Little Acorns Hindley Green

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders work in partnership with parents and carers and other agencies to help promote consistency in children's care. However, this is not yet embedded to enable all children to achieve well. While the setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning, this is not consistent. As a result, children do not receive the most appropriate curriculum to help them make progress in the areas they need to. Staff, however, do identify those children with gaps in their learning and seek referrals where needed.

Children, including those with SEND and those who face other barriers to their learning, receive support from caring staff. Staff use visuals to help children to know what is expected of them and what is coming next. They generally know what helps to calm children, when they struggle to regulate their emotions. However, on occasion, there are inconsistencies in how staff support or manage children's behaviour. This means that children do not always know what is expected of them.

Leaders use funding, such as early years pupil premium, to purchase additional resources to support children's learning and development. They identify gaps from their assessments and use this to highlight areas, where children need support. For example, they have purchased sensory play items to help support and regulate children's behaviour.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The curriculum does not accurately reflect the next steps in children's learning. This does not reflect a curriculum that is well sequenced or implemented consistently. Therefore, it does not ensure that children build their knowledge and skills progressively over time. This limits children's ability to make sustained progress across all areas of learning. For example, staff offer opportunities for children to practise mark making. However, the expectations placed on children to correctly hold a pencil to copy their name are not always appropriate to the next stage of children's learning.

Since the last inspection, leaders have designed and started to implement a new curriculum to support children's learning and development. They have taken steps to improve provision and opportunities to support children's communication and language. Children engage in a variety of learning opportunities throughout the day. They benefit from sharing stories with staff, where they sit comfortably as they hear books read to them. Staff talk confidently about their key children and their interests. They know which children face barriers to their learning and how to support them.

Leaders and staff identify children's starting points and complete regular assessments. They provide opportunities for children to develop important physical skills, such as climbing, running and jumping. Younger children enjoy filling and emptying containers. They practise scooping and pouring, which helps their self-feeding skills.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children share stories and join in with song and rhymes. They develop some early mathematical concepts, such as shape and colour. Older children are starting to identify number and counting. Younger children enjoy construction activities, where they develop early awareness of quantity and space. However, children's learning is not always accurately sequenced to build on their next steps. This means that children do not develop skills in the order that would best help them to make progress. For example, children are given next steps to match numerals to quantity and follow patterns, when they have not mastered the concepts of number.

Children develop some skills to help them to prepare for the next stage in their learning. They learn to be independent through daily routines. For example, children self-serve at mealtimes, put on their own coats and learn to manage self-care, such as wiping their noses. Not all children are toilet trained, but children benefit from leaders working with parents and carers to support this process before they transition to school. Children are happy and settled and have positive relationships with their key person. They know who to go to for comfort and are self-assured.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

The setting promotes routines, which help children to know what is coming next. Staff support children's behaviour with visual prompts to warn them of transitions and changes in routine. However, staff do not consistently prioritise children's needs and interests. For example, children who ask to use the outdoor provision are encouraged to try other activities rather than staff taking them outside. This can then lead to children becoming frustrated and demonstrating unwanted behaviour.

Staff build secure and positive relationships with children through their key-person system. Staff demonstrate knowledge of their key children and how to support their care routines, such as feeding and sleeping. Leaders and staff recognise the importance of helping children to settle quickly. They have a robust settling-in procedure, which includes visits and discussions with parents and carers about their expectations. Leaders also work closely with local schools to aid transition.

Leaders have an oversight of children's attendance. They encourage parents to inform them of changes to their children's usual attendance pattern. Leaders follow up any unexplained absences appropriately to ensure children are safe.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Staff are clear about which children have allergens or specific food preferences. They implement a 'red plate' system to identify children who have specific dietary requirements, and this is implemented consistently across the setting. Children have access to drinking water and milk and are provided with snacks of fruit and vegetables. However, not all children have regular access to healthy snacks and foods, and drink juice from bottles in the baby room. This means that children do not benefit from healthy meals and do not learn about making healthy choices.

Interactions between staff and children are positive and effective. Children, particularly the younger babies, feel safe and know who to go to for comfort. Staff manage care routines effectively, such as feeding and sleep routines, to mirror their routines at home. This helps new children to feel secure and comforted.

Staff support children to learn about their emotions. They teach children about feelings and what they mean. This helps children to become secure in their emotions and able to recognise how they feel. Staff model respectful interactions and teach children to share and take turns. Children practise using their manners when asking for snack or drinks.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have made improvements since the last inspection. They have a clear vision for improvement and are taking steps to address this. Leaders have designed and implemented a new curriculum that highlights what they want children to learn. However, this is in its infancy and is not yet sequenced to ensure that children make effective progress.

Leaders have embedded supervision sessions and are offering coaching and wider professional development opportunities. This will focus on improving curriculum delivery and teaching practice across the nursery, with a focus on the outdoors. Staff access online training to further develop their knowledge and skills, such as specific training on supporting children who speak English as an additional language. This has a positive impact on their understanding of children's culture and communication needs.

Partnership with parents and carers has been improved with stay-and-play sessions and parents' evenings being implemented. This contributes to effective communication between home and the setting. It helps parents to feel informed about their children's development and progress.