Good Shepherd Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

There are currently no children attending who are disadvantaged, known to children's social care or with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, leaders know how to identify these groups of children. For instance, they work effectively with parents to find out about children's starting points, individual circumstances and backgrounds. Leaders and staff make accurate assessments of children's progress and know how to use these to recognise any gaps in their development. They understand the importance of working in partnerships with parents and other professionals to seek any additional support for children who may need it to ensure their needs are met.

Overall, staff are inclusive in the way they plan for and teach all children. For instance, they successfully support children who speak English as an additional language. They focus well on supporting these children's development of key vocabulary, and model language effectively to help them develop their understanding and use of the English language. However, at times, staff do not always skilfully adapt their teaching, particularly for older children, to help make a sustained difference to their learning opportunities and experiences.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear curriculum intent. Staff know what the children attending need to learn next and the order to teach it in. Overall, leaders identify areas of the curriculum that may need development and take action to help improve its delivery, such as providing staff with relevant training. However, staff do not consistently support children to be independent during all routines to help them master simple day-to-day tasks for themselves.

Staff plan activities generally well to support all children's learning across all areas. For instance, they plan frequent opportunities for children to develop positive relationships with their peers, such as during hide and seek games. They support children to take turns and play cooperatively with others, while supporting their ability to recite numbers to 10. Staff support children to move their bodies in different ways, such as when dancing to songs. They also successfully support children to develop their hand muscles, such as during playing with dough and painting activities. Staff read books to children and model language well to help children to learn new words. They give children opportunities to use language, such as encouraging them to express how they feel and to talk about what they did at the weekend. At times, staff do not use their interactions skilfully enough, particularly with older children, to enhance opportunities for children to develop their conversational skills further and to extend their learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, all children are developing the key skills they need for their future learning, including those with any barriers to their learning, such as children who speak English as an additional language. For instance, they develop their vocabulary well and speak using clear sentences in their play. They use tools with control to achieve an outcome, such as learning how to use a juicer to make orange juice and how to use a rolling pin to flatten play dough. Children learn to recite and recognise numbers correctly and learn how to hold mark-making tools in readiness for school. They have some opportunities to practise their independence so they learn to do things for themselves. For instance, the youngest children are encouraged to feed themselves during mealtimes. Older children are encouraged to tidy up after mealtimes, such as by helping to stack chairs.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and attendance. They work with parents effectively to address any non-attendance of children at the nursery to help provide children with consistency in their learning and experiences. Children behave well. Staff successfully embed daily routines for children to follow. Children show they understand what is expected of them throughout the day, know what to expect next and know how to behave. Overall, children focus well on their learning and have positive attitudes. At times, staff do not successfully adapt their interactions to enhance older children's overall engagement and attitudes to learning even further.

Staff are positive role models for children to learn from. They speak respectfully and kindly to children and each other to show children how to treat others. Children form positive friendships and play kindly with each other. They learn the rules of games and how to join in and play alongside others. Staff regularly express to children when they have done something positive to encourage them to behave well and to support their self-esteem levels.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Urgent improvement

Leaders do not prioritise the implementation of procedures and practices that promote children's welfare. They fail to ensure that there is always a member of staff on site who is fully trained to deal with any first-aid emergencies that may arise, such as a child choking. This does not assure children's welfare.

Staff and leaders follow suitable hygiene practices. For instance, they encourage children to wash their hands before and after eating. Staff also clean areas where children eat before mealtimes. However, children are not encouraged to be independent throughout all daily routines. Staff help children learn about healthy lifestyles, such as teaching them what foods are healthy. Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors and be physically active. Staff teach children to understand and talk about how they feel to help support their emotional development. Children learn to recognise and label emotions to express themselves and understand how others feel. All children form secure attachments with their key person. Staff support their key children appropriately to ensure children's emotional needs are met.

Leadership and governance: Urgent improvement

Leaders have failed to comply with early years requirements. They have not acted on advice given from other professionals, such as the local authority, to tackle areas that have been identified for improvement. For instance, they have not addressed issues highlighted in relation to staff deployment to ensure there is always someone working with children who is fully qualified to give first-aid treatment in an emergency.

Leaders have made recent improvements to some aspects of practice at the setting. For instance, they have improved sleeping arrangements for children and implemented more consistent hygiene practices at mealtimes. They have developed risk assessment procedures to ensure that any risk to children is identified and removed. Leaders also ensure that the premises are secure and that staff record any accident or injury that occurs at the setting.

Leaders ensure that staff are suitable for their role, completing vetting procedures on all staff to check this. They provide staff with appropriate inductions to ensure they know what is expected of them, such as ensuring they know the safeguarding procedures to follow if there are concerns about children. Leaders monitor staff's practice adequately to support them to improve their teaching. Although staff have some opportunities for professional development, the frequency of this has scope for improvement to strengthen the effectiveness of staff's teaching further. The setting works suitably with parents to provide consistency in children's learning experiences at home and in the nursery.