Kids Planet Morrill

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders implement a clear and embedded approach to inclusion. Staff ensure they meet children's individual needs using robust systems for assessing and monitoring learning. This supports staff to quickly identify any emerging gaps in children's learning and development from an early age. Staff ensure adaptations and adjustments are tailored to the needs of individual children. For example, they offer purposeful sensory experiences, which support self-regulation, as well as visual timetables and 'choosing boards'. Children feel a secure sense of belonging and feel valued.

Leaders consistently seek advice from, and work with, external professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning. They discuss and review focused targets and outcomes for children, sharing these with staff, parents and carers. These collaborative working partnerships maintain continuity when supporting children to reach their individual learning outcomes.

Leaders utilise additional funding very effectively. They regularly review the impact this support has on children's progress. For example, they provide one-to-one support for children and specialised equipment, to aid transitions through nursery and onto school. Leaders and staff demonstrate motivation and passion for continually enhancing the provision. Children with SEND and those who face barriers to their learning make notable progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders plan a typically broad and balanced curriculum that supports children's development. Assessments help staff to understand children's existing knowledge. Overall, staff tailor teaching to suit children's needs, interests and abilities. Children who face barriers benefit from learning in smaller groups, which supports their development well. Staff ensure that children's emotional needs are met during daily routines and activities.

All children have access to outside play and enjoy experiences that they may not have previously had. Children demonstrate engagement in their play and learning and staff ensure that children are safe, secure and happy. Children have opportunities to build on their physical skills. They are encouraged to be active, indoors and outdoors. For example, babies enjoy the freedom to negotiate space as they crawl and toddle. They build strength in their fingers as they explore objects using tweezers and spoons. Staff use every opportunity to help develop children's mathematical knowledge. They play alongside children, with water, and discuss concepts such as volume. Staff encourage children to count the number of friends in their group activity. Staff use repetition, songs and stories to support children's language development. Children enjoy looking at books together and acting out stories, such as 'We're going on a bear hunt'. Staff use these opportunities for children to explore different sensory experiences and textures, such as mud, water, flour and grass.

Leaders are still developing how they support less experienced and less confident staff to implement the curriculum. This can occasionally mean that teaching is inconsistent for different groups of children, as staff are not always skilled in how to fully extend children's learning. However, teaching is of sufficiently high quality, overall, to support all children to make accelerated progress.

Achievement: Strong standard

Babies develop confidence and build their stability and core strength. They roll, crawl and climb up and over small climbing equipment. They babble, smile and use facial expressions as they join in with song time. Younger children build on their communication skills when using actions, gestures and words during songs. They use language, such as bubble, splash, big and little, as they play with water. This helps develop their early communication skills.

Older children chat confidently with staff and their peers as they make potions in water trays, outside. They negotiate turn taking and waiting so that everyone has a turn with the resources. They talk about jugs being full and empty which helps build on their early mathematics skills. Children use problem solving skills and trial and error as they build complex structures with magnetic tiles.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning achieve very well. Despite some inconsistencies in staff's confidence, all children make sustained and rapid progress from their starting points. Children demonstrate that they are confidently developing secure foundations for their future learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create an extremely positive and very welcoming environment, where children understand the age-appropriate expectations for behaviour. Staff consistently model hugely respectful interactions and support children to manage their feelings very well. Children behave extremely well and demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and play. Staff consistently teach children how to cooperate and treat others with kindness. For example, during story time, older children discuss and explore what has made the monkey in the story feel sad. This helps children learn and recognise how their actions may affect others. Children play cooperatively and show empathy, respect and kindness to their peers.

Relationships between staff and children are extremely calm, warm and supportive. Staff respond sensitively to children's individual needs and help them to successfully regulate their emotions. Children, including babies who are new to the setting, confidently approach staff for reassurance or support. They are confident and competent to show and share their feelings and emotions. Leaders promote attendance and punctuality through clear communication and highly supportive relationships with families. Children consistently arrive settled and enthusiastic to readily engage in the daily routines and exciting learning experiences. They interact positively with their peers, demonstrate confidence, resilience and enjoyment in their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff place children's welfare and wellbeing at the very heart of their practice. They consistently work hard to create a calm and highly nurturing environment where children feel secure and supported. Children who are new to the nursery are given time to settle until they are ready to join in with their peers. This promotes children's emotional security, enabling them to join play confidently. Secure, warm and trusting relationships with staff help all children feel highly confident and settled. Staff are highly responsive to children's emotional wellbeing. They provide experiences and a wealth of opportunities that help them recognise and talk about feelings. Older children confidently discuss the setting's 'golden rules' and the importance of respect and kindness. As a result, children consistently demonstrate empathy and an excellent understanding of how their actions and words may affect others.

Children's physical health and personal-care needs are rigorously prioritised by staff. High quality interactions consistently support children's emotional well-being. Children independently and thoroughly wash their hands before snack and are very well supported to follow hygiene routines. Staff very clearly explain the importance of looking after our bodies, having lots of fresh air, eating healthy foods and brushing teeth. At the end of their day, children are invited to take a piece of fruit home with them. Children enjoy a wide range of healthy home cooked meals prepared by the nursery cooks. Children sit together for mealtimes while staff supervise closely and model table manners. Mealtimes are sociable times where children enthusiastically reflect upon their day. Staff respond sensitively to children's individual emotional needs. For example, in the baby room, staff take account of individual routines from home, such as sleep times, and how children like to be comforted if they are unsettled.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to providing highly-inclusive education and care for all children and families. Staff work hard to include parents in their child's learning and development. Thoughtful use of additional funding enables children to attend more sessions, for example. Parents value the caring attitudes of staff and leaders, and say this contributed to them choosing the nursery for their children.

Leaders are reflective of provision and are aware that there are still some improvements to be made. They understand that some staff may benefit from additional training and coaching on how to extend children's learning and on how to focus planning for children's next steps in learning. Staff feel valued and well supported in their roles and their workload is well considered. They have access to some training and meet regularly with leaders to discuss their professional development and wellbeing.

Leaders work alongside external agencies to provide targeted support for children and families. They work hard with families and children who face barriers to their learning, to help them achieve well and to quickly close gaps in their experiences and development. Teachers from local schools are consulted in preparation for school readiness. Staff support children well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to ensure a successful and smooth transition to school.