Kiddi Caru Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective and targeted support from staff. Staff gather information from parents about children's starting points, skills and interests and plan the curriculum to meet their needs. Leaders and staff work in partnership with agencies to ensure children receive the support they need to make steady progress.

Children who speak English as an additional language are also well supported. Leaders and staff develop a range of talking buttons and dual-language story reading to support children's communication and language development. This helps children feel included and removes barriers to learning well.

Additional funding is used effectively to assist eligible children. For instance, leaders have purchased and developed resources to support communication and language development and created spaces where children can explore and engage in chosen activities that meet their interests and needs.

Staff regularly review children's progress and identify gaps in learning. They work closely with parents to share their assessments and develop individual education plans to continually support children's overall development. However, while targeted support is effective, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, and this affects how consistently children benefit from high-quality interactions throughout their time at nursery.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a clear vision of what they want children to learn. They have high expectations and ambition for what children can achieve while at nursery.

Staff's teaching is typically effective. They provide the communication and language support to help children make steady progress. However, there are small inconsistencies, and on occasion, staff become focused on the outcome of an activity and do not consistently consider the process of learning. This means they do not always keep in mind what they want children to learn and their individual learning needs. Consequently, children do not always receive the challenge and learning they need to fully engage in an activity. Staff use assessment to monitor children's progress and plan for their next steps in learning. Leaders recognise that staff would benefit from further support to deepen and strengthen their teaching for children's next steps in learning. However, plans to address this have yet to be put into place.

Staff prioritise spending time with new children. This supports them to build strong bonds and develop a sense of safety and security. This helps children build confidence within the setting and develop their personal, social and emotional development.

Staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children learn to ride wheeled toys, throw, catch, kick a football, balance and climb in the outdoor area. Staff talk about and use numbers and counting throughout the day as they engage and interact with children at their chosen activity. This supports children to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are well prepared for the transition into school. Leaders and staff work closely with schools to know and understand the skills children need to be successful in their transition into their next stage in education.

Children develop skills to follow routines, manage their own care needs and develop independence. This builds their confidence and ability to express their needs and interests. Children have the communication and language they need to be confident and happy learners. Children can express themselves well and are able to engage and focus on their learning and development.

Typically, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress towards individual milestones in their development. For example, they develop relationships with children and staff. They learn to understand words and build their communication and language skills. Children generally continue to make progress from their starting points.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff are positive role models for children and show respect for others. They are warm and welcoming to children. Children learn to show care and kindness to their peers and the staff caring for them. They take pride in helping their friends find favourite toys and engage in activities together. Children join in together and celebrate each other's achievements.

Staff are attentive to children's needs, and this helps to establish routines that are individual and help children to engage in purposeful play that is effective in developing independence and confidence.

Children know and understand the routines of the day and actively engage in preparing for mealtimes, sleep times and tidy-up times. As routines are flexible to the children's needs, there are minimal disruptions to children's learning and engagement in activities.

Staff and children build warm and caring relationships. Children are confident to approach adults and show they enjoy their company. For example, babies seek adults for cuddles and staff show warmth and are attentive to children's needs. Staff model and teach sharing and turn-taking to support children to develop their personal, social and emotional development and understand the feelings of others. Staff set clear expectations of children's behaviour and attitudes through discussions and explanations of the routine for the day, and they support children to know what is happening now and next.

Leaders have effective procedures in place to monitor children's attendance. They promote the importance of regular attendance and the benefit this has on children's learning and development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff provide an environment where children can build their confidence and independence. For instance, they ensure risk assessments are effective in providing a safe and secure play space that children are comfortable and confident to explore in.

Children develop their self-care skills. For example, at snack times, they collect plates and cups and pour drinks. When children notice they have a runny nose, they find tissues and wipe their noses. Staff support children where needed and remind children of the importance of handwashing.

Staff support children's emotional development through nurturing and developing caring and trusting relationships that are secure and help children to feel safe and settled at nursery. Staff help children to learn and understand their feelings and emotions and are quick to respond and provide comfort and reassurance when children are unsettled. Occasionally, however, when children move into a new room, information is not shared fully effectively between staff in order to support a highly consistent transition.

Children show that they have developed positive relationships with their key person and feel safe. For example, when new children arrive, staff welcome them with open arms and happily embrace them with cuddles. Babies have their needs met well. They settle down to sleep with ease, which shows they are aware of the routines and feel comfortable in the setting. Staff ensure babies are safe during sleep time, ensuring consistent monitoring and checks are completed, and staff remain with them while they sleep.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a constant focus on improvement. They have a realistic oversight of the setting's strengths and weaknesses. They recognise areas for development and take action to support continuous improvement. For example, leaders recognise that further work is needed on developing transitions for children as they move rooms. This is to support consistent teaching and messages for children's learning and development as they grow and learn during their time at the nursery.

Leaders have linked with partner settings to further develop and embed the curriculum to support staff's teaching and interactions with children. This is to help develop consistent quality of teaching to benefit children's learning and build on their next steps. Leaders and staff consider how they can meet children's individual needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or children who have barriers to their learning. For instance, they have effective relationships with parents and ensure that they are included in decisions about their children.

Leaders ensure that staff workload is reasonable and manageable. They provide the support and coaching to staff to help them in their role and responsibility and support professional development. Leaders particularly focus on ensuring new staff receive the training and induction they need to understand their role and have the skills they need to be effective in caring for children.