Little Acorns Nursery Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

There is a highly positive and nurturing culture of inclusion across the nursery. Leaders and staff have consistently high expectations of all children and demonstrate a committed approach to ensuring every child thrives. They create a warm, safe and highly supportive environment where children feel a strong sense of belonging. Leaders and staff know all children incredibly well, showing a thorough understanding of their unique personalities and any barriers they may face in relation to learning and wellbeing. This detailed knowledge enables them to reduce barriers through thoughtful reasonable adjustments, adaptations and inclusive practices.

All staff skilfully and consistently adapt teaching, routines and the environment so that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as disadvantaged children, can access the curriculum fully and participate confidently alongside their peers. Leaders rigorously monitor children's progress closely and are highly reflective in regularly reviewing the impact of support. As a result, all children make secure and sustained progress from their starting points, irrespective of the challenges they face. Disadvantaged children and those with complex family circumstances receive targeted and highly effective support.

Leaders use funding very effectively to meet children's needs. They work closely with parents and professionals to identify enriching resources and activities that promote progress towards children's next steps. For instance, leaders have used funding to train staff and create spaces where children can experience quiet time to self-regulate and develop emotional resilience. This helps ensure that funding has a significant impact on outcomes for disadvantaged children.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders plan a highly ambitious and enriching curriculum that prioritises children's communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and physical skills. Staff have a secure understanding of what they want children to learn, and learning is thoughtfully sequenced so that new knowledge builds effectively on prior learning. Each room has clear learning intentions which are regularly reviewed and adapted to reflect children's needs and interests.

Staff provide abundant opportunities for children to develop a deep love of books, songs and rhymes. Children excitedly sing and read together, showing enthusiasm and engagement in literacy-rich experiences. They recall familiar stories in their play. For example, they play outside on the climbing frame and recall the troll trip trapping over the bridge. Children understand routines, emotions and social interactions. This has a significant impact on children's confidence, emotional regulation and social development.

Interactions between staff and children are of consistently high quality. Staff skilfully adapt their teaching, model language effectively and use every interaction as a purposeful teaching opportunity. They encourage curiosity and critical thinking, supporting children to test ideas and explore materials independently. Staff use visual aids, objects of reference and visuals effectively to enhance communication. This is highly embedded across the nursery.

Assessment is used highly effectively to identify children's starting points and next steps. As a result, teaching is adapted precisely, and all children, including those facing barriers to learning, make excellent progress from their starting points across all areas of development.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make clear and sustained progress from their starting points in all areas of learning for their age and stage of development. This is particularly evident in communication and language, where young children develop increasing confidence in speaking, using words and short phrases to express themselves. Children also make secure progress in developing independence and self-care skills. From a young age, they learn to eat independently, dress and undress themselves, brush their teeth and manage personal hygiene routines confidently.

Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who face barriers to learning make similarly sustained progress due to highly effective targeted support and tailored teaching. For instance, children who were previously nonverbal or withdrawn now engage in interactions, use language and participate confidently in group activities. As a result, all children flourish, develop confidence and resilience and are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have established a calm, respectful and well-structured environment where expectations for behaviour are clearly understood and consistently applied. Staff model positive interactions and provide consistent guidance, enabling children to develop secure social skills, resilience and positive attitudes to learning. Relationships between staff and children are warm and responsive. Key persons know children very well and provide reassurance and support, helping children to feel safe and settle very quickly. This is particularly effective for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who require additional emotional support.

Children are supported well to collaborate, share and help each other during play and routines. Staff consistently encourage independence and resilience, promoting highly positive attitudes to learning. Children behave well, demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and engage confidently in activities. Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality effectively. They work closely with families to establish consistent routines and address any barriers, ensuring children attend regularly and engage in learning. Staff adapt their expectations and support in line with children's age, stage of development and individual needs. All children are supported to meet expectations successfully and confidently over time.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing through effective care practices that meet children's individual needs. Staff know children well and adapt routines and provision to support their physical, emotional and developmental needs. This is particularly evident for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those known to children's social care. They receive tailored and consistent support that reduces barriers to their wellbeing.

Secure attachments are a key strength. Key persons build close, responsive relationships with children, enabling them to feel safe and emotionally secure. As a result, children engage confidently in their learning and form positive relationships with others. Children are supported to develop an understanding of their health and wellbeing. Snack and mealtimes promote healthy eating, independence and language development. Children are provided with healthy home cooked meals prepared by the nursery cook. All special diets and allergies are well catered for. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to promote healthy lifestyles, including oral health.

Staff support children to recognise and manage their emotions effectively. Through consistent routines and targeted strategies, children develop self-regulation and confidence. Routines, including settling in, sleep and transitions between rooms, are carefully planned and responsive, enabling children to feel secure and develop a solid sense of wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Inspirational leadership drives excellence across this highly inclusive nursery. They are relentless in their pursuit of the very best outcomes for all children. They share a very clear, ambitious vision that is fully understood and embraced by the highly skilled staff working at the nursery. Leaders are passionate about giving every child the very best start in life, and this vision threads through every aspect of practice.

Staff receive very high levels of supervision, coaching, training and support. As a result, they comment that they feel valued and are highly skilled in their teaching practice. Partnerships with parents are excellent. Families describe the nursery as their 'community' and 'safe space'. They describe the staff as consistently 'going above and beyond' for their children. Parents truly value the support from regular updates and home learning strategies they receive from staff and leaders. This has a highly positive effect on children's ongoing development and well-being. Leaders and staff are truly passionate about giving every child the best possible start in life, and this vision threads through every aspect of practice.

Leaders use their detailed and perceptive analysis of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement to ensure a culture of high expectations for all children and families. This helps to secure the best education and care for all children. Leaders are consistently enhancing already highly innovative strategies which have a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children.