Little Explorers Eastry Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff make a demonstrable difference to children's outcomes. For example, from the outset they ensure specialist and tailored support is in place. They draw on professionals and other partners to ensure children and families access highly effective advice and guidance. As such, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face disadvantage and barriers are provided with individualised and flexible support. All children achieve significantly from their starting points. Children who could not walk when they started now balance and move with increasing confidence. Children who could not talk when they started are now confident communicators.

Leaders and staff ensure they consistently provide a very inclusive and supportive environment. Leaders are proactive in seeking additional funding and specialist grants to provide families with individualised support. For example, children thoroughly enjoy choosing books to keep from the 'forever book nook'. Leaders recognise where families need further support, providing them with flexible sessions and resources to help them ensure their children attend regularly. Leaders regularly monitor and review the support in place and are passionate about providing staff with the skills to support children's individual needs. For example, staff provide visual aids, one-to-one sessions and access a wide range of training to ensure they consistently make a sustained improvement to children's progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a very accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They recognise where they need to tailor support for staff to provide ongoing consistently high-quality practice. Leaders have made significant strides in supporting staff on this journey. Leaders are passionate and proactive, ensuring all staff have access to ongoing support and professional development. They work very closely with other partners and professionals to share expertise. Leaders have a very clear vision to provide excellence for children and families.

Children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, facing disadvantage and barriers to learning are provided with a wide range of experiences to develop the necessary skills for their next stage. For example, staff introduce children to new vocabulary and concepts effectively. Babies sustain high levels of engagement in interactive stories. Older children are provided with specific activities targeted to support next steps and skills. For example, children spend a long time persevering to learn to use scissors with skill. Staff prioritise children's personal, social and emotional needs successfully. They use assessment information to identify next steps and target gaps in learning. For example, staff promote children's understanding of others well, supporting them to make firm friendships and secure relationships. As such, children collaborate and play well, sharing and taking turns.

Staff make sure the curriculum is an entitlement for every child. Staff prioritise opportunities for children to develop their understanding and enjoyment of mathematics. Older children learn to measure soil and water when planting seeds. Babies learn about different sizes when exploring pasta and playdough. These activities support children's knowledge well. However, at times, some staff do not consistently recognise when they could extend children's learning even further during activities. Although leaders have recognised this and have an action plan in place, this is yet to be consistent across the setting, but this does not impact on the level of achievement that children make.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning and development. Transitions to school are very smooth. All children make highly effective progress. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face disadvantage make significant progress across all areas of learning. All children achieve very well from their starting points. Children receive individualised and tailored support to enable them to overcome barriers to learning quickly and swiftly, ensuring they are very well prepared for their next educational stage, including transition to school. Where at times, children could be provided with further challenge during some activities to support their learning even further this does not detract from the significant achievement children make.

Children who started with anxieties around food are now comfortable to try new foods and eat a wide range of nutritious and balanced meals. Children who required specialist medical interventions when they started, now fully access all areas of the curriculum. Children who needed support with consistent sleep routines are now very well settled. Children are provided with flexible sessions and start times to help them access their full entitlement. As such, families travel significant distances to ensure their children attend regularly and recognise the importance of this for future learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders embed well-structured routines creating a very respectful and positive culture. For example, children immediately respond when it is tidy up time, gathering timers to help them know when to finish. All children respond positively to requests from staff and enjoy helping. Staff are very good role models. They explain to children the importance being polite and using manners. These practices ensure children consistently demonstrate positive attitudes.

Leaders create a strong sense of community successfully. Older children help their friends to use tongs at mealtimes to develop their independence skills. They celebrate with them when they are successful. Children play very well with each other. Babies smile at their friends and toddle over to join them in play. This supports children's understanding of others and their developing relationships very well and impacts incredibly positively on their self-esteem, feelings and behaviour.

Children benefit from staff who are warm and nurturing in their approach. Staff have very high expectations for children and as such, children respond very well to instructions from staff and fully understand the settings expectations for behaviour. This supports children highly effectively to understand boundaries. Staff promote the importance of regular attendance and support families who face disadvantage and barriers to learning to access their full entitlement to funding and sessions. Leaders are creative and proactive in securing grants to support families to secure places and financial support. This ensures all children establish very positive routines in readiness for school

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children's emotional and personal development is at the heart of leaders' focus. They consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing, adapting practice and routines swiftly to ensure all children develop positive self-esteem, confidence and emotional resilience. Staff support children to manage their own feelings successfully, supporting them to develop strong bonds and attachments.

Staff skilfully support children to make healthy choices. For example, children thoroughly enjoy meal times, eagerly anticipating what they are going to have. Staff hold thoughtful conversations with children explaining to children how nutritious foods help their immune systems. Children are encouraged to manage their own needs very effectively. They learn to wash their own hands and wipe their own noses. Young children learn to use cutlery independently. These activities successfully support children's self-care skills and understanding.

Children are encouraged well to keep themselves fit and to appreciate the importance of being outdoors on their mental health. Older children talk excitedly about going to the local forest school and being outside. Staff promote children's understanding of the local community, taking children on daily walks and supporting children's understanding of nature effectively. As such, children develop an appreciation of the outside world and secure knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, fit and healthy.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are committed and extremely motivated to secure excellence for children and families. They know the local community very well and are highly responsive to the changing needs of families. They provide strategic targeted support to ensure all families access effective outside help, advice and guidance. Leaders ensure they provide families with free and flexible sessions supporting them financially and to return to work. They provide bespoke tailored start times to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face disadvantage and barriers to learning are very well supported and able to attend regularly.

Leaders create a culture of team work and collaboration. They have excellent partnerships with the local authority, other settings and schools to share resources and knowledge and support very smooth transitions. Leaders are passionate about supporting staff to improve and continually develop their practice. A very strong vision and action plan ensures there is an embedded culture of support and feedback. Leaders are working incredibly hard to ensure across the setting there is consistency within the teaching and recognise the journey they are on with regard to this. Staff appreciate the focus on their workload and encouragement to take on further qualifications supporting their ongoing knowledge and skills.

Key people know their children incredibly well. They share information regularly with parents and other professionals to ensure all children access the right support and make significant progress. Parents speak very highly of staff and leaders, especially the focus on children's wellbeing and the significant progress their children have made in their physical, emotional and communication development. All children thrive.