Jan's Little Learners

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive culture where all children are included and supported. Leaders and staff typically work in partnership with parents and carers and other professionals to ensure all children make progress from their starting points. Staff carry out regular assessments to identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff have accessed additional training to help them to implement additional support to help individual children to be able to access the curriculum. This has helped staff to be more confident in supporting different needs. Where required, leaders and staff refer to external agencies for assessment. They implement the suggestions from these professionals to help children make progress.

Leaders know all children well and make changes to the routines to help them, such as using visual aids to help children to identify what is coming next. Children who face barriers to their learning form attachments to their key persons. This helps them to feel safe and secure and enables staff to build relationships with their families. Leaders and staff take advice from external agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to support children's development. They review support plans regularly to ensure they reflect children's changing needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders are clear what they want children to know. They offer a range of activities and experiences to ensure children can explore and be curious. They identify where children are up to in terms of their development and identify gaps in their learning. However, staff do not consistently plan activities to meet children's individual next steps. While activities and experiences do reflect children's interests and generally support development, they are not always accurately tailored to help children to extend their current skills.

Staff support children's social and emotional development. They support children to understand their feelings and emotions and offer a quiet space for children who need it. Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills in the outdoor area. For example, children access different types of bicycles and climbing accessories to help develop their muscles.

Leaders and staff promote a love of reading through daily group story times. Children have access to a wide range of books and enjoy sharing these with staff and each other. Children listen to stories and share songs and rhymes, joining in with familiar phrases. Staff teach children about mathematical concepts through their play, introducing shape, space and quantity in their discussions with children.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically make steady progress across the areas of their learning. They develop the skills they need to support the next stage in their development. Children develop effective communication skills and engage in conversations with their peers and staff. They listen to stories and take part in group activities. Children benefit from daily opportunities to share their favourite rhymes and stories, joining in with actions and familiar phrases.

Children are engaged in activities and show confidence when trying new experiences. For example, they show perseverance when learning to ride a bicycle, showing pride when they achieve their goal. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress from their individual starting points. Children settle quickly and form clear attachments to their key persons, knowing who to go to for comfort and reassurance.

Children show growing independence. They become increasingly confident to access materials and manage their own personal care routines. They learn about oral health and keeping their teeth clean through daily toothbrushing.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children generally behave well. They know how to deal with their emotions, and staff help them to reflect on how their feelings affect their behaviour.

Leaders and staff promote positive relationships. They model manners and respect when speaking to others. Leaders and staff establish clear and consistent routines, which help children to understand expectations and positive behaviour. They provide children with opportunities to learn to share and take turns. Children talk about their families and home lives, with activities linked to what is happening at home. For example, a lot of children have new siblings, so staff reflect this in activities.

Staff use visual prompts and 'now and next' boards to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps these children to understand what is expected of them. Staff also give a countdown to transition times, such as tidy-up times and mealtimes. This helps children know what to expect and what is coming next. Leaders support parents and carers with their children's attendance. They promote punctuality and offer flexible patterns of attendance to support children's individual needs.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff build warm and responsive relationships with children. Children seek comfort from familiar adults when needed and know who to go to for reassurance and support. Leaders and staff know all children well and recognise their individual needs and wants. They offer calm spaces for children when they feel overwhelmed. Staff supervise children during meals and sleep times. Staff demonstrate an understanding of safe sleep practices and ensure children are safe.

Leaders and staff promote healthy eating and oral health. They provide information to parents and carers about healthy meals and snacks. However, leaders and staff do not consistently support parents to follow this up. This means, sometimes, children bring food and drink that do not reflect the setting's healthy eating policy. This is something leaders have identified as an area of focus. They are currently working closely with parents to rectify this.

Leaders promote children's health and emotional wellbeing and ensure that staff understand and know how to respond to children's individual needs. For example, some children need fidget toys to help when they are feeling distracted. Staff encourage children to follow positive hygiene practices, including how to use the toilet and manage their own self-care.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have made significant improvements since the last inspection. They have a clear focus on improving the quality of the setting and sustaining improvements. Leaders are clear about the strengths and areas for development of the setting. They recognise that although they have a new curriculum in place, the quality of teaching and interactions is not yet consistent across all rooms.

Leaders carry out regular staff meetings and supervision sessions with staff. They have identified areas where the quality of teaching needs to be improved and have sought additional training to enable this. However, staff need further coaching, mentoring and support to enable them to embed the curriculum fully.

Leaders and staff have forged positive and supportive relationships with parents and carers. They offer guidance and a 'listening ear' to parents, signposting them to other agencies where needed. Parents speak highly of the setting. They are happy with the care their children receive and the information shared about their children's progress.

Leaders and staff work closely with parents to ensure children's needs are met. They offer opportunities for parents to come into the setting for stay-and-play sessions and parents' evenings. Staff support parents with any concerns they may have regarding children's behaviour and provide information about healthy meals and snacks. However, leaders and staff do not consistently support parents in implementing this in practice. As such, children occasionally bring food and drink that do not reflect the setting's healthy eating policy.