Little Acorns Day Nursery Ltd

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff know children well. From the start, they build positive working relationships with parents and carers. Staff complete observations and assessments that identify promptly any support children may need. Key persons are clear and secure in the targets and next steps they set for their children. They ensure that they are relevant to their individual needs and ambitious for each child. Leaders work in purposeful partnership with other professionals to ensure that staff are knowledgeable and supported to meet all children's learning needs. Staff are robust in keeping children's progress and the impact of support under review. This helps them to adjust approaches when needed. This in turn impacts positively on children's feeling of belonging. Staff adapt the curriculum, where necessary, to ensure that all children can achieve.

Children with speech and language needs benefit from high-quality support from staff. This helps them to develop effective communication skills, to support them in the next stage of their learning. Parents and carers are very positive about the way staff ensure that their children feel included and continue to enjoy and experience opportunities in the setting. Leaders and staff support parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities through processes. They communicate regularly about any changes or updates. These positive partnerships with parents further strengthen outcomes for children.

Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to support children's individual needs. For example, they provide children with their own resources, such as musical instruments, to support their speech and language development. This enables children to engage more fully in learning activities and supports inclusive practice.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

There is a clear sequence of learning across all rooms in the nursery. Leaders and staff share a clear vision for what children should learn and how their learning builds as they move through the setting. This is evident across all areas of learning and supports children to make steady progress from their starting points. Staff use regular assessments to check what children know and can do, ensuring planned activities reflect children's current learning and development.

In the baby room, staff appropriately prioritise babies' personal, social and emotional development, focusing on establishing routines and secure attachments. Practitioners use observations and assessments to understand each babies' abilities and interests. They plan experiences that support early their social skills, alongside other areas of learning. Physical development is a consistent focus across the nursery, beginning with babies' early mobility and progressing to more complex skills, such as riding bicycles in the pre-school room.

Staff promote children's communication and language development through activities, such as role play and storytelling, using effective questioning to extend children's thinking. They encourage children to engage with books. Leaders recognise the importance of continuing to embed these opportunities consistently across all rooms, building on the information gathered through assessments to meet children's individual needs.

Staff introduce mathematics through children's play and daily routines. They make considered choices about activities and resources, though this remains an area to focus on. Staff use assessment to check what children know and can do, enabling them to plan activities that match children's current understanding. Leaders should continue to strengthen mathematical provision by ensuring a wider range of purposeful activities and resources are consistently embedded across all areas of play and in all rooms.

Transition processes between rooms are effective and help children to move on with confidence. Staff differentiate children's learning and provide appropriate support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children access forest school provision, which supports all areas of children's learning well.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are well prepared for each stage of transition, whether moving between rooms or progressing to school. They benefit from smooth transitions, which helps them to settle with confidence. Pre-school children develop their independence, social skills and the knowledge they need to be ready for school. However, younger children have do not have the same opportunities to develop their self-care skills as consistently.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or emerging needs benefit from timely support and clearly identified next steps. This helps them to make steady progress. Babies develop their physical skills through daily opportunities to crawl, pull themselves up and practise early walking. Older children continue to build coordination and confidence in movement.

Children engage in daily singing and enjoy a range of stories. During storytelling, they join in enthusiastically, often finishing familiar sentences confidently. Children respond to positive adult interactions during play. Overall, children typically develop the skills and confidence they need for the next stage, while enjoying engaging learning experiences.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

High expectations for children's behaviour are evident across the setting. Children understand routines and what is expected of them. For example, during forest school, rules are clear and children follow them confidently. Leaders actively promote punctuality and regular attendance, working closely with parents to ensure children arrive on time and engage fully in daily routines. Staff reinforce established routines, such as snack and sleep times with cues, including songs, and carefully consider each child's age, stage of development, individual needs and circumstances, when supporting them to meet the setting's expectations. This helps children to settle and engage in daily activities. Staff promote and model good manners throughout the day. They support children through routines, such as singing a 'lunchtime song'.

Staff support children to maintain focus and engagement. They adapt their teaching when children become distracted. For example, during a pre-school story time, staff adjust their interactions to maintain children's interest and concentration. Staff tailor their support to children's individual abilities and stages of development. This ensures that all children can participate meaningfully and benefit from learning opportunities. Children play collaboratively with their peers or alongside each other across all rooms, demonstrating positive social interactions.

Staff also prepare children well for times of change. This helps them to develop confidence and regulate their emotions as they move between rooms. Relationships between staff and children are secure and trusting. Leaders ensure that staff maintain effective partnerships with parents and carers to meet children's needs effectively. Children demonstrate appropriate behaviour, engagement and respect for routines. This helps them to develop social skills, confidence and positive attitudes toward their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The nursery provides a warm, welcoming, and safe home-from-home environment. Children enjoy learning and play in well-organised indoor and outdoor spaces. Staff plan access to outdoor play and forest school sessions to support children to develop physical skills, curiosity and confidence. Established routines promote children's security and help them to understand expectations.

Staff prioritise healthy lifestyles throughout the setting. They promote toothbrushing in the pre-school room, and good hygiene and healthy eating across all rooms. Children engage in discussions about their food, understanding how it supports their health. Staff use social times, including mealtimes, to reinforce manners with staff modelling positive behaviour.

Staff support children to recognise, express and manage their emotions, helping them develop a secure sense of emotional wellbeing. Secure and responsive relationships and attachments are established between key persons and children. Staff respond sensitively to children's needs and support each other to ensure all babies' needs are consistently met. Settling-in processes are individualised, with staff responding sensitively to babies' and toddlers' needs, including reassurance, cuddles and following parental guidance. Staff consistently observe safer sleep practice, with personalised sleep plans in place. Staff manage transitions effectively. Key persons support children when moving between rooms. They plan shared routines between age groups to prepare younger children for upcoming transitions.

Staff promote children's independence in the pre-school room. Children practise toileting, putting on their coats and wiping their faces. However leaders recognise the need to extend this teaching more consistently across all baby and toddler rooms and staff, to ensure that children receive routine encouragement to manage their personal care and self-help skills that are age-appropriate.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The leadership team provides stability, clear direction and a supportive culture. Leaders have a shared vision for the setting and a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for development. They value and nurture staff's wellbeing. Leaders provide guidance, maintain an open-door approach and ensure that staff's workloads are manageable. Staff report feeling supported and valued, which helps them provide consistent care and learning for children.

Partnerships with parents and carers and professionals are effective. Leaders actively value and respond to parental feedback, using it to develop the quality of the provision. Parents share extremely positive views about the care and education their children receive, highlighting the supportive and welcoming environment.

Leaders have identified essential training that staff have taken part in and are given access to. However, staff recognise the need to access further professional development and are working to overcome barriers, such as time constraints and staffing, to ensure they can engage fully. Leaders have not consistently increased professional development opportunities to enhance staff's skills and knowledge, to directly benefit the quality of the setting and outcomes for children.