Future Flyers Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and practitioners promote inclusion. Children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with additional barriers to learning, are identified in a timely manner. Early baseline assessments and observations are conducted. For example, leaders and staff use specialist assessment tools to identify children's areas of strength and where they require further support. Practitioners work collaboratively with external professionals, such as speech and language therapists and paediatricians. Multi-agency working is further enhanced through leaders' willingness to attend meetings to ensure all information is shared. This means that suitable support is in place. Leaders and staff value information provided from parents and carers. This information contributes to the implementation of tailored support through individual target support plans. Plans are reviewed regularly and amended when necessary to suit the progress rate of each child.

Staff have received tailored support through coaching and mentoring from leaders. This helps staff to ensure they are suitably equipped to adapt learning and opportunities to meet children's individual needs. Leaders use funding appropriately to provide resources, such as specialist scissors, which improve access to learning. In addition, funding is planned to be used to further develop staff's knowledge. For example, Makaton and communication-focused training has been identified and scheduled. This will help staff to strengthen the support they provide.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Although leaders have identified the need to develop and embed their new, inclusive curriculum, it is not yet having the desired impact on children's learning and development. Staff do not typically provide activities that stimulate children's engagement, and this can sometimes have a negative impact on children's behaviour. Purposeful planning is not yet embedded, and there are still some differences in the quality of learning across the setting. This inconsistency means that staff are not typically providing high-quality interactions with all children, nor do they consistently assess what the children know and can do. As a result, there is not enough of a focus on providing opportunities for children to meet their next steps. This also means that some children are not sufficiently challenged or supported to deepen their learning and develop their knowledge and skills.

Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn, know and achieve. There is a positive focus on the prime areas, particularly promoting children's physical development. For example, babies develop their core muscles as they are encouraged to sit upright independently. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Younger children strengthen the small muscles in their hands as they squeeze, push and roll play dough. This helps to support future skills, such as mark making and using tools. Older children build their balance, coordination and core strength as they walk along the balancing beam. As a result, children gain confidence in their physical abilities.

Staff make adaptations for children who speak English as an additional language. For example, they learn key words and phrases in children's home language to ensure effective two-way communication. Communication and language are also promoted throughout the setting. Babies are encouraged to babble, while younger children are exposed to simple repeated words.

Achievement: Needs attention

The lack of an engaging curriculum limits children's learning and development, although they do make some progress. Although there is a focus on the prime areas, children do not always fully engage in their play across all areas of learning. This is due to lack of focused planning for children's interests around their next steps. This lack of engagement means children do not remain focused on activities for long enough to benefit from high-quality interactions and learning opportunities. This results in children not making progress as swiftly as they could across the areas of learning.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those with additional barriers to learning, make some progress in developing age- and stage-appropriate independence skills. Children learn how to feed themselves, pour drinks and share out plates as they engage in the setting's daily routines. Children's language and communication skills are developed during singing and through conversations with staff. For example, babies and younger children listen and join in with nursery rhymes. Older children enjoy conversations with staff about their lives outside nursery as they play. This enables children to develop the essential age- and stage-appropriate knowledge and skills for their future success and to progress to the next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders have not yet embedded the curriculum, which means that planned activities do not yet consistently reflect children's interests and developmental needs. As a result, children are not sufficiently engaged or motivated by the learning experiences. This contributes to instances of negative behaviour. This impacts poorly on children's attitudes to learning.

Routines are in place and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those with additional needs, demonstrate an understanding to wash their hands before mealtimes. However, children seem unsure during transitions about what there is for them to do next in their learning environment. This means that some children do not purposefully approach their learning and can appear to have no clear aim to their play. Settling-in arrangements are flexible and take account of the needs of all children and their parents and carers. Staff regularly contact parents through the early settling-in stages to reassure and provide support where needed. This has helped to build positive relationships and trust with parents. Leaders promote regular attendance, with absences followed up on routinely. They work in partnership with families by taking time to explain the value of nursery and how regular attendance supports children's school readiness. Staff are kind and nurturing and have positive relationships with all children who attend.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff ensure a nurturing environment that supports children to build positive relationships and form secure attachments with the adults caring for them. For example, all children have built warm relationships with their key workers as well as room staff. This means that all staff know children well, especially their key children. Staff gather detailed information about all children from parents and carers prior to starting at the setting. This enables staff to understand and respond effectively to children's individual needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with additional needs. By following familiar routines from home, such as babies' sleep patterns, staff help children to settle well and develop a sense of security and belonging.

Children enjoy healthy snacks and meals. Staff typically use mealtimes to promote social skills. For example, children are encouraged to talk about their lives and families as they enjoy their meals. Staff genuinely enjoy these interactions and respond with follow-up questions. Staff also use mealtimes to share knowledge of how to keep healthy. For example, they talk about how to make sure children eat their lunch and make them big and strong. Children benefit from access to fresh air outdoors. They develop their gross motor skills as they use the strength in their legs to push the pedals round on their trikes.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders are passionate about their role and committed to supporting children and families. They have taken steps to address actions from their previous visit. However, these changes have not yet had a consistent impact across the setting, and leaders recognise that further improvement is needed. The curriculum is not yet fully embedded. Planning does not consistently reflect children's interests, needs and stages of development. This means that some activities do not engage and motivate children effectively. Consequently, some children display negative behaviours and do not consistently demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning. In addition, children do not always have opportunities that support their next steps in development. Leaders do not consistently ensure that staff provide high-quality interactions that extend children's learning, which limits children's progress and achievement. While leaders have focused on addressing previous actions, less attention has been given to embedding the curriculum and planning approach. Leaders are aware of these weaknesses and have begun taking steps to develop an ambitious curriculum; however, these are yet to be embedded.

Staff report that they are happy in their roles and feel well supported by leaders. They speak positively about the support provided for their wellbeing and workload and appreciate equal opportunities for professional development. Leaders have also prioritised effective partnerships with parents and carers. Parents speak positively about the setting and the progress their children make. They appreciate the regular communication they receive through daily conversations and the nursery app.