Jigsaw Day Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) know them very well. They use various strategies, including one-to-one time, objects of reference and visual aids to ensure they promote and meet children's individual needs. Children with SEND benefit from targeted specialised plans that are continually under review. They make rapid progress and achieve very well from their starting points at this setting. External-agency working is excellent. Leaders and staff also work closely with the families of children with SEND as well.

Children learn about diversity in culture, religion and language through activities, such as learning nursery rhymes in different languages, cooking a variety of cultural foods and sharing diverse stories. Where English is not children's first language, staff speak to parents and carers about children's level of language acquisition in English. They also ask for key phrases from parents in children's own languages, to use alongside their nursery routines. Their approach helps these children to adjust to the environment quickly and settle in. Leaders spend additional funding wisely and with a real focus on how it can most benefit the children who receive it. For example, leaders acknowledge that they have some children who live in flats, so they utilise their additional funding to extend their outdoor experiences.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum has recently been redesigned and is highly inclusive. Staff make reasonable adjustments to allow children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to flourish alongside their peers. They know children well. Staff make accurate assessments of children's learning and identify key focuses for their next steps. Leaders recognise there is scope to provide further support to staff to build their confidence and refine their teaching. However, these plans are in the infancy. Leaders have also not yet fully considered how effectively staff use what they know about children's development, including next steps in learning to plan for adult-directed activities.

Typically, staff teach the curriculum well throughout the setting. Babies enjoy early-sensory experiences and engagement with puzzles and problem-solving toys. Staff help them to build their confidence to roam and explore. Toddlers build on their creative and imaginative skills as they enjoy messy play in their dedicated creative room. They paint, play with play dough and investigate sensory materials with staff support. Pre-school children learn lots of risky skills in their forest-school sessions outside. For example, with expert staff support, they strengthen their physical skills as they use tools, such as pruning shears and handheld drills, to make bracelets. Children also like investigating natural resources in the garden in games initiated by staff, such as collecting apples from the tree and combining materials, such as water, sand and pasta in play. This helps to expand their understanding of the world. All children are suitably well prepared to transition between rooms and eventually on to school.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make the progress that is expected of them throughout the setting. Due to occasional dips in the quality of teaching, not all children consistently achieve at the highest level. However, those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make very secure progress from where they started, based on the bespoke support they receive.

Children benefit from communication and language being a key focus throughout the setting. Babies like to spontaneously share books with staff, as well as joining in small-group singing sessions. Toddlers benefit from quality interactions where staff comment on and narrate their exploration and play. They are exposed to simple questions to evoke back-and-forth conversations. Pre-school children enjoy a large-group session involving a 'song sack'. This enables them to pick out objects and make connections to rhymes they know and love, which they confidently sing. These skills help children to flourish and grow.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Babies are settled and relaxed. They rapidly build close bonds with the caring staff, who they rely on for comfort and support when unsure. Staff manage disputes between toddlers with ease. They quickly explain their expectations, and toddlers get the support they need to negotiate with their peers. Pre-school children clearly know and understand the rules and boundaries by which to abide. They can recite these to staff when engaging in risky play. Children know how to keep themselves safe as a result.

Staff use lots of strategies to celebrate and value children's contributions. For example, in the pre-school room, children have the role of the special helper at lunchtime. They also have a resource called a 'worry teddy,' which staff use to talk to children about their emotions and help them to regulate these. Children are positive learners with self-driven attitudes to making choices as they play.

Leaders have an astute awareness to monitoring children's attendance. They are willing to challenge safeguarding decisions and conduct their own welfare checks on children and their families as required. Leaders proactively support children and their families. They work with professionals in social care positively when there is a need to do so.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff are warm and friendly and embed positive relationships. The premises are safe and secure. The nursery is well staffed, and leaders ensure effective management and maintenance of the building. The environment is welcoming, and there are rich invitations for children to play, and activities for them to explore. Resources are easily accessible to all children, and adaptions are made as required to enable all children to join in with the daily routines. This helps to ensure that their care needs are carefully considered and well met during the day.

Staff meet children's care needs throughout the setting. Children benefit from a nutritional menu, which caters for their dietary needs. There are secure hygiene practices in place. Staff are trained on, and ensure that safe-sleep guidance is adhered to throughout the nursery. Staff generally teach children to learn to prioritise their own wellbeing. They implement a strict screen-time policy. In the pre-school room, there has been a recent focus on the importance of healthy eating and oral hygiene. This included a visit from dentists to support children's understanding of oral health. Children enjoy plenty of fresh air outside in dedicated garden spaces. They have opportunities to dance and move in different ways, including outsourced activities, such as football and drama sessions.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery. They are currently working to embed a new-curriculum approach and strengthen the quality of staff interactions with children. They recognise and accept that there is further work to be done to secure consistency in staff's teaching throughout the nursery.

Recruitment and vetting are robust. All staff are suitably vetted prior to starting in role. There is a comprehensive induction programme which ensures that new staff receive appropriate support to settle in and fully understand their key responsibilities. Staff comment very positively on the support they receive from leaders, when they first start and in an ongoing way during their time here. Leaders adopt lots of strategies to nurture staff's wellbeing and ensure their workload is manageable.

Comments from parents and carers are very positive about the quality of care and education their children receive. Leaders and staff use lots of methods to engage with parents, including verbal discussions, meetings and information-sharing online. Staff do not yet consistently share the most detailed information with parents about what skills their children could further develop and how they can best support these at home. Therefore, staff do not consistently and proactively engage all parents, particularly those harder to reach, in promoting children's learning at home.