Kids Planet Altrincham

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders typically identify children's needs swiftly and accurately. Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are supported particularly well. For example, children are given picture cards to support their understanding. Staff and children learn sign language to help babies communicate. This helps children to feel included and valued and narrows any gaps in their learning.

Leaders have high expectations for all children, including those with SEND and who are known to children's social care. Children talk about following the rules and use kind hands and feet. Children learn to share and take turns as they play with the parachute together. They learn each other's names and talk about their similarities and differences. This helps children to form a sense of identity and belonging.

Leaders have designed a wide range of unique resources to share with families. Babies take the ingredients home to make their own dough, and young children create 'feelings jars'. Regular parent evenings and open days allow families to stay connected. Additional funding is used for parental cooking sessions and recipes are shared with families. This helps to strengthen home links and promotes a sense of community and belonging.

Leaders use assessment tools to identify children's next steps for learning. They share this information with parents and carers. Staff work closely with experts from other agencies to ensure children with SEND receive care tailored to meet their individual needs. They use the sensory room and follow children's interests to reduce barriers in learning. However, staff are not always clear about the next steps for all children. As a result, interactions are not always shaped as precisely as they could be to meet every child's individual needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that clearly builds on what children already know and can do. They ensure that staff understand how to implement this so that all children, including those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, can make progress from their starting points. Staff typically know what they want children to learn and provide purposeful opportunities to develop independence. They support babies to begin feeding themselves and to choose their own cup, guide young children to use open-topped cups and forks and encourage older children to serve their own food and decide where to sit. While staff generally promote these skills well, they are not always fully clear about the next steps for every child, which means interactions are not always shaped as precisely as they could be. Through their practice, staff help children to develop important life skills that prepare them well for future learning.

Children's mathematical skills are generally developed well. Babies learn to sing songs about counting ducks. They bounce up and down with joy as they sign and point to ducks in a board book. Young children learn about 'full' and 'empty' as they pour water into different sized containers. Older children use cubes to measure and compare the length and width of toy dinosaurs. Children enjoy learning and typically form positive attitudes to learning.

Physical skills are typically developed well. Babies crawl and pull themselves up using the low furniture. They squeal with delight as they splash in water with the yellow ducks. Young children use paintbrushes and flour to cover toy elephants with their friends. They climb, roll and run outside. Older children mould dough into small 'cakes' and build tall towers using small bricks together. Children develop their muscles as they make positive relationships and develop confidence and resilience.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, typically make pleasing progress from their starting points. All children, including those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, develop their learning and understanding across all seven areas. Babies enjoy cuddles and smile as they babble and repeat single words. This helps them to feel safe and secure. They use their muscles to build towers using large bricks and squeal with delight as they knock them down again. They sing songs and rhymes in the water and use their hands to splash and make bubbles. They develop their physical skills as they learn to walk to the door and climb into the cushion seat to listen to a story. Young children giggle as they find wild animals hidden in the sand. They learn the names of animals and pretend to make cakes in the home corner with experienced staff. Their language skills are typically developed well, and they learn to make links in their learning. Older children learn to follow the rules and work together to make the parachute rise in the air. They learn initial sounds and how to recognise their name. This helps develop confidence and self-esteem. Children are typically prepared well for their next stage and develop positive attitudes to learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically behave well. Leaders and staff set high expectations for all children, and these are generally applied consistently. Children talk about the nursery rules and know what is expected of them. They speak of using kind hands, quiet voices and no running inside. Young children play together in the sand and older children learn to line up to move to the studio room. Staff model how to be kind and are good role models. Children are typically eager to learn, to take turns and to share. However, leaders do not always ensure that every routine consistently supports the learning needs of all children, for example, at mealtimes. This means some children do not consistently maintain positive attitudes to learning.

Leaders have established effective home partnerships with families. Children feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Leaders promote attendance and punctuality well, supporting families in different ways to help ensure the children's safety. Leaders communicate children's next steps with parents and regularly share information about their progress made. They provide home learning packs tailored to children's age and stage of development. This enables children to continue their learning at home. Leaders work with outside agencies to ensure the best care for all children, particularly those with SEND and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This means children typically narrow any gaps in their learning and make pleasing progress.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create an inclusive and welcoming space for children and their families. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders have established effective links with families and signpost them to external support if needed. Parents say staff are supportive and give them ideas of how to help their children at home. Leaders create special home learning bags for children to enjoy, focused on different stages of development. They provide welfare packs for new parents and offer a lending library. Family open days and parent evenings keep parents up to date with their children's progress. This helps to promote a sense of belonging and community identity.

Healthy lifestyles are typically promoted well. Meals are healthy and freshly prepared. Leaders organise free cooking sessions for parents where they learn how to cook their children's favourite recipes. This helps strengthen links with home. Children learn about how to make healthy choices. They talk about different fruits and vegetables and learn where they come from. Older children pour their own drinks of milk or water. Hygiene practices typically ensure the personal needs of babies and children are met. This helps children to become more independent and make healthy choices.

Children enjoy daily access to outside play. Their physical needs are typically supported well. Babies splash in the water with their hands and young children dig and hide animals in the sand. Older children roll tyres and jump through hoops. Children are happy and typically form secure relationships with staff. However, inconsistencies in staff interactions mean that some children's individual needs are not always fully met. Overall, children's welfare and wellbeing is supported well.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a good understanding of the nursery's strengths and have identified areas for improvement. They are reflective and acknowledge the challenges they have faced regarding management and staff changes since the previous inspection. Leaders have a clear, shared vision of how to move forwards to benefit the needs of the children in their care. They recognise that there are some inconsistencies in practice and are swift to make changes and improvements, including opportunities for staff training. However, staff training can be broad at times and does not always provide the focused guidance needed to strengthen well-tailored, high-quality interactions. This means practice occasionally varies in how precisely staff meet children's individual needs.

Leaders support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families typically well. They have formed effective relationships with external agencies, and parents value regular communication with leaders and staff. Leaders typically identify children's learning needs swiftly. They ensure assessment tools are accurately used to measure children's progress. Leaders use this information to identify children's next steps for learning. Overall, children, including those who have SEND and those who may face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, make progress from their starting points.

Leaders have formed effective links with parents and carers. They work in partnership together, to benefit the children. Leaders create home learning bags and staff host parent cooking workshops. Leaders offer help and advice to families and refer to outside agencies for support. Regular open days involve the local community, and children of all ages are invited to attend. This helps to strengthen the bonds between home and nursery and promotes positive attitudes to learning. Leaders prioritise the wellbeing of their staff. Staff speak highly about the support they receive and feel supported in their role.