Kids Planet Altofts

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff work hard to consistently support and reduce barriers to children's learning and care. This is particularly true for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known to children's social care. This is due to having effective relationships with families to support them. Parents offer their praise for this. Leaders ensure effective use of early years pupil premium funding. They consider each child's needs and next steps in their learning. They ensure this has a positive impact on the children in their setting. Staff undertake robust assessments to identify the needs of children quickly and effectively, using their key-person approach. This is overseen by leaders. Leaders ensure there is a focus on inclusion at the setting. This is well thought through and adopted by staff. For example, they make careful adaptations at their planning stages so that all children can access the full curriculum on offer. Staff are highly skilled in supporting children with SEND. There is a proactive approach to training and development relating to this. The setting works with external agencies to ensure it meets children's needs and implements the advice given. They are all working together to ensure the best outcomes for children in their care.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders prioritise children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. They ensure the environment is set up both inside and outside to support this. The curriculum has a strong base, and all staff are aware of what the intent is and the associated impact on the children's next steps in learning. In a sand tray activity, staff offer different tools to ensure they support children of all ages to grip and develop their strength. Staff support children's mathematical development as children are encouraged to count before jumping off the obstacle course.

Staff do not ensure that when speaking with children that their dummies are removed. This does not support children's communication development and affects their production of speech sounds. Staff make use of online tools to support them to undertake assessments. They make sure they are all aware of children's abilities to help them tailor their teaching and interactions. Staff change the environment to match the children's interests and their next steps in their learning. For example, babies enjoy exploring play dough by making footprints with toy dinosaurs, supporting their physical development and fine motor skills.

Leaders have high ambitions for developing their curriculum for children, and they make use of local resources to support all children. However, leaders do not ensure that they promote people and communities beyond children's own in the curriculum offer.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care achieve well from their own starting points. Children typically develop well across all 7 areas of learning and enjoy the learning offer available to them. The children are confident in exploring the setting, both inside and outside. Generally, children develop their communication, but sometimes young children continue to try and speak with dummies in their mouths and do not progress their language skills effectively.

Children are typically ready for their next step of development, for example moving rooms or going to school. They learn useful independence skills such as putting on their own coats. The children enjoy taking ownership of this.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff know children well and build strong relationships with them and their families. Parents comment that through changes to management, staff have thankfully always maintained these good relationships. Leaders are keen to address the importance of children's attendance and have systems in place to track and monitor it. Leaders particularly know the value that consistently attending the nursery brings, especially for those who are disadvantaged.

Behaviour and attitudes from the children typically meet the setting's expectations. Staff usefully model inclusive, respectful and caring attitudes to children. Staff support families to understand the setting's expectations for children's behaviour and beneficially help parents to support children's behaviour at home as well. Staff set up and support a range of games and activities for the children to access independently and work at collaboratively. Staff then model suitable exploration and expectations. However, one of the rooms is an open-plan learning environment that is loud and difficult at times for children to hear and follow instructions. This makes it hard for staff to meet children's needs and support their communication and language development as much as possible. Additionally, leaders should review key transition points during the day, such as mealtimes, to ensure they are effective for all ages of children in their care.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children are well supported to understand the importance of physical development and exercise. Staff provide interesting physical activities for all children to access in both the inside and outside areas. Children are inspired to take part in making obstacle courses and thoughtfully do so for the other children to have a go on. This effectively supports them to develop their larger muscle and motor skills and their social development.

There is a well-embedded setting culture around everyone's wellbeing. Leaders support staff's wellbeing, and in turn, staff build strong, secure relationships with the children at the setting. This then promotes and maintains children's wellbeing. Staff follow safe sleep guidance for young children's nap time. Mealtimes are focused around getting children together and enjoying the balanced and well-thought-out food on offer, which is cooked fresh on-site every day and which the children serve themselves. Children are supported to effectively manage their own emotions through quality interactions with staff and their peers. Staff focus on helping children understand the possible risks of using digital technology and how to keep safe online through age-appropriate stories and resources, which are shared with parents and used at home through the 'home working bags'.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The setting has gone through a change of management. However, the company has ensured there has been an effective handover to new management. This has not negatively impacted the day-to-day running. Leaders are ambitious about the next steps for the setting and have already identified areas for improvement. They have considered the workload of the new management to ensure it is appropriate and that support is in place during their induction period.

The setting's management is focused on the wellbeing of staff, including implementing wellbeing surveys and optional journaling opportunities. This will support management to meet the needs of staff. Staff are offered professional development opportunities, including through the local authority training offer. Staff comment on how this supports them to gain the knowledge and skills for their jobs.

The setting has suitable ideas for supporting those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and how they plan to spend pupil premium money. This is around ensuring children and their families are at the centre of the decisions they make. They also make sure they are using external professionals to help support children's additional developmental needs. They promote strong working relationships to benefit children's progress and help them reach their potential.