Little Cubs Academy Honor Oak

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a caring and learning environment, where all children develop well. Leaders understand the importance of identifying children's needs quickly. This helps them to put appropriate interventions in place to enhance the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, some children with SEND need support to work with their peers, staff have used vehicles to encourage children to learn together as it is a shared interest. Leaders understand how to use early years pupil premium. They would work in collaboration with parents and carers. They reflect together on the learning needs of children to ensure resources support children's learning and development further.

Typically, staff who work with children who have barriers to their learning, including children with SEND, participate in training provided by the external agencies, such as the local authority. This helps staff to have sufficient understanding of how to develop effective and targeted learning experiences for the children. Leaders also ensure key persons, who support young children who are settling into the setting, have time to get to know them. They listen to parents to get a deeper understanding of their children. In the main, this demonstrates that staff value children's individual learning journeys.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Generally, the curriculum ensures children receive high-quality learning. Staff understand what the youngest children in the baby rooms to the oldest children in the pre-school need to learn next. They find out about children by interacting and observing them. The information gathered by staff ensures they enrich the curriculum with experiences that spark children's interests. This enables children to move steadily through the curriculum. In the baby rooms, children move freely around the environments, accessing learning that meets their individual needs well. Staff take pleasure in reading books that the children show an interest in. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive learning that is adapted, when needed, to meet their changing needs. Children in the toddler room, sculpt, press and shape play dough as they learn about minibeasts.

Leaders have developed a structured approach to physical development. They work with specialist coaches to guide the sessions in collaboration with staff. This approach ensures all children develop their small- and large-muscle abilities appropriately.

Leaders have initiated links with local schools to help children prepare for school. For example, they have invited teachers from the local school to visit the setting. Staff teach children early mathematical skills. For example, they sing number rhymes and talk about sizes of objects. However, leaders have not considered how to improve the curriculum further in mathematics. This does not consistently enhance children's knowledge of early mathematical concepts.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children enjoy meaningful learning and enjoy their time at the setting. The youngest children sit with huge smiles as they eat with their peers. They develop their small-muscles skills and their hand-eye coordination. Staff are next to them to safely develop this skill. Generally, all children demonstrate how to show kindness to their friends. For example, children like to sing songs and share resources as they play fishing games together in the outdoor water tray. Older children manage their self-care skills, such as dressing themselves. This promotes their physical skills in preparation for school.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn within environments that have fun resources that support their interests. Young and toddler-age children joyfully manipulate sand. For example, some children squeeze dry sand and push it through their fingers. They learn about the texture of sensory materials. Older children enthusiastically learn how plants grow. They talk about which plants require watering. Children learn some early mathematical skills as they compare the size of the growing plants. Children are able to access learning that builds on interests and what they need to learn next. Generally, all children make steady progress from their starting points.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders have put some behaviour strategies in place, such as a 'zen den' and an area for children to 'stomp' with the intention of enabling children to express some of their feelings. However, staff do not use the strategies well. They do not support older children sufficiently to understand the setting's expectations for their behaviour appropriately. At times, children display unwanted behaviours, such as throwing cushions during story time and walking over books. Staff alongside them do not intervene to help them learn how to regulate their emotions and support a more engaging and focused attitude to learning. This is seen primarily with the oldest children and does not help them to develop the skills to support their transition to school or other settings. Staff do not teach children about how some behaviours have a poor impact on themselves and their peers.

Staff encourage all children, including those with special educational needs and or disabilities, to age appropriately follow instructions. They show calmness and offer praise as they gently ensure all children have opportunities to benefit from the learning on offer. For example, there is a programme of physical education that is part of the established routine of the setting. Older children take on the responsibility of being monitors. They clean and set the tables for lunch in the pre-school room. They demonstrate their growing self-assurance and build their confidence too. Leaders take pride in building professional partnerships with parents and carers. They have effective approaches in place to promote and monitor children's attendance and punctuality.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leader ensure care practices are reviewed regularly and implemented well. They put children's welfare and wellbeing at the centre of their curriculum. The key-person system works effectively and leaders ensure staff working closely with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities know them well. Staff typically respond quickly to all children's individual care needs and support their care routines well. For example, they adapt feeding and weaning practices sufficiently to each child's stage of development.

Leaders and staff support healthy eating. They help children to learn about healthy food choices and the importance of washing their hands before they eat. It is clear that staff place an importance on supervising children when they eat to ensure they are safe. All children delight in mealtimes and some of the youngest children attempt to feed themselves. This benefits children's health, including their self-care and hygiene practices.

Children's sleep routines are adapted in line with parents' and carers' wishes and children's needs. This supports children's long-term health and physical growth. In the main, children are thriving in this setting.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The setting has had some recent significant changes, such as a new leadership team is in place. Leaders demonstrate motivation to continue to create an ambitious rich curriculum. They are aware of the setting's strengths and its weaknesses. Leaders have taken some action to improve. For example, there is an action plan that includes training to address the weaknesses around staff practices to support children's understanding of positive behaviour. Training in this area has begun, but some staff do not have the skills yet to support children's positive attitudes to learning further. Leaders are working with staff. This weakness is evident in the pre-school room and it is not throughout the setting. However, it has an impact on some children's listening and social skills.

Leaders value the staff team and work closely with them. Leaders meet staff in a timely way to complete coaching and mentoring with them. Overall, leaders are developing the staff team. They receive knowledge to carry out their roles and responsibilities sufficiently. Leaders ensure staff complete training to support better learning outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff who work predominately in the baby rooms complete specific training. This supports staff to develop the skills they need to support the youngest children. All staff complete mandatory training, such as paediatric first aid. Leaders give staff induction and ongoing training to benefit children's safety, health and wellbeing.