Ladybird Private Day Nursery, Folly Brook House

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are passionate about inclusion. They consistently support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning. Staff communicate immediately when they have concerns about a child's development or progress. They complete a baseline period when children first start, and swiftly identify any gaps in their learning. Staff speak with parents and discuss initial next steps to put things in place. Any child who has gaps in their development has a play plan to show the interventions that staff are working on with them. They complete a full cycle before any referrals are made to other agencies, to enable staff to gather evidence and input ideas and activities. This ensures that children make rapid progress from their starting points.

Leaders make effective use of additional funding. This includes the provision of one-to-one sessions for children so that they can receive intensive support. Leaders have also purchased a variety of resources to help with transitions from home to the setting and provided staff training to raise the quality of teaching in specific areas. Children who are known to children's social care, and their families, are significantly supported. Staff work hard to maintain professional relationships and effective communication with other agencies to ensure children's safety and wellbeing.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have designed a curriculum that provides children with what they need to learn before they start school. The curriculum builds upon children's prior learning and experiences and prepares them for the next stage in their learning. Staff typically have a good understanding of the curriculum and plan for children's interests and next steps. However, sometimes, staff plan activities that are not age-appropriate for children or do not follow the next steps in their learning. This means that children can sometimes miss valuable building blocks in their learning. For example, staff teach children about colours and number when they have not yet learned how to sort or match.

Staff ensure that lots of mathematical language is woven into everyday conversations with children, encouraging them to use number and count in their play, for example when counting strawberries and finding stones that are like dinosaur eggs. Children talk confidently about what they are learning and can recall prior knowledge. Staff are on hand to extend children's learning and provide a narrative to their play. There is a clear focus on communication and language, as well as personal and social development. Staff model vocabulary and support children in learning the meaning of new words.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make progress in their learning. Children make progress in their communication and language with input from communication strategies. Children, including those with SEND, communicate confidently. For example, those who are nonverbal communicate through gestures and sign. Children develop a love of books and spend time sharing stories and songs with their key person. Babies and younger children join in confidently with the familiar rhymes, such as 'The Wheels on the Bus', singing it independently to their friends as they play.

Children demonstrate engagement and curiosity in their learning. Older children use their physical skills to balance along a wooden beam unaided, and to pedal the trikes and use balance bikes. Babies practise crawling and pulling themselves up confidently. They develop and build on this by having lots of low-level things to cruise along as they start to learn to walk. By the time children move into the pre-school room, many children can already hold their pencil correctly to draw. This helps them to develop skills such as writing their name.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have implemented clear expectations for children's behaviour. Staff have received training in the effective management of behaviour and have implemented new routines and boundaries to support children's behaviour. Staff remind children of the rules of the setting, which helps children to know what is expected of them. Staff speak to children in a positive way, modelling positive interactions and respect for others. They take time to explain why this is important. For example, staff teach children climbing up and sliding down the slide about turn-taking, and about being careful of other children when they are using the slide.

Children develop positive attitudes to learning because staff are sensitive to their needs and adapt activities to support their interests. Staff are positive role models and encourage children to be independent, be polite and use manners when interacting. Children develop independence at mealtimes, building on their existing skills to become confident and competent in using cutlery. Leaders and staff are starting to place more focus on exploring children's feelings and supporting them in dealing with their emotions. This encourages children to regulate their own emotions and understand their feelings.

Leaders promote the importance of attendance and have built effective relationships with families. They work with parents to establish routines that support their family's needs. Leaders support parents with reducing screen time, and provide information on internet safety. This helps to promote effective boundaries and keep children safe online.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place children's wellbeing at the heart of everything they do. They strive to provide a nurturing and inclusive environment where children thrive. Leaders seek to provide a family environment where everyone feels included, including parents and wider family members. Leaders gather robust information from parents on entry, which provides details of children's likes and dislikes, any allergens or intolerances and any other agencies involved in their care. The quality of this information and high-quality settling-in procedures help children to settle quickly and parents to feel reassured. Staff promote the skills children need in order to develop independence at mealtimes. Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. Children manage their own personal hygiene with increasing control. They enjoy a range of healthy meals and snacks and understand which foods are good for them.

Children show that they feel safe and secure, and form bonds with their key person. Relationships are strong and promote independence and confidence, with even new children separating easily from their parents/carers. Staff are extremely sensitive in response to children's needs. They work closely with parents on entry to ensure that they are familiar with babies' home routines. Comprehensive 'All about Me' booklets are completed before children start, and settling-in arrangements support individual children's needs. Staff have a good understanding and overview of their key children and talk confidently about them and their next steps. They know their key children's habits and gestures and respond sensitively to them.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders carry out regular supervision with their staff and identify any learning needs. Leaders have focused on strengthening staff skills. They provide lots of training to ensure that staff are high-quality practitioners and have a breadth of experience in their roles. For example, all staff have received training on effective behaviour management, safe sleep and working with babies. Leaders have developed the curriculum to support children to engage in child-led mathematics experiences, so that they can consolidate new learning. They have robust induction procedures in place for any new staff, including any agency staff. This includes mandatory training in paediatric first aid and safeguarding. Leaders have a clear vision for future improvements and swiftly identify areas for development.

Leaders provide support for families who need help, and signpost them to local agencies and support services where needed. Leaders are family-orientated and treat everyone with respect and understanding. Partnerships with parents are highly effective and parents are very complimentary about the setting and the staff. Leaders have an open-door policy for parents, promoting communication and transparency, and provide newsletters to communicate staff changes and new events. There is a high focus on staff wellbeing, with staff being given support to gain further training and skills, as well as support to maintain a work-life balance. Leaders and staff know the children well. They spend additional funding wisely to support children's individual needs. For example, staff receive additional training to support children's specific needs.