Just Little Kidz Nursery and Preschool

Inclusion: Needs attention

Children do not consistently benefit from the best opportunities to achieve well across all areas of learning. This is because the curriculum is not well sequenced or tailored to meet all children's individual needs, ensuring their next steps are given priority and reflected in planning.

Staff complete progress checks for children aged between 2 and 3. This assists staff to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who may face barriers to their learning and gaps in learning or development. Leaders complete referrals in a timely manner to access extra support when required. Leaders and staff work in partnership with other professionals to support children who have identified additional needs. They provide some targeted individual support, particularly for children's communication and language skills. Some key staff use Makaton signs to aid communication for children with SEND. They also use 'now and next' boards to assist with children's understanding and self-regulation throughout the day. Leaders have extended partnership working to local schools and pre-schools. This helps to support all children with transitions on to their next stage of learning and to school. Leaders understand how to manage any additional funding. Leaders are creating a sensory room to support children currently attending and those who may attend in the future.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The planning and implementation of the curriculum is not effective in building on children's knowledge and skills across different age ranges and all areas of learning. Staff typically follow children's interests and plan a range of activities, some of which have appropriate learning intentions. However, these activities do not consistently build on what children need to know and learn next or help staff to identify any gaps in children's knowledge. Staff typically observe children and identify some next steps, but these are not consistently shared with parents and carers with ideas to continue learning at home.

Children generally enjoy a range of fun activities which promote their curiosity. For example, they explore different creatures in water and sand and learn about where they live. Overall, staff engage with children during activities and promote children's communication and language skills. Children are asked questions and given time to think and respond. They learn new vocabulary, and younger children are encouraged to repeat words and sounds.

Staff encourage children to extend their physical skills as they balance on wooden blocks, climb steps to use the slide and learn to throw, catch and kick a ball. Staff play with children and provide demonstrations and praise to build their self-confidence. Staff provide some additional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They give some encouragement to ensure all children can access the activities on offer.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children are not challenged sufficiently to develop their skills fully and prepare for their next stage of learning. Overall, children make some progress from their starting points, particularly with their speech and language. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning. Babies repeat words, mimic different sounds and engage in back-and-forth interactions. Older children typically learn new vocabulary, which helps them to extend their sentences and join in conversations with staff and their peers.

Children are generally confident to make choices and make their needs known. Babies enjoy singing, copy actions and move their bodies to music. Older children count forwards and backwards and make patterns with coloured bears to extend their mathematical knowledge.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Routines throughout the nursery are not well organised or fully established. In the pre-school room, when children are asked to help tidy away, some respond and help, while others continue to play or go outside. Children are asked to line up and then to come back to finish tidying. In these instances, staff do not communicate consistently or effectively, and children are given mixed messages, which prevents them from understanding what is expected of them. Staff in the baby room do not communicate effectively with each other, for instance before leaving the room to change nappies. This does not ensure routines are managed in line with policies and procedures or fully support all children's wellbeing.

Overall, children behave well and are supported by their key person to manage their behaviour. Children use positive manners and share resources with their peers, which extends their social skills. Children engage in activities to learn about different emotions and increase their understanding of others. Older children use dough and natural resources to make faces with different expressions. Children typically show positive attitudes towards their learning and develop an understanding of their feelings and behaviour. Leaders promote regular attendance and punctuality. They work with families to develop positive habits for attendance to aid future success in education for all children.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Leaders and staff have not kept up to date with changes in legislation regarding arrangements for safe eating. At mealtimes, staff sometimes allow older children to leave the table while still eating and do not consistently sit within sight of all children. When this is brought to the attention of staff and leaders, action is taken immediately to amend practice and ensure all children are safe and any potential choking risks are minimised. Staff teach all children about the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet. They engage in conversations at snack and mealtimes and ensure these become social occasions. Older children talk about different foods and show an understanding of what is healthy.

Staff have positive attachments with all children and get to know them well from the start. This helps children, including those with barriers to their learning, to build healthy relationships and feel secure and develops their emotional wellbeing. Staff are attentive to babies' individual needs and recognise and respond appropriately when they are tired or need a nappy change or additional cuddles and reassurance.

Staff typically promote established hygiene routines. Children understand the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Children have daily opportunities to extend their physical play, in the garden, which enhances their mental health and general wellbeing. They learn about managing risk as they use equipment. They manoeuvre their bodies safely on the slide and while they ride bicycles and scooters, for instance.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have not kept up to date with changes in legislation, such as safe-eating requirements, to ensure all children are supported effectively during snack and mealtimes. Leaders have not ensured their induction procedures are robust or monitored effectively. New members of staff do not all complete mandatory training within agreed timescales, for instance. Leaders have not embedded routines in the nursery to ensure deployment of staff is effective. This does not fully promote children's welfare or help them to understand what is expected of them.

Leaders generally have an appropriate overview of the setting and identify some strengths and areas for development. However, weaknesses have not been addressed in a timely manner to ensure rapid improvements. Changes to staffing arrangements impact on the quality of the provision, for example, while staff are still getting used to their roles and responsibilities. This includes establishing routines and improving staff knowledge and understanding of embedding a high-quality curriculum for all children. Leaders provide appropriate supervision and coaching for staff, who feel that leaders are supportive of their wellbeing and manage their workload.

Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers and other professionals. Partnership working with other settings and local schools is effective in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities during transitions. Overall, parents are happy with the care and education provided for their children and feel they are making progress.