Little Gems Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff know children and families well. They use what they learn from parents and carers, their own observations and other professionals to identify when children may need extra help. This helps children who face barriers to learning or wellbeing take part in routines and experiences alongside their peers. Staff adapt the environment, routines and teaching so children can access play, group times, outdoor learning and mealtimes in ways that work for them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are welcomed and included. They are supported to communicate, make choices and join in with others in ways that respect their individual needs. Staff understand children's family circumstances and use this knowledge sensitively to support children's wellbeing.

Leaders use early years pupil premium to strengthen children's experiences and support. This helps disadvantaged children access resources, routines and adult support that help them to make progress from their starting points. Leaders and staff work sensitively with parents, the designated safeguarding lead and other professionals to support children known or previously known to children's social care. However, leaders do not yet review the impact of support consistently enough. This means they cannot always show clearly how well barriers are reducing or how support is helping children to make sustained progress over time.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum around broad themes, children's interests and what staff know about children's needs. Staff use daily routines, group times, outdoor play and care moments to support learning. Children learn about themselves, their families and their bodies through songs, stories, practical activities and outdoor play. Staff use repetition, signs and visual prompts to build children's vocabulary and help them to communicate.

Teaching supports children's personal, social, emotional and physical development. For example, children practise handwashing, feeding themselves, sitting with others and managing simple routines. Outdoors, children balance on low equipment, explore sand and messy play, and respond to staff's questions that encourage them to think and try things out. Staff introduce early mathematical language during routines and play, such as counting, size, space and comparison.

Staff adapt teaching so disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who face other barriers can take part alongside their peers. However, leaders have not yet made the mathematics curriculum explicit enough, particularly for older children preparing for school. More broadly, the curriculum is not yet sequenced clearly enough across the whole setting, so teaching does not always build as precisely as it could on what children already know and can do.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically make progress from their starting points. Staff know children well and help them develop the skills they need for their next stage of learning. Younger children become more independent as they learn to sit with others, wash their hands, feed themselves and ask for help.

Children who need extra support are helped to take part in routines and learning alongside their peers. Some children use signs, visual prompts, sounds or simple words to communicate. This helps them to express their needs, make choices and join in more successfully. Children also develop physical confidence through outdoor play, balance activities and opportunities to move in ways that suit their stage of development.

Older children begin to prepare for school as they become more independent, develop their emotional awareness and take part in early literacy activities, such as mark making. However, leaders and staff do not yet monitor children's progress consistently enough across the setting. This means they cannot always show clearly how well children progress across all areas of learning over time.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children respond well to familiar routines and positive reminders. Staff use simple language, praise and visual prompts to help children understand expectations, such as being kind, walking safely and listening to others. Children take part calmly in group times, songs, stories, outdoor play and mealtimes. They are encouraged to share, use manners and play alongside others.

Staff know when children need extra help to manage routines or emotions. They adapt expectations, use visual support and give children time and space to join in when they are ready. For example, some children use sensory spaces, timers and visual prompts to help them understand turn-taking and routines. Staff also notice quickly when children become frustrated and redirect them calmly. This helps children to feel secure and included. Routines also support children's independence.

Children move between indoor and outdoor activities, collect their lunch boxes and water bottles, and ask adults for help when needed. Staff communicate clearly when children move between areas, so children remain safely supervised. Leaders promote attendance and follow up on any absences promptly. They work with parents and carers when attendance patterns raise a concern, and this has helped improve attendance. This supports children to benefit from regular routines and learning. However, leaders have not yet ensured that expectations for supporting children's behaviour and routines are understood consistently across the setting. This means children may not always receive the same support as they move between rooms and routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

From the outset, staff gather detailed information from parents and carers about children's home routines, sleep, feeding, allergies and comfort needs. They use this information to help children settle and to provide care that reflects children's individual needs. Parents value the home visits because children meet familiar adults before they start. This helps children to build warm and trusting relationships with staff.

Babies and younger children are supported well through familiar routines. Staff complete regular safe-sleep checks, keep sleep records and know children's individual feeding and comfort arrangements. They share helpful daily information with parents about sleep, food, nappies and care. When children find settling or rest more difficult, staff adapt routines and give reassurance.

Staff are attentive when children need extra care. They use quieter spaces when children are unsettled or unwell and work with parents and other professionals when concerns about health, feeding or physical development arise. This helps children feel secure and supported. Children learn about hygiene and independence through everyday routines such as handwashing and managing simple self-care. However, information about children's individual care needs and the approaches that support them is not always shared clearly enough across the setting. This means that children's care may not always be as consistent when different staff support them.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders understand the setting's context and are ambitious for children. They have taken steps to strengthen safeguarding, staff checks and training oversight. Staff know how to report concerns, and leaders have clearer systems to check recruitment, training and first-aid information. This helps to keep children safe.

Leaders know children and families well. They work positively with parents and carers and other professionals, including when children have special educational needs and/or disabilities or face other barriers to their learning or wellbeing. Parents value the home visits, daily communication and information about children's learning. Leaders use additional support and resources to help children access routines and learning.

Leaders support staff through regular discussions and wellbeing checks. They know where practice is developing and have started to improve how information is shared across the setting. However, leaders do not yet have a clear enough shared overview of priorities and expectations for all staff. They also do not check the impact of support consistently enough. This means staff do not always have the same secure understanding of what needs to improve and how this will help children make progress. Apprentices also need more focused coaching so they support children's learning and care more securely.