers to their learning or wellbeing receive targeted support. As a result, children, including those who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those known (or previously known) to children's social care, receive the care and support they need to participate fully in the setting. Leaders maintain effective and purposeful partnerships with parents, ensuring they are well informed and actively involved in promoting their children's health and wellbeing. For example, recently leaders delivered healthy eating sessions, inviting parents into the setting to learn about nutritious choices and how they support children's development. This collaborative approach strengthens consistency between home and the setting, supporting children to develop positive attitudes towards healthy routines.

Children play alongside one another and with positive attitudes. They invite others into their play and enjoy shared experiences. Daily outdoor play supports children's physical development. Staff help children to begin to recognise risk and make safe choices. Hygiene routines are well established and tailored to individual needs. Children wash their hands at appropriate times, and toilet training is personalised through close partnerships with parents. Staff promote healthy eating and oral hygiene through regular opportunities that help children to begin to understand how to keep themselves healthy.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leadership oversight is not yet securing consistently high-quality practice or ensuring that children benefit from well-planned, individualised learning opportunities. The quality of teaching at the pre-school is inconsistent due to variations in staff practice. Leaders have established systems for monitoring staff practice, including regular observations, peer-to-peer reviews and 6-weekly supervision discussions. While these procedures create opportunities for professional discussion, leaders have not ensured that staff consistently use what they know about children's prior learning and next steps to inform activity planning. Learning intentions are often overly general and not aligned with children's individual needs. This reduces the purpose and impact of activities. Despite this, staff report feeling supported through regular supervision, and team meetings help to promote a positive working environment.

Parents describe secure partnerships with leaders and staff, valuing regular written updates and daily conversations. Staff share detailed information about each child's learning needs and offer guidance on how learning can be supported at home. Leaders and staff also provide useful information about the local community and signpost families to additional support when needed.

Leaders have begun to review aspects of practice and consider changes to improve the quality of provision. For example, they have introduced changes to the arrival routine and have reflected on behaviour expectations within the setting. As a result, these new approaches have started to improve children's experiences and outcomes.