Ladybird Playgroup & Pre-School

Inclusion: Needs attention

The provider has recently extended the provision to include younger children from the age of 2. Staff typically gather information from parents and use their ongoing observations and assessments to understand children's individual needs. This is less effective for younger children as staff and leaders are less confident in their approach to support the learning needs of this group of children and tend to focus on supporting older children. Therefore, not all younger children make the progress they are capable of.

Leaders' and staff's knowledge of each child ensures that they use additional funding effectively to offer children rich opportunities that support their development. For instance, they ensure that specific physical equipment is available that enables children to be included in races with their peers.

Staff attend meetings and work in close partnership with parents, professionals and external agencies to gain a secure understanding of how they can precisely support the individual needs of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Early interventions prove positive in helping these children to reach their full potential. For example, staff wear lanyards with visual cards to help children to communicate their needs and understand what is expected of them. Staff attend training that is targeted to meet the individual needs of these children. Knowledge is shared with all staff to support a consistent approach.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have designed a curriculum that encompasses all areas of learning and development. This focuses on teaching children important life skills. Staff complete regular observations and assessments of children. They identify what children need to learn next to help prepare them for their next stage of learning. Staff implement effective strategies to help support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to express their needs. Although, at times, the impact of teaching is variable. Staff do not always adapt their teaching to meet the needs of all children and support their sustained engagement.

Staff encourage children to develop a love of books to help broaden their vocabulary. Some staff foster children's curiosity of the natural world. They teach children the physical skills they need to operate binoculars to enable them to look closely at the snails in the glass tank. Children recall previous knowledge. They demonstrate an awareness of how to protect their own and other's health and wellbeing. Children confidently explain that they 'must not eat the leaves that have slime on them because they are poisonous'. Staff teach simple mathematical concepts, such as addition, and model positional language to build the foundations of mathematical development.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children with with special educational needs/and or disabilities receive tailored support. This enables them to develop the knowledge and skills they need to close gaps in their learning. However, some children, including younger children, make varied progress through the curriculum due to inconsistencies in teaching. Therefore, staff do not always support some children to develop the skills they are capable of achieving to prepare them for their next stage in their learning and development.

Staff encourage children to join in with familiar nursery rhymes to support them to build on their communication and language skills, although children express minimal interest and engagement because staff do not adapt their teaching to meet the needs of all children. On occasions, staff speak on behalf of some children, who are able to express their needs to their peers. This reduces opportunities for children to practise learned vocabulary and build respectful relationships with their peers. Children are independent individuals and thrive in carrying out appropriate responsibilities, such as taking turns to be the helper of the day. Children are beginning to recognise the initial sounds and letter patterns in their names during self-registration activities.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Older children are learning to navigate their emotions. However, when older children display unkind behaviour, such as shouting at friends in frustration or throwing resources, staff tell them to stop but do not always help them to understand their own and others' feelings. As a result, staff do not fully support children to develop the skills needed to regulate their behaviour and show respect towards others. Leaders recognise that staff need to strengthen their skills to help children manage their emotions but have not yet taken effective action to do so.

Staff work well as a team to successfully embed the setting's daily routine to support seamless transitions. They provide children with visual prompts that indicate the time they have left to help tidy up what they are playing with in preparation for mealtimes. Children learn positive hygiene routines before choosing where to sit and they clear away after themselves. Staff adapt settling-in arrangements to ensure they are flexible to the individual needs of children and families. This helps children to build warm, secure relationships with not only their key person, but all staff. Leaders follow the attendance policy to help children develop important habits for future success.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The established key-person approach ensures that children feel relaxed, safe and secure. Children build secure relationships with their key person and seek them out for reassurance when needed. Staff provide children with a varied range of nutritional snacks to help broaden their tastes. Staff offer parents guidance and suggestions for preparing healthy lunch boxes when needed. Staff communicate well as a team to ensure they consistently meet children's individual care needs. Some children are beginning to manage these themselves, such as wiping their own nose. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to communicate their care needs, for example, through the use of visual prompts and sign language.

Children thoroughly enjoy their time outdoors. They develop their physical skills and learn to assess risks as they climb in and out of the climbing frame. Children's core strength and spatial awareness increases as they push themselves around on tricycles, carefully avoiding their peers and obstacles on the ground. Staff provide all children with equal opportunities to access large open spaces. Staff support children to work together to collect leaves and small fallen branches to design and create dens.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders and staff work in close partnership to reflect on the effectiveness of the provision offered to children. Although, since younger children have begun attending the setting, leaders do not accurately identify these children's individual learnings needs or take effective action to best meet them. Leaders understand their responsibility to obtain all relevant checks for committee members prior to them fulfilling their roles.

Staff take part in regular supervision meetings and attend courses that generally help them support some children's individual needs. Furthermore, leader's prioritise staff wellbeing and are mindful of their workload. However, leaders do not consistently target training to improve practice in areas where they have identified weaknesses.

Leaders and staff work in partnership with parents, ensuring that there is a strong 2-way flow of information. This helps to provide a consistent approach to the support children receive. Parents value the support staff offer during key changes in children's lives and appreciate being directed to external services, such as speech and language drop in sessions.