Kelliwik Childcare Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations for what children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can achieve. They understand how children's abilities and experiences can create barriers to their learning and wellbeing. Leaders consistently drive to make a difference through highly appropriate and impactful actions. They ensure that staff use carefully planned strategies, such as signing, simplified language and emotional coaching techniques.

Children who face other barriers, such as disadvantage, benefit from consistent and supportive care. This strengthens their emotional security and enables them to feel a very positive sense of belonging. Leaders and staff have a secure understanding of children's needs. They act swiftly to reduce any barriers that children face. Close-working partnerships with parents and carers and early involvement of other professionals ensures that children get the right help at the right time. Staff make ongoing adjustments to children's individual programmes. They carefully plan next steps around children's individual needs to ensure they continually develop. In addition, staff work collaboratively with parents to share strategies that can be used at home to ensure consistent support.

Leaders use additional funding decisively to have a sustained impact. They make timely modifications to activities and routines to ensure that children can fully access all learning opportunities alongside their peers. This approach and dedication is highly impactful in helping all children thrive and belong.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum that has a positive impact for children. It is designed to focus on what all children need to learn, while considering their interests. This is particularly effective for children who face barriers to their learning. Staff use their knowledge of children's next steps and interests to design activities.

Staff read stories to develop a love of books. They ask children key questions during story time to extend their thinking. Staff generally focus on communication and language development. They typically extend language, especially for pre-school children. For example, staff introduce the word 'tentacles' when talking about the features of sea creatures. However, they do not promote children's early language development as effectively in the baby room. For example, staff interactions with babies are inconsistent, which results in missed opportunities to develop their early communication and language skills. Staff incorporate mathematics through children's play and daily routines. For example, they encourage children to count out pieces of fruit at snack time as they model sharing.

Children engage in regular group activities which are tailored appropriately to their age and stage of development. They enjoy accessing a wide range of learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors. Children are generally well motivated when engaging in adult-led play. For example, a group of children enthusiastically build a home for a worm with staff's support. However, during independent play, some children lose interest quickly and drift between activities when staff are not present to engage them. For example, the resources in the sensory tray do not support toddlers to play independently. This means their learning slows and they become disengaged when staff move away.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically make progress from their individual starting points across the areas of learning and development. Children with barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with current or previous social care involvement, make very secure progress from their starting points. This is because support is targeted and implemented consistently by leaders and staff.

Children develop communication, physical, mathematical and personal, social and emotional skills. They become increasingly confident, independent and ready for their next stage of learning. Older children develop secure relationships as they take turns and share with their friends. They particularly enjoy accessing the outdoor area, where they use resources independently to support their physical development. Babies enjoy exploring sand in low-level trays. Older children demonstrate confident mathematical understanding as they count in their play. For example, they identify 'one more' when counting planets in the rocket role play.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

There is a positive and nurturing atmosphere in the nursery, where children's regular attendance is promoted. This is underpinned by the trusting and caring relationships that staff typically build with children. Children show that they feel secure and are generally ready to learn. They follow familiar routines with increasing confidence, move calmly between activities and know what comes next. However, sometimes, toddlers' engagement and attitudes to learning are not as secure.

Children show care to one another as they play happily. Staff model a calm and caring manner in their interactions with children. Children are kind and helpful to their friends. For example, they invite friends to make soup in the mud kitchen. Children enjoy working cooperatively as a team and celebrate their successes. For example, children say to each other, 'let's work as a team' when creating a den outdoors.

Children develop independence at snack time as they confidently hand out plates and help to organise the routine. Staff encourage and model positive manners. Children sing a 'please and thank you' song before snack and mealtimes. Staff give plenty of praise to reinforce children's efforts and raise their self-esteem. For example, staff praise children in the baby room for using their forks for the first time.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where children are valued and cared for. Warm relationships with staff help children to develop confidence and a sense of belonging. Children typically have secure attachments with all staff in the nursery, especially with their key person. This means that children confidently arrive and settle well. Parents and carers speak positively about the care, support and guidance they receive.

Children experience consistent routines that support their welfare and wellbeing. They enjoy relaxed snack and mealtimes where they talk with staff and their friends about their weekend. Children make healthy choices and are aware of their needs. For example, they help themselves to a drink of water when needed.

Staff promote children's safety by encouraging them to sit properly at tables. They guide babies to climb steps carefully to the sink, so they wash their hands safely. Children show effective sun-safety habits, knowing when to wear hats and apply sun cream. Staff reinforce these routines consistently, so that children stay safe and confident outdoors.

Staff steadily build children's confidence in managing feelings through guidance. For example, they offer children a hug when they are upset. This calm and caring support helps children to regulate their emotions.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for children in their care. They are empowered to make changes to improve children's wellbeing and comfort. For example, leaders have recently relocated the baby room to a brighter space with improved accessibility. Typically, leaders enable all staff to carry out their roles effectively. They implement robust induction procedures to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders regularly reflect on the changes to the early years foundation stage framework. For example, following a review of safer-recruitment procedures, leaders have implemented additional processes to deliver increased oversight of pre-employment checks.

Leaders have created an open and collaborative culture. They engage well with parents and carers to successfully build trusting relationships. Staff say they are well supported by leaders and feel they can seek guidance from any leader when needed. Leaders are aware of staff wellbeing and provide support through regular supervision sessions. Leaders have designed a robust induction process so that new staff receive the support and training they need.

Leaders typically ensure that staff have access to continual professional development. They encourage staff to build on their knowledge and skills. This has recently focused on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning, especially with regulating their emotions. This has strengthened staff expertise in supporting these children to develop greater confidence, security and emotional wellbeing. However, leaders have not consistently supported all staff to strengthen their knowledge of how to build on babies' communication and language skills, to broaden their early-speaking skills.