Jellies Preschool, Out Of School & Holiday Club

Inclusion: Expected standard

Staff discuss concerns about children's progress with parents and put plans in place to support their individual needs. Leaders ensure that there is a cycle of planning, carrying out intervention work and reviewing this to check its impact on learning. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to develop their speech and communication. For example, they provide children with flash cards to support their understanding. Leaders work with external professionals, parents and school staff to ensure that children with SEND have appropriate support in place as they transition to school. Staff regularly check children's skills in order to plan what they need to do next.

Leaders use funding for disadvantaged children to buy books that support emotional regulation. Staff place images about emotions on their lanyards for children to select in order to describe how they are feeling if they do not have appropriate words to use. This helps children to frame their emotions in ways they can easily understand. Leaders consider children's sensory needs. For example, they buy weighted blankets that help children to feel safe and secure. When children need to build confidence and self-esteem, leaders offer additional sessions for them. This builds their sense of belonging and confidence. Staff personalise care and settling-in procedures for vulnerable children so that they quickly feel comfortable.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff work alongside children at their chosen activities to support ongoing development and learning. They praise children's work frequently and give children feedback. This helps children to make refinements to their work. Leaders have implemented a curriculum that progressively builds children's skills. Staff plan activities based on children's interests. They identify gaps in children's learning and plan experiences that close these learning gaps.

Staff frequently engage children in back-and-forth conversations, exposing children to a wide range of words. Staff narrate what children are doing, and this supports language development as children listen to new words and descriptions. The high quality of staff's interactions with children means that communication and language are consistently developed to a high standard. This is a real strength of the staff team and ensures that all children, including disadvantaged children, vulnerable children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make rapid progress. However, although staff interact very well with children, they do not always take opportunities to exploit mathematical learning as well as they could. For example, staff use words such as 'big' and 'smallest' as children build, but they do not encourage counting or expand the language of size any further. This limits children's mathematical learning.

Staff model techniques and make suggestions to help children improve their physical skills. For example, they demonstrate and explain how to use glue most effectively. They provide a range of small and one-handed tools for children to develop their hand and finger manipulation and control.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children demonstrate confident and competent language skills and have high levels of understanding for their age. Children sing a range of familiar songs and rhymes and demonstrate that they know some familiar stories. They recite key phrases from books, and handle books carefully. Children use puppets and express their voices in different ways as they make-believe. Toddlers join in with the rhythm of songs and bob up and down in time with the music.

Children hold pencils using an effective grip to make marks of their choosing. They make recognisable representations of people, with arms and legs. Children use one-handed tools very well and make good attempts to cut with scissors.

All children, including disadvantaged children, vulnerable children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, gain the essential skills they need for their age and stage of development.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children behave well because leaders train staff in behaviour management and ensure staff use approaches that are effective for young children. Staff model correct behaviours to children and point out when children are doing the right thing. This encourages other children to copy positive behaviours, and helps them to understand expectations.

When children have difficulties sharing, staff immediately step in and suggest taking turns. They provide children with phrases they can use to request a turn, and explain not to snatch toys and equipment. This really helps children to learn essential social and behavioural skills. As older children play together, they negotiate with each other. They cooperate well and play happily with each other.

Children demonstrate that they are developing the skills they need to learn effectively. They concentrate and pay attention. They generally listen well and follow instructions given by staff. Most children help to tidy up when asked. If children become distracted, staff re-focus their attention to help them concentrate on learning. The routines in place help children to know what is happening next. This is especially helpful for disadvantaged and vulnerable children who gain a sense of security from predictable routines.

Leaders check attendance daily and contact families if children do not attend. They use professional curiosity to ensure that they know where children are. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of potential safeguarding concerns linked to poor attendance. If leaders cannot identify where children are, they escalate their concerns and help to organise welfare checks.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders have developed an ethos of nurture that focuses on children's wellbeing and happiness. This is the primary aim of the nursery, and it is achieved through the warm and caring relationships that staff build with children throughout the nursery. Children develop independence and self-care skills as they wash their hands, go to the toilet, select equipment and put on their own coats. Staff provide help when children need it, and children make requests politely. Staff adapt nappy-changing procedures for vulnerable children so that they feel comfortable and safe.

Staff are alert to children with allergies, and leaders have implemented a colour-coded system to help staff instantly identify children with allergies. All staff receive induction training that includes training on allergy awareness. Children with adrenaline auto-injectors have specific healthcare plans in place.

Leaders have not yet developed effective methods to communicate with parents about healthy lifestyles. For example, although leaders provide guidance for parents on safer eating and the preparation of foods, sometimes unsuitable food is still sent in, such as whole grapes. Leaders could also do more to liaise with parents to support other aspects of children's long-term healthy lifestyles, such as around oral health and screen time.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders express genuine care for the staff team and children. They have a passion for providing a service that makes parents and children feel safe and happy. They know that in order for children to learn effectively, children need to feel safe. Leaders have implemented safe recruitment processes and consider staff viability carefully before offering a position to anyone. New staff take part in a thorough induction, and leaders ensure that this includes methods of interacting with children so that communication in constantly developed. A buddy system is in place so that more experienced staff can act as mentors for newer and less experienced staff.

Leaders regularly monitor staff performance and have developed an open culture where staff can raise any concerns. Leaders provide staff with time out to complete training and observations. Staff say that they appreciate this and love working at the nursery. Opportunities for staff training are identified on an individual basis through monitoring processes.

Leaders could develop more effective ways to communicate with parents in order to help parents follow health guidance and build children's healthy lifestyles. They could provide more effective information about online harms and oral health. This would further support children to have long-term healthy lifestyles.

Leaders support families with children's behaviour at home so that nursery and home have the same approach, and this gives consistency to the children. Leaders liaise with other professionals and parents to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities smoothly transition to school. For example, they invite teachers and specialist staff from schools to visit children in the nursery.