Kids Planet Lawley

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff are active in getting to know each child and family very well. This helps them to discover children's unique experiences and needs before children start attending nursery. Staff complete early assessments of children and use this information to plan for children's individual needs and interests. Where there are concerns about a child's development, leaders and staff liaise with parents and take swift action to seek support from other agencies, where necessary. This includes partnership working with physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. Additional funding is used effectively to offer increased staffing levels and resources to promote children's interests and learning. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning, typically gain targeted support at the right time and make positive levels of progress from their starting points.

Staff skilfully adapt to the needs of individual children and follow their interests. For instance, children choose to tip water into the sand tray and explore the difference in texture that they create. Staff embrace this and offer children jugs of water so that they can add more if they wish. Additionally, staff get down to children's level and explore bubbly water with them as they bathe dolls. Children explore the bubbles on their hands. Staff repeat key words to children to support communication and language development. They demonstrate what happens when they blow the bubbles off their hands, and children copy this with interest.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders work collaboratively with staff to develop the nursery curriculum and typically tailor it to the emerging needs of the children who attend. They prioritise the promotion of children's personal, social and emotional development. Children receive high levels of praise and encouragement to explore and investigate. Staff provide opportunities for children to work collaboratively with their peers and develop their friendships. As a result, children are confident and resilient learners.

The nursery learning environment offers children valuable opportunities for physical play. Children learn to build, climb and balance, assessing risks as they go. Staff adapt the learning environment to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For instance, they provide safe indoor climbing opportunities for children. Staff offer valuable opportunities for children to develop early mathematical skills. They practise singing number rhymes with children and offer counting and number language naturally through play.

Staff plan creative activities for children that are targeted towards their learning needs. For instance, babies enjoy exploring textured bags. Staff place them on a low table to encourage children to pull themselves up and stand to strengthen their core muscles. Staff introduce and repeat single words to support the development of children's next steps. They use words such as 'soft' and 'squidgy' and repeat the colours of the bags. Children concentrate as they explore different textures. That said, there are often times when staff do not recognise how to extend children's learning further. For instance, children explore colour activities where staff name the colours and tell children how to match them. This means that staff do not always respond effectively to children's emerging learning needs.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning, typically make effective levels of progress from their starting points. Children engage in activities of their choosing with their peers and develop their social skills. They learn how to manage risk as they climb and balance on equipment and staff offer opportunities for children to learn how to use tools and equipment safely. These valuable skills promote children's confidence and resilience as they transition to the next stages of their education.

Children enjoy taking part in activities that are planned for them. For instance, they find animals that are hidden in a basket and practise making the animals' unique sounds. However, staff do not always adapt their teaching to cater for children's individual levels of development. This means that children do not always receive extensions to their learning. As a result, children's opportunities to achieve are sometimes limited.

Children make effective progress in their communication and language development. They confidently talk with their peers and staff as they build a space rocket together before independently creating their own rockets with coloured blocks. Children excitedly discuss travelling to space and visiting 'Pluto' and 'the red planet'.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff prioritise the development of positive partnerships with families to understand their individual circumstances and get to know children very well. They work with families to support appropriate transitions and session times to suit children's needs. This promotes positive levels of attendance and helps children to settle into familiar routines. Staff build positive relationships with children to support them to settle well. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning.

Leaders and staff are positive role models and have high behavioural expectations. They demonstrate care and compassion and communicate effectively throughout the nursery. Children confidently share any concerns with staff, who respond quickly to resolve conflicts and provide support. They generally behave very well and demonstrate excellent use of manners.

Staff deliver effective routines that children know and follow. They plan activities for children that are typically targeted towards their needs. Staff recognise that sometimes children cannot or do not want to join in whole-group activities and, as such, they facilitate opportunities for children to follow their own interests, sometimes with support. For instance, during story or circle times, individual children join a key member of staff for targeted activities. However, while children are initially highly engaged as they listen to clues about animals and confidently answer questions, distractions from other groups mean they lose focus. This reduces the quality of the learning experience and limits children's learning opportunities.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff are passionate about making a positive impact on the welfare and wellbeing of children and families that attend the nursery. They get to know the individual needs of children and work with families to support children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or other barriers to their learning. Leaders recognise that each child requires unique support, and they typically endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that each child's needs are accommodated and celebrated. Staff develop warm, positive relationships with children. This supports children to develop a sense of belonging, which promotes their wellbeing effectively.

Leaders and staff promote healthy living and provide a healthy, well-balanced variety of meals for children. They recognise the importance of each child having access to different types of food groups that meet their personal dietary needs. Staff provide all children with the daily meal and encourage them to try it. They understand that some children, particularly those with SEND, cannot eat some flavours or textures and always provide them with an alternative. This means that all children's needs are celebrated and that all of their dietary needs are met.

Staff promote positive daily routines. Children know that they need to wash their hands before eating and how to tidy away their plates and cutlery after a meal. Each child gets themselves ready for sleep times by removing their shoes and storing them in their individual bags. This supports the development of children's independence.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are positive role models. They demonstrate professionalism and respect towards all staff, families and children. This promotes positive working attitudes throughout the nursery. Leaders offer daily interactions and input in all rooms in the nursery. This allows them to develop positive relationships and to monitor the teaching and learning that takes place. Leaders' reflections and evaluations of practice are typically detailed and effective. However, they do not always offer timely or effective feedback to drive improvement. This means that the opportunities for staff to develop their practice are limited.

Leaders are sensitive towards the wellbeing of staff. They offer routine supervision opportunities to staff to discuss the progress of their key children and to share any safeguarding or other training updates. Leaders set staff some targets to support their professional development and offer staff meetings to share key nursery updates.

Leaders engage effectively with parents and work in partnership with them to promote positive outcomes for children. Parents are invited to take part in special events and receive regular feedback on their children's experiences and development. Leaders promote regular attendance and share the importance of this in children developing positive routines. They work collaboratively with other agencies to support smooth transitions for children as they move on to the next stage of their education. This includes offering additional transition opportunities for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning.