Jo Jo's Day Care Nursery - Canterbury Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff swiftly identify the individual needs of all children and fully understand how to support them to achieve in relation to their starting points. Staff plan individually to minimise learning barriers for all children. This includes disadvantaged children, children who are known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

Staff assess children's progress effectively and ensure that they meet the children's individual needs. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make effective adaptations to support all children and provide a consistent approach to their care and learning. For example, they share and provide the same resources with parents, such as spinning chairs, to help children focus at home as well as at the nursery.

Leaders use additional funding effectively to support the individual needs of children. This includes purchasing resources and equipment that they know will support children's development. This helps staff ensure that they support all children in well thought out, embedded individualised plans to make the most out of their learning.

All staff have established positive partnerships with outside agencies and families. This includes sharing training ideas and implementing strategies to support children, such as visual signs. This helps provide children with a strong and consistent approach to their shared care and learning opportunities.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have worked hard to ensure that they successfully implement an engaging and challenging curriculum across all ages in the nursery. They have implemented an effective curriculum throughout the nursery to cover most areas of learning. Staff have a clear knowledge of what children already know and how they can help them build on their skills. Staff plan concise and individual next steps for children's next steps. Children make progress in relation to their starting points.

Overall, staff support children to be confident to share their own ideas. Older children make up their own narratives as they sell flowers in their florist, and babies enjoy a wide range of singing. However, on occasions, conversations between staff and children do not promote the full use of children's language skills. Therefore, at times, children do not get consistent opportunities to use a broad range of language and vocabulary.

Staff ensure that children have access to a curriculum that is inclusive and meets their individual needs. Staff skilfully adapt, simplify and extend children's opportunities to ensure that they can get the most out of their learning. This includes during ball games, making the 'target' smaller, larger, closer and nearer depending on the ability of children participating.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make progress in relation to their starting points across all areas of learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding. Children gain skills to help prepare them for their next stage of learning. For instance, children are patient, and they take turns and share with maturity.

Children fully understand the needs of each other and respect that some children will require different support. For example, children ask children with SEND if they are fine and if they need to sit on their spinning chair when they can see them potentially becoming overwhelmed. Staff are dedicated to ensure that they further support children by building on their own knowledge and skills. This includes attending specific training to support children with SEND.

Children have wide opportunities to develop their physical skills in safe and age-appropriate ways. This includes musical movement activities where they learn about the different ways their bodies move. Children have a variety of opportunities to develop their mathematical skills as they play, including babies who enjoy listening to number songs.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

All staff are positive role models and support children to behave well. All children fully understand what is expected of them and remind each other of the rules. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding. For example, children remind each other that to stay safe, they are only allowed to crawl through the tunnel one at a time.

Staff are skilful in identifying how to support children with SEND. This is evident when staff redirect children to an activity that they know will regain their focus.

All staff know babies well and ensure that they are settled and happy. On the whole, staff identify when babies are in need of a bottle or a nap. Babies' individual needs are met effectively and swiftly.

Children play well together and enjoy each other's company. There are positive relationships between staff and children. For example, children happily seek out staff to share ideas and feel comforted and reassured by them. Babies giggle happily as they excitedly play peekaboo with staff.

The curriculum is well thought out. However, at times of transition, such as moving from outdoors to indoors, staff do not manage the change to its highest potential. Therefore, it can appear a little chaotic, and children do not fully understand what is expected of them during these times.

Leaders monitor children's attendance closely and ensure that they follow up any unexplained or unexpected absences. This helps staff to identify any potential patterns of attendance that may require additional support.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

All children are happy, settled and confident. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have successfully created safe and welcoming learning environments for children of all ages and ensure that their practice is inclusive and supports all children's wellbeing.

Staff have successfully established an effective key-person system that supports all children to feel safe and secure, including those with SEND. Children engage in activities and learning experiences that motivate them and maintain their interest. This includes developing small-physical skills as they use hammers to tap in nails. Children use safe and age-appropriate climbing and balancing equipment and negotiate space well, such as when they ride bikes.

All children are independent in managing their own needs. This includes understanding the importance of thorough handwashing and positive oral health routines. Generally, during mealtimes, staff teach children about the importance and benefits of healthy eating. Children learn about the benefits of healthy eating and developing their physical wellbeing.

Diversity and inclusion are prioritised by staff. They teach children about other cultures and festivals. This includes respecting each other's views, such as discussing Jehovah witness traditions and beliefs. Children learn to understand and respect each other's similarities and differences outside of their own communities and experiences.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are evaluative and reflective on practice. They identify areas they wish to enhance further and celebrate the changes they have made, such as implementing a highly engaging curriculum. This helps staff continue to develop their practice to support children's experience at the setting.

Leaders prioritise staff's wellbeing, and they ensure that workload remains manageable and staff feel supported. Staff have time to complete training and have regular meetings and one-to-one discussions. They discuss key strengths and areas to develop, such as highlighting training needs. Leaders support staff in helpful ways. This includes carrying out regular observations on their interactions and teaching and providing constructive feedback to support their future performance and develop practice for children.

Children who attend other settings are settled and happy and they make progress. Staff talk to staff at the settings children also attend routinely. They communicate with them to share their achievements and next steps in learning. This helps provide children with a positive and consistent link to their shared care and learning.

All staff establish positive partnership with parents. For example, they keep them fully informed of their children's learning and next steps. They share activity ideas and helpful tips, such as sharing toilet training advice.