Fennies Addiscombe Road

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff know children well and create an environment where all children can access and enjoy activities. They use observations, assessments and discussions with parents and carers to identify children's individual needs. This enables staff to plan and implement effective strategies to support all children's development. Generally, staff adapt teaching so that every child can engage and learn. As a result, children make steady progress from their starting points.

Leaders and staff understand the importance of referring children to outside professionals for further assessment and support. They signpost families to relevant services. Leaders adapt communication methods to suit different families, including parents who speak limited English, ensuring that everyone can contribute to their children's learning.

Leaders understand how to use funding to support all children. They explain how this may include purchasing resources to meet their individual needs or accessing training to increase staff knowledge and offer tailored support. Children enjoy outings in their community and visit the local care home. They access books that represent different families and are encouraged to appreciate the importance of love and kindness in all their forms. This supports their understanding and respect for others.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a curriculum based around all areas of learning. Staff know children well and use observations and assessments to identify gaps and next steps in their learning. Overall, staff adapt their interactions with children to meet their needs. Where children have barriers to learning, staff make changes to ensure that they take part in the activities and make progress. For example, they use visual cues, such as pictures cards and 'Now and Next' boards. However, at times, teaching does not consistently support younger children to join in and to deepen their learning.

Staff support children's communication through conversations and introducing new vocabulary during play. For example, they prompt children to recall and express their ideas while conversing about movies. Staff introduce words as 'sludgy' when children are playing with wet sand. In addition, children enjoy singing songs and listening to stories.

Staff weave mathematical understanding into everyday activities. Children are encouraged to recognise numbers during play, solve simple problems and compare the sizes of the constructions they made. For example, children remove toys from a net and observe how many are left. These experiences support children to develop reasoning skills and learn early mathematical concepts.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing other barriers to learning, typically make progress across all areas of learning. Children show increasing independence. For example, they make choices in their play and take on small responsibilities, such as tidying up books after storytelling times. Children feel proud of their efforts and achievements and build their self-esteem. They communicate confidently and ask for help and support from staff when needed. Children take part in regular group activities where they sing songs and develop their recall skills. However, interactions with babies and younger children do not consistently help them to extend and build on their existing skills. Children enjoy fresh air and develop their physical skills. They test and improve their gross motor skills in the setting's garden and strengthen their fine motor skills in a variety of ways. For example, they tear paper apart, model clay and use scissors during art and crafts activities. Children build early mathematical awareness through play. For example, they are eager to demonstrate their counting skills, confidently counting down to make their rockets blast off.

Overall, children are suitably prepared for their next stage in learning, including their move on to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children behave well and respond to the clear expectations set by staff. Reminders such as 'indoor voices' help children understand boundaries. Children follow the setting's rules and generally play well together. They help tidy up after they have finished playing and share laughs during their games. Staff help children to manage their feelings and behaviour. If any unwanted behaviour unfolds, staff swiftly intervene and talk to them about how their actions can affect their friends, and they encourage them to be kind. Children learn to use good manners and be considerate. For example, staff remind them to say thank you when a friend does something to help them.

Overall, children show positive attitudes to learning. They independently choose what they want to play with and engage in a variety of learning opportunities. Children learn to play cooperatively. However, at times, the lack of interactions from staff can hinder their motivation towards learning. Children understand and follow routines that are embedded into daily practice. For example, they wash their hands after playing at the messy tray.

Leaders encourage regular attendance and follow up absences promptly. This supports children to gain good habits for the future.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children form secure attachments with the adults who care for them. Babies stretch their arms towards familiar adults for reassurance. Older children share their thoughts and ideas with staff. As a result, children feel safe and secure.

Staff encourage children to recognise and express their emotions through discussions and activities that explore feelings. For example, they read 'The Colour Monster' story and observe their facial expressions in mirrors.

Staff generally promote children's understanding of healthy habits. Children wash their hands before enjoying nutritious, homemade meals, with parents informed of weekly menus that reflect dietary needs. Staff help children to identify foods that are good for them, such as greens. This helps them to gain an understanding of how to make healthy choices. In addition, children have daily opportunities for exercise and energetic play. They enjoy playing outdoors, where they can strengthen their motor skills, including their small muscles, when refilling containers at the water tray. However, self-care practices are not always consistently promoted across the setting. For example, older children are regularly reminded to use the nose-wiping station independently, while younger children do not always receive the same level of support. As a result, opportunities to promote younger children's understanding of self-care routines are sometimes missed.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders understand the setting's context, strengths and areas for development. They are reflective and make changes to improve children's outcomes further. For example, leaders reorganised the layout of some rooms to minimise disruptions and enhance children's concentration while playing.

Leaders know families well and understand their children's individual needs. They help families to access the support their children need and work closely with other professionals when appropriate. For example, they make sure parents can access interpreters' services when applying for future schools or seeking external support. This helps them to understand processes and to make informed decisions in the best interests of their children. Parents and carers are complimentary about the setting. They are happy with the progress their children make and feel that they are prepared for their future learning. Parents are aware of the key-person system and know their children's next steps. This demonstrates that communication between the setting and parents is effective.

Leaders regularly supervise staff and support them to access additional training. However, the professional development of staff is not consistently sharply focused on their individual learning needs. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in staff practice. Staff feel well supported and valued, and they report they enjoy working at the setting.