Leaps and Bounds Children's Centre and Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders identify children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing at an early stage. They generally work effectively with parents and a range of external professionals to ensure children receive the support they need. Leaders review children's progress regularly and adapt support as children's needs change. This helps children access the curriculum alongside their peers and develop positive relationships. However, assessment information is not always used precisely enough to identify the specific steps in learning that individual children need next. As a result, planned teaching does not consistently build on children's current stages of development as closely as possible.

Leaders take time to understand children's individual circumstances, family backgrounds and home cultures. They use this information to help children settle, to value children's experiences and to ensure all families and children feel included in nursery life. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to reduce barriers to learning. They generally work closely with families to identify how funding will best support each child. Leaders use funding to provide targeted one-to-one support where appropriate. They also broaden children's experiences through visits to places such as museums and local shops and the use of public transport.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum around carefully chosen concepts that children revisit as they move through the nursery. Staff revisit ideas, such as water and movement, through experiences that increasingly deepen children's understanding as they move through the rooms. Overall, staff typically implement the curriculum successfully. They generally adapt their interactions to ensure that all children can participate in learning. They use modelling, narration of children's play and purposeful questioning to extend children's communication, mathematical understanding and thinking. Staff make effective use of everyday routines to support language development. They engage babies in meaningful one-to-one conversations during nappy changing and care routines. They encourage toddlers to express themselves creatively as they explore paint, sand and water. Staff support older children to explain their ideas and solve problems as they investigate and experiment with play dough.

Leaders have established effective systems for assessing children's learning and development. Staff generally know children well and identify children's next steps. However, staff's use of assessment information is not consistently embedded in planning. This means that learning experiences do not always build closely on what individual children already know, understand and can do. As a result, opportunities to maximise children's progress are not consistent.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, typically develop the knowledge and skills they need across the areas of learning. This prepares them well for the next stages in their learning and school.

Babies confidently explore using their senses as they investigate different textures, sounds and smells. They develop their early communication as they copy familiar words and actions during meaningful one-to-one interactions with staff, such as playing peekaboo. Toddlers refine their fine motor skills as they use single-handed tools safely. They concentrate as they transfer sand and water between a range of containers. Toddlers strengthen their coordination as they crouch, balance and move purposefully while exploring the environment. Older children confidently apply mathematical ideas as they compare quantities, use language such as 'full' and 'empty' and explore number through a variety of resources, including dice. They solve problems as they experiment with play dough, test ideas and explain their thinking to staff and their friends. Children develop their creativity and curiosity as they investigate a wide range of materials. They explore the different smells of spices, experiment with cameras and use open-ended resources in imaginative ways.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders establish generally clear expectations for children's behaviour and daily routines. Children typically behave well because staff provide calm guidance and help them understand what is expected. Staff identify the triggers for individual children's behaviour and adapt their approach to prevent unnecessary distress. For example, they recognise when some children need reassurance before familiar adults leave them and provide additional support to help them regulate their emotions. Staff typically encourage children to share, take turns and cooperate during play.

Overall, daily routines generally support children's growing independence. For example, older children learn routines that prepare them well for school as they line up, carry their own plates and manage aspects of lunchtime independently. However, routines are not consistently implemented across the nursery. For example, the organisation of lunchtime for toddlers sometimes results in some unnecessary waiting, meaning opportunities to maximise children's independence and learning are not used consistently.

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and work in partnership with families to remove barriers where possible, including for children who face barriers to their learning. Staff help parents understand when children can continue to attend nursery safely due to minor ailments and when they should remain at home due to illness. This generally helps children benefit from consistent routines, build secure relationships and access the full curriculum.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders promote children's welfare effectively. They respond thoughtfully to environmental factors that may compromise children's welfare. For example, during periods of hot weather, they continually review risk assessments. They monitor room temperatures and adapt the environment by relocating babies to cooler areas for playing, eating and sleeping. Staff complete risk assessments for planned experiences. However, they do not give full consideration to how these opportunities can help children understand and manage risks when using a range of open-ended resources.

Staff help children develop the language to recognise, understand and express their feelings in developmentally appropriate ways. For example, on arrival, older children choose to spend time talking with staff about how they feel and link their emotions to colours. Staff encourage children to reflect on how different situations make them feel, helping them develop an increasing understanding of their own emotions and those of others. Staff adapt their interactions so that all children feel included.

Leaders promote healthy lifestyles through regular opportunities for outdoor play and learning, nutritious meals and snacks, and ensuring children have frequent access to drinking water. Staff also encourage children to develop increasing independence from an early age. For example, once babies are confidently standing, staff support them to stand at the sink while washing their hands, helping them begin to learn hygiene routines. Staff continue to build on these routines as children grow, encouraging them to manage aspects of their own care independently.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders generally demonstrate a clear vision for the nursery and accurately evaluate its strengths and areas for development. They have recently reviewed the curriculum, refining the concepts they want children to develop as they move through the nursery. Leaders are currently prioritising strengthening the quality of staff interactions so that teaching becomes consistently effective across the setting. Leaders also respond diligently to concerns when they arise. For example, they have reviewed and strengthened their procedures for managing accidents and first aid. This includes updating policies and providing additional training. They monitor practice regularly and use their findings to identify where further improvements are needed. However, monitoring is not yet consistently precise enough to ensure all staff implement teaching to the highest standard.

Leaders invest in staff's professional development. Training typically reflects the priorities they have identified, including positive teaching interactions, safe sleep, healthy eating and safeguarding. Staff value having regular supervision, time to manage their workload, professional discussions and opportunities to reflect on their practice.

Leaders build positive partnerships with parents and the wider community. They provide workshops, share resources for learning at home and organise events that encourage families to become involved in nursery life. This helps parents to extend their children's learning beyond the setting and provides greater continuity in experiences.