Growing Places @ Oakmeadow

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff conduct baseline assessments of all children within 6 weeks of starting nursery. This helps to ensure children typically receive the support they need promptly. Leaders recognise they have not monitored ongoing assessments as rigorously as they should. On occasion, some assessments completed by less-experienced staff have not been fully accurate. This inconsistency means that children may not receive the best support they need at the earliest opportunity.

Staff working with the younger children have the practical knowledge to meet the babies' care needs. However, they do not always consistently consider babies' developmental needs when planning the curriculum for this age group.

Staff are proactive and provide many opportunities to promote children's communication skills while waiting for speech therapy assessments. This includes small focus groups and repeating the correct pronunciation of words when children struggle. This helps to ensure children's speech and language continues to progress. Staff report that individual focus groups have had a positive impact on learning and give children time to regulate their emotions.

Staff provide a nurturing inclusive environment. The changes they have made have had a positive impact on children's learning and development. Staff have created a large family room with direct access to the outside area. This space is being used effectively, and children engage in a wide range of planned activities inside and outdoors.

Leaders use funding effectively to meet the children's individual needs. This has a positive impact on children's learning and development. Staff work in partnership with other agencies to implement children's next steps and targets.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders ensure the curriculum is typically taught well, covering all areas of learning. Staff promote communication and language effectively with older children. Occasionally, staff do not extend children's learning. For example, during a rhyme bag activity, children select various items. Staff do not use this opportunity to build on children's curiosity or develop their language through effective questioning.

Staff working in the baby room provide a range of exciting activities. Babies enjoy playing outside and confidently crawl out to see their friends. However, staff do not consistently prioritise the key areas of learning to ensure babies fully benefit from the activities. Staff sing number songs and rhymes naturally as the children play inside and outside. For example, when children find a worm in the outside mud pit, staff use the opportunity to encourage children to sing a song about worms. Children happily join in the words. Staff use number lines and numbered toilets to help to enable children to become familiar with early mathematical knowledge.

Staff prioritise children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. They have a successful potty-training routine in place with high success rates. This helps to ensure children are prepared for the next stage in learning when they go to school. Children benefit from many planned activities in the garden. They plant seeds to grow fruit and vegetables and attempt to write the signs to name their pots. During group time, children confidently stand and share the pictures they have drawn of the vegetables. Staff use this opportunity to impart further knowledge about the differences between fruit and vegetables.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and typically achieve well. For example, during outdoor play, they work together to transport the water in the wheelbarrow from the pipes and guttering to water the plants. Children show perseverance as they balance on the beams and tyres. Older children fully engage in activities and learn new skills. They play well together and show respect for each other. Children cheer excitedly when they manage to throw their beanbags into the numbered hoops they aim for.

All babies and children feed themselves and make their needs known. However, babies are not provided with appropriate cutlery to support their next steps in developing self-feeding skills. This limits opportunities for them to make consistent, age- and stage-appropriate progress. Older children know the routines. They independently wash their hands, lay the tables for mealtimes and serve their own food. Children receive appropriate support to reach developmental goals. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, make steady progress from their starting points. They are suitably prepared for the next stage in their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children demonstrate they feel happy and safe in the nursery. Staff create photographic displays of children taking part in activities at nursery. This helps to foster their self-esteem and sense of belonging. Leaders and staff promote the importance of punctuality and attendance, and promptly follow up absences.

Staff know children incredibly well as they have built warm and trusting relationships with them. Children confidently approach staff by name if they require additional help or support in their learning. Staff understand and consider children's individual circumstances. They work with other agencies to make adaptations to meet children's needs. This helps to ensure all children, including those facing barriers to their learning, make the progress they are capable of.

Children are very respectful. For instance, they say sorry without prompting when they accidentally splash their friends with water. Children are confident and play collaboratively together. For example, they work together to create constructions with the wooden blocks. They proudly show their models to staff, who praise them on their achievements.

Staff recognise that children may wish to come back to their artwork or model. They have created an area in the nursery where children can keep their ongoing creative projects to complete at a later time. This helps to develop children's pride in their achievements.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff typically create a safe inclusive space for children to thrive, belong and achieve. They place wellbeing at the centre of what they do as they recognise the importance of this for children and staff. The catering team creates a healthy pescatarian diet for the children. Mealtimes are a social experience. Older children use their manners well, saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff sit with children and engage in discussions about the 'smoke' coming from children's food. Experienced staff explain that this is not smoke, it is steam, and further explain to children why this happens. They eagerly listen.

Children competently pour the water from the jugs. They serve themselves, demonstrating their confidence and independence in these skills. Young children confidently chat about the special cakes they have for dessert. They excitedly describe the sprinkles and white chocolate buttons. Staff support children to develop an understanding of personal safety. For example, during gardening, they discuss with children the importance of not eating green tomatoes. Staff support children to regulate their feelings and allow them time and space to do this. This helps to develop children's sense of emotional wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to providing the best for children and families. They talk passionately about the importance of research in early years development. However, on occasion, there is a lack of monitoring of practice in the nursery. For example, children's assessments are not always as accurate as they could be and are not consistently reviewed to ensure children are always referred swiftly. Leaders follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable and continue to be. Staff report their wellbeing is positive and their workloads are manageable. They value opportunities to take on further training to upskill their knowledge.

Staff generally have an understanding of how children learn. However, in the youngest age group, there have been some staffing changes, and there has not been as much focus on areas of learning during planning. This creates some minor inconsistency. Staff working with this age group receive supervision sessions. However, leaders have not placed more focus on specific professional development for staff to ensure consistent practice for babies. Parents and carers are generally complimentary about the nursery and recognise the work of individual members of staff. They comment on the progress their children have made since starting and value the support they receive as parents.

Staff work well with other agencies to support children who face barriers to their learning. This includes implementing specific physiotherapy targets or speech and language therapy. Leaders use funding effectively to provide individualised support. Examples include additional resources to meet children's needs, trips out in the minibus to see the animals or extra sessions.

Leaders work effectively with local schools and invite Reception class teachers to visit the nursery. Staff plan a programme of activities to support children going to school, including displaying school logos and providing the school uniforms for children to become familiar with. This helps to ensure smooth transitions when children move on to the next stage in education.