Haven Day Nursery and Creche

Inclusion: Strong standard

The provision, including practitioners' teaching and the environment, is highly inclusive. There is a clear ethos of meeting each individual at their point of need. Practitioners are very quick to identify areas of need and to start applying strategies. They regularly review, assess and adapt as needed to ensure they are meeting the individual needs of children. For example, they modify the environment to meet children's physical needs and modify the vocabulary used to extend and challenge children's communication development.

Leaders recognise that there are many types of barriers to learning and ensure support is in place to support children and families, regardless of the barrier they face. For example, leaders have created a food parcel and swap-shop scheme to help families receive the resources they need. Leaders work closely with parents to develop strong bonds that enable difficult conversations to be had to ensure families are supported well. Leaders regularly hold coffee mornings for parents to enable them to develop a community of support, as well as supporting access to external agencies, such as health visitors.

Leaders and practitioners work closely with external agencies, such as occupational therapy, to ensure children continue to receive the right support and care from practitioners. Additionally, they work with external agencies to help reduce any barriers to children's attendance.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have created a curriculum that primarily focuses on children's personal, social and emotional needs, as well as their communication skills. The curriculum is mapped across the whole provision and clearly progresses, with each step of learning carefully developed as they move through the provision. Practitioners work closely with parents, leaders and external agencies to ensure that their curriculum precisely matches what their current cohort of children need. This means it continues to evolve each term and purposefully builds on what children know and can do.

Teaching is deliberate and purposeful. For example, practitioners repeat and model the same vocabulary as they deliberately emphasise words such as 'splash' and 'snap' as children play to help develop their vocabulary rapidly.

Practitioners are highly inclusive in their teaching to ensure each child's needs are met. Practitioners regularly meet to assess and review children's progress and what adaptations are needed to teaching to help children flourish from their individual starting points. The highly impactful teaching means that all children, including those that face barriers to learning, make consistent progress in their learning and development.

Mathematics is taught explicitly throughout the provision and through child-initiated play. For example, children building a car out of wooden blocks learn about length and counting as they work together with practitioners.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children demonstrate a keen love of learning at this provision. Children, including those who face barriers to learning, make significant achievements in their learning and development. They develop age- and stage-appropriate knowledge that prepares them well for their next stage of learning. For example, children develop effective communication and language skills, which enable them to convey their thoughts, ideas, wants and needs from an early age.

Children demonstrate their physical abilities as they eagerly explore the outdoors and begin to learn how to take age-appropriate risks and to make these assessments independently. For example, children independently work out safe ways to come down climbing equipment. Children take pride in their achievements. For example, they beam in delight when they succeed at climbing up and over the climbing frame.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children have strong bonds with their key person. This helps children to thrive at the provision as they use their key person for support and reassurance as and when needed, such as after a minor fall. They demonstrate confidence in knowing their key person will be there for them. Key persons ensure that they validate children's emotions, and children are visibly comforted by this. Children are curious and excited to learn. For example, they comment on the things they observe in the garden, such as butterflies and the sticks they find.

Routines and expectations are firmly embedded, which supports children in feeling settled and safe. Leaders and practitioners regularly reflect on these expectations to ensure that they are age- and stage-appropriate while supporting children to flourish and thrive.

Children are kind, thoughtful and respectful towards one another. Practitioners are excellent role models and support children as they learn to initially play alongside and then play collaboratively with their peers. Children continuously build on these skills as they progress through the nursery.

Leaders have worked tirelessly to build relationships with parents. They offer support and guidance on a range of topics, including tackling barriers to attendance. This has a significant impact on leaders' understanding of families and the support they may need.

Routines are seamlessly blended into the day so that teaching is not interrupted or children's learning brought to a halt. For example, children go to lunch as and when they are ready as practitioners skilfully identify those who need their lunch earlier or later.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children are at the centre of everything leaders and practitioners do at this provision. They focus on creating a 'safe haven' for children and focus on their personal, social and emotional needs in particular. Practitioners work hard to ensure children quickly develop strong attachments to their key person, as they believe children need this to thrive and flourish. Practitioners know their key children very well and take pride in their achievements.

Children develop an understanding of healthy habits while at the provision. For example, they learn about why drinking water is important. Practitioners also support them in learning about healthy choices. For example, children are encouraged to think about how much their bodies need while self-serving lunch.

Practitioners develop routines effectively to meet children's individual needs, and they treat everyone with kindness and respect. They know their children exceptionally well and respond sensitively to their needs, for example, being able to instinctively know what their children need in that moment, such as a cuddle or encouragement to have another go.

Practitioners support children as they learn to recognise, express and manage their emotions. They support children as they learn about the impact of their actions, such as when there are minor conflicts over toys.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have recently changed at this provision. However, new leaders already have a detailed and perceptive understanding of the provision's strengths and areas for development. Leaders and practitioners are highly reflective about their practice and provision. They are constantly evolving and developing to ensure they meet the needs of the children there and then. Leaders are highly passionate about ensuring they continue to provide high-quality learning and care for children.

Leaders ensure practitioners' wellbeing is supported well, through regular supervision meetings, and that workloads remain manageable. Practitioners comment on how meaningful they feel support is and that it has a positive impact on the quality of their teaching, as well as supporting their own wellbeing.

There is a high focus on working in partnership with parents. Leaders recognise when families may face barriers to learning and put strategies in place to support as and when needed. They are highly aware of families' changing needs. For example, they are aware of when parents are away from home and of any additional support that is needed for that family at that time.

Practitioners regularly undertake training that is purposeful and impactful. Training needs are identified based on the needs of the children and any gaps in their learning and development. For example, practitioners undertook training to increase support for children's early communication skills, and this has had a noticeable positive impact on children's early attempts at communicating.