Happifeet Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders establish a highly inclusive culture for all children to access their learning. They identify children's individual needs early. This means barriers children face in their learning are reduced. Leaders work closely with families to understand children's starting points, monitor their progress and agree the most appropriate support. Leaders collaborate with specialist professionals to shape support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They review the impact of this support and adapt practice to meet children's changing needs. As a result, children make progress from their individual starting points.

Practitioners use a wide range of adaptations that enable all children to participate successfully in nursery life. For example, children benefit from visual timetables, now-and-next boards, sign language, visual prompts and small-group or one-to-one support. Practitioners skilfully adapt communication and routines to help children understand expectations, make choices and express their wants and needs. This helps children to develop confidence, independence and positive relationships with others.

Leaders place an emphasis on working in partnership with parents and carers so that children receive consistent support at nursery and at home. For example, practitioners share strategies to support children to regulate their emotions and communication and eating routines. This enables families to continue these approaches beyond the nursery. Parents speak positively about the support they receive and recognise the progress their children make. These highly effective partnerships help ensure all children are consistently well supported, so they thrive from their individual starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that places an emphasis on developing children's communication and language from an early age. Practitioners make purposeful use of everyday routines to extend children's learning. For example, they model ambitious vocabulary and encourage children to respond to open-ended questions and make choices. For example, babies learn words, such as 'juicy' and 'yummy', while older children develop mathematical understanding as they count bowls, compare quantities and use language such as 'more' during mealtimes. These consistent interactions help children to develop the language and mathematical knowledge they need for their future learning.

Practitioners know children well. They adapt teaching to meet their different stages of development and individual needs. Babies, toddlers and pre-school children benefit from experiences that build on their interests and promote communication, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. For example, practitioners use stories, songs, puppets, obstacle courses and circle games to engage children in learning. They ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate fully in the curriculum and make progress from their starting points.

Although teaching is typically effective, practitioners do not consistently use strategies to help children regulate the volume of their voices in the pre-school room. At times, practitioners raise their own voices to be heard above the noise. This means some children do not always hear questions, explanations and conversations that support their learning. This reduces the effectiveness of teaching during these times.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for their next stage of learning. Across the nursery, they make progress in communication and language as they confidently answer questions, learn ambitious vocabulary and join in with familiar stories and songs. For example, babies name fruit and colours and toddlers join repeated refrains in stories. Older children recognise the initial letter in their names as they self-register.

Children develop their early mathematical understanding as they count objects, compare quantities and use positional language, such as 'behind'. They strengthen their core muscles as they ride tricycles and complete obstacle courses. Children manipulate dough and use tweezers to develop the hand strength needed for early writing. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support to access learning and make progress from their individual starting points. However, at times, the high-noise levels in the pre-school room mean some children do not consistently hear teaching and conversations that support their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders establish clear expectations for children's behaviour. They work closely with families to promote regular attendance and punctuality. Children benefit from warm and respectful relationships with practitioners. This helps them to feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Practitioners use consistent routines to help children understand what is expected of them. For example, all children, including babies, respond to reminders to use 'walking feet'. Toddlers recognise story time through familiar songs and visual prompts. Children independently find their place mats before mealtimes. These predictable routines help children to develop confidence, independence and positive attitudes to learning.

Practitioners support children to develop warm relationships and learn alongside one another. For example, they model turn-taking during stories and games, encourage children to use positive manners and help them to negotiate with their friends during play. Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers and external professionals, including specialist-trained professionals, to adapt behaviour strategies where needed. This helps children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to understand expectations and increasingly regulate their behaviour.

Although positive routines are well established across much of the nursery, practitioners do not consistently support children in the pre-school room to regulate the volume of their voices. This means the learning environment is not consistently calm. This makes it more difficult for some children to listen carefully and engage fully in their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Practitioners know children well. They provide nurturing care that supports their individual welfare and wellbeing. Children form warm and secure relationships with their key persons. They confidently seek comfort, reassurance and help when they need it. This helps children to feel emotionally secure, settle quickly and engage confidently in learning. Practitioners work closely with parents and carers to understand children's individual routines and needs. For example, they adapt care for children with specific feeding needs and support families with strategies to help their children regulate their feelings. They work together to develop consistent approaches that improve children's wellbeing and development at home and in the nursery.

Typically, children develop healthy lifestyles and increasingly manage their own personal care. For example, they confidently access water stations, wash their hands, feed themselves and use strategies, such as books, mirrors, drawing and quiet spaces, to recognise and manage their feelings. Across the nursery, practitioners promote safer eating by sitting with children during meals and modelling positive manners. Babies confidently express their needs, such as asking for a spoon. Older children discuss their day and build social skills as they eat together.

Although children's welfare is prioritised effectively overall, practitioners do not consistently maximise opportunities for children to develop independence and understand hygiene routines when children serve themselves fruit from a shared bowl during mealtimes. In addition, practitioners do not consistently position themselves effectively to ensure children have privacy while using the toilet. This means children do not consistently gain the independence, positive hygiene habits and respect for privacy that support their wellbeing and readiness for their next stage of learning.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders establish a caring and ambitious culture where children, families and practitioners are well supported. They have high expectations for children's learning and development. Leaders invest in practitioners' professional learning and expertise through qualifications, induction, mentoring and opportunities to shadow experienced colleagues. For example, as a result of food safety and hygiene training, practitioners feel confident identifying allergens and supporting children's individual nutritional needs. Practitioners say they feel valued, supported in managing their wellbeing and confident in discussing their workload and future aspirations. This helps leaders to create a stable team that understands children's individual needs and delivers consistent care across the nursery.

Leaders develop effective partnerships with parents and carers and external professionals to improve children's experiences and reduce barriers to learning. For example, they work closely with specialist professionals and other agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Parents value the highly effective communication they receive and recognise the progress their children make. Leaders help families with consistent approaches at home that support their children. These collaborative partnerships help children make progress from their starting points. Leaders evaluate practice accurately. They demonstrate a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and areas for development. Although leaders observe practitioners and identify priorities for improvement, their monitoring does not yet ensure consistent practice across the nursery. As a result, some practitioners do not consistently use effective strategies to support positive learning behaviours or adopt care routines that fully promote children's independence, privacy, and understand hygiene.