Little Explorers

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have established a fully inclusive environment, where every child receives the support they need to achieve their potential. They ensure staff access a range of evidence-based professional development opportunities that enhance practice and deepen understanding of children's diverse needs. Staff have undertaken accredited training in schemas, play styles and learning approaches, enabling them to develop a deeper understanding of, and effectively respond to, the individual needs of children. Leaders actively encourage further qualifications, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Staff build secure relationships with children through an effective key-person system, promoting positive attachment and emotional wellbeing. Robust assessment procedures enable staff to identify children's needs at the earliest opportunity and implement carefully planned support and interventions without delay. Leaders have developed and implemented an ordinarily available provision approach, which they share with parents. This clearly outlines the adaptations made to ensure all children can access the same opportunities. Staff confidently and consistently adapt their interactions, teaching approaches and communication strategies to meet individual needs, embedding inclusive practice throughout daily routines and learning experiences.

This responsive and highly inclusive approach is particularly effective in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who face barriers to learning and children known to social care services. As a result, children receive highly effective, tailored support that enables them to thrive. They make substantial progress from their individual starting points, developing skills, knowledge and confidence in carefully sequenced and measurable steps that prepare them exceptionally well for future learning.

Leaders and staff have a strong understanding of the local community and provide practical support to families experiencing challenges. They work collaboratively with parents, guiding them through referral processes and helping them access additional services when needed. Leaders use funding effectively to develop personalised support plans and adapt the environment to ensure accessibility for all children. Strong partnerships with specialist professionals ensure recommendations are implemented promptly, further enhancing outcomes for children and their families. Leaders share expertise through SEND networks, training programmes and support for other settings.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have designed a detailed, research-informed curriculum that clearly identifies the stages of children's development and learning. They organise the curriculum into progressive stages, enabling staff to support children's development effectively and identify emerging needs at an early stage. Staff understand the curriculum well and deliver it consistently across the setting, ensuring that all children benefit from high-quality learning experiences.

Communication sits at the centre of the curriculum. Staff engage children in meaningful interactions throughout the day, modelling language, joining play sensitively and extending learning through thoughtful comments, questions and resources. Staff use assessment effectively to identify where children require additional support and implement targeted interventions to address specific needs. Babies actively engage through facial expressions, clapping, babbling and emerging language. Two-year-olds incorporate newly introduced vocabulary into their play, speak in simple sentences and enthusiastically share their ideas and excitement with staff.

Stories, songs and rhymes are embedded throughout daily practice and play a significant role in promoting children's communication and language development. Staff have developed an innovative programme that successfully enhances children's vocabulary, emotional literacy and appreciation of poetry. Children engage enthusiastically and demonstrate high levels of enjoyment and participation. They eagerly anticipate each element of the routine, confidently using newly acquired vocabulary, actions and poems in their play and interactions. Staff adapt the programme effectively to meet the needs of different age groups, ensuring all children benefit from rich language experiences. The success of this work has led to it being shared with other settings, supporting wider improvements in practice.

Leaders place personal, social and emotional development at the heart of the curriculum. Staff deliver targeted programmes that help children understand, express and regulate their emotions. The curriculum also provides extensive opportunities for physical development, early literacy, mathematics, creativity, and exploration of the natural world. Staff maintain high expectations for all children and support clear progression throughout their learning journey.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are positive and engaged learners, their individual needs are met from the start due to effective assessment procedures. They engage positively in learning experiences and make progress across all areas of development. Consistent routines help children feel secure, enabling them to participate confidently in activities and explore the resources available. Staff build warm, nurturing relationships with children, and these positive attachments support their emotional wellbeing and learning. Babies explore the purposeful environment with confidence and curiosity, supported by attentive adults, who encourage discovery and independence.

Children develop their communication and language skills effectively through actions, facial expressions, signs, words and simple sentences. Staff provide meaningful opportunities for children to express themselves and interact with others. Children also benefit from targeted support for their physical development, helping them gain coordination, control and confidence in movement. As a result, children acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning journey.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate positive behaviour because staff establish clear expectations and consistent routines from the outset. The well-established daily routines help children understand what happens next, creating a secure and predictable environment, where they feel safe and confident. As a result, children settle quickly, engage in activities and develop positive attitudes towards learning and relationships.

The effective key-worker system enables staff to build warm and trusting relationships with children and their families. These positive attachments support children's emotional wellbeing and help them develop confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging. Staff use a consistent approach to supporting and managing behaviour, helping children understand expectations and develop appropriate ways to express their feelings and needs.

The inclusive culture ensures that staff recognise and respond to individual needs. They implement personalised strategies to support behaviour and emotional development, enabling children to access learning and participate fully in the setting. Staff also use evidence-based programmes to promote learning, emotional regulation and social development. These approaches help children develop self-awareness, manage their emotions and interact positively with others.

Leaders implement clear attendance policies and procedures and work closely with parents to promote regular attendance. This collaborative approach helps families understand the importance of attendance in supporting children's development and learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing through consistent and effective care practices. From the outset, they gather detailed information about each child's individual needs and work closely with families to ensure continuity in sleeping, toileting, feeding and weaning routines. This collaborative approach provides children with familiarity and consistency, helping them feel secure and settled within the setting.

Staff implement safer sleeping procedures effectively and ensure that all practitioners working with babies have completed relevant training. Plans are in place to extend this training across the wider staff team. Staff also follow safer eating procedures and provide attentive support during snack and mealtimes. They encourage children to develop independence by pouring their own drinks and making appropriate choices. Through ongoing partnership with parents, staff promote healthy eating habits and provide guidance on suitable food preparation, ensuring that lunches brought from home meet children's nutritional needs.

Staff actively encourage children to develop independence in everyday routines. Children access resources independently, persevere when faced with challenges and willingly attempt new tasks, including putting on their own outdoor clothing. Positive relationships underpin all aspects of practice. Children know they can approach staff for comfort, reassurance and encouragement when needed. Staff remain highly responsive to children's changing needs, providing emotional support and helping them develop self-regulation and confidence

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders provide clear direction and maintain a well-established team that shares a commitment to achieving the best outcomes for children. They foster a collaborative culture in which staff work together to continually improve the quality of provision. Leaders demonstrate enthusiasm for early years education and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the setting, its children, families and wider community. Through reflective practice and detailed evaluation, they identify strengths and areas for development and use this analysis to assess the impact of their work. They respond proactively to changing needs and adapt provision accordingly, maintaining a clear focus on continuous improvement and excellence for all children.

Leaders place significant emphasis on professional development. They provide access to a wide range of evidence-based training, coaching and support, enabling staff to enhance their expertise and deepen their understanding of child development and early years practice. Most recently, leaders prioritised training focused on supporting children's emotional wellbeing. Staff now use effective strategies to help children recognise, understand and regulate their emotions, strengthening children's emotional resilience and supporting positive relationships. Leaders further strengthened this work by becoming accredited trainers in the programme and delivering support sessions for parents, helping families adopt consistent approaches at home and in the setting. Regular supervision meetings encourage professional reflection, promote accountability and drive continuous improvement, resulting in consistently high-quality practice. Leaders also prioritise staff wellbeing, ensuring staff feel valued and supported while maintaining manageable workloads.

Partnerships with parents play a central role in the setting's work. Parents report that staff meet their children's needs effectively and keep them informed about progress and ways to support learning at home. Leaders also contribute beyond their own setting by working with the local authority and other providers, delivering training programmes, supporting networks for babies and developing staff's knowledge of special educational needs and inclusion.