Little Imps Daycare

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to promoting inclusive practice and ensuring that every child has access to learning opportunities. They identify children's emerging needs promptly and take effective action to make sure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who face barriers to learning, are well supported. Staff with responsibility for overseeing children with SEND are knowledgeable, well trained, and proactive in helping other staff identify needs at an early stage. This ensures that children receive timely and appropriate support tailored to their individual circumstances.

Staff regularly observe and assess their key children, using this information to monitor development and identify where additional help may be needed. Effective monitoring systems enable leaders and staff to respond quickly, putting interventions in place at the right time. As a result, barriers to learning are reduced and children are supported to make progress from their starting points. Partnership working is a notable strength. The setting works closely with parents and carers to gather evidence and make referrals to specialist agencies when required. Additional funding is used effectively to provide targeted support that meets children's specific needs. Leaders and staff also work well with external professionals, accessing specialist support when required.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum with a key focus on supporting children's communication and language, physical, emotional and social development. This ensures children have a secure foundation from which to learn. Staff set up the environment with a range of activities which follow children's interests and learning needs. Children are then free to choose from the activities provided. Staff engage in children's chosen play and their interactions are typically skilful and provide an opportunity to introduce new vocabulary, share ideas and develop thinking skills. However, while staff do plan an interesting range of adult-led activities, there is an imbalance with staff focusing more on child-initiated play. This sometimes results in children not consistently participating in an effective mix of experiences. Therefore, teaching is sometimes not as consistently tailored to children's developmental needs, so that every child benefits from high-quality teaching across all areas of learning.

Staff introduce mathematical language which is threaded through the daily routine and everyday interactions. Children learn about the importance of keeping safe, eating healthy and being active. Leaders and practitioners identify emerging needs and work quickly to provide early interventions to support children and close any gaps, reducing barriers to learning that may exist. Adjustments and adaptive teaching support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who face barriers to learning and those known to or previously known to social care. Leaders have oversight of observations and assessments, which inform practitioners of their key children's starting points, needs and stages of development.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who may face barriers to learning, make good progress from their starting points. They show increasing independence and confidence in everyday routines, such as serving themselves at snack time and managing personal care tasks, including washing their hands independently. Children respond well to the clear and consistent routines of the setting. Children develop their physical skills effectively and benefit from regular opportunities to be active in the spacious outdoor area. They also learn about the natural world through planting and gardening activities, harvesting what they grow and enjoying it at snack time.

Children build their attention and listening skills during group experiences, such as circle time and singing sessions. They form warm, respectful relationships with staff and learn to socialise with their peers. Staff support communication and language well, through meaningful conversations and interactions throughout the day. Children are encouraged to think, explore, and solve problems in their play. For example, they fill buckets with water to add to the sandpit, enabling successful sandcastles to be built. As a result, children, including those with SEND, become confident, independent learners and continue to make progress in their development.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have developed a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are understood by all. There are clear and well-established routines in place that children know, understand and follow confidently. Children learn good manners, and regularly use polite language such as, 'please', and 'thank you'. Children have warm, trusting relationships with staff through which they are encouraged to develop their independence and 'can-do' attitude, further developing their resilience. Children display positive attitudes to their learning and play collaboratively with others. Children show high levels of determination and willingness to keep on trying, even when activities are challenging. For example, children persevered in carrying heavy buckets of water from the tap to the sandpit.

Children consistently show kindness and consideration. For example, they thank their friends for sharing a book and politely ask when they want a turn. Staff praise children's manners and reinforce this positive behaviour. Leaders are respectful of parents' wishes to use other providers and work collaboratively to ensure continuity in children's learning. They have open communication with parents when situations arise that impact on a child's attendance, and clear procedures are in place to follow up any absences.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff have warm and caring relationships with children and their families. Children form secure attachments with their key person and positive relationships with their friends. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who may face barriers to their learning, feel safe, secure and happy in the setting. Leaders are responsive to individual needs and support families to access the setting with a degree of flexibility that supports the individual child's needs.

Leaders are vigilant and promote healthy lifestyles. Children are reminded to protect themselves from the sun, stay in the shade and they are encouraged to have regular hydration breaks. Children are reminded to be safe in their play and begin to recognise risks in their environment. For example, they learn to take turns when jumping from the apparatus in the outdoor area and they wait for other children to exit the mat before jumping. Well-established routines are embedded in the setting, and children frequently wash their hands unprompted. Leaders promote healthy eating, and children help to grow, prepare and share a variety of fruit and vegetables. Children develop a positive attitude towards healthy foods and playing outdoors.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

A recent change to leadership and management has allowed the setting to review practice, and leaders have reflected on the setting's strengths and areas to improve. For example, leaders have taken action to improve interactions between staff and children, which results in children becoming inquisitive learners. Recent improvements to the curriculum are not yet embedded into practice, with further steps to be taken to ensure there is a consistent focus on securing excellence for children. Leaders are responsible and they take their roles seriously in identifying safeguarding and children's welfare as high priorities of the setting. They champion the rights of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They demonstrate persistence and determination in accessing the right support for each child and their family.

Leaders are mindful of the staff team's morale and wellbeing. Staff ratios remain high to ensure staff can manage their workloads and have purposeful interactions with children throughout the day. Leaders encourage staff to attend professional development opportunities. These are identified as areas that support each staff member in developing their knowledge and enhancing their practice. Recently, staff attended training on the 'Imagination Library', which has positively impacted 'story time' practice.

Leaders have secure relationships with parents and carers. They obtain information prior to a child starting the setting to ensure children settle well and build positive relationships from the onset. The setting shares regular information with parents and carers to support children's learning and development. The two-way flow of information ensures consistency for the children, and opportunities to follow the child's interests are maximised. Home-learning opportunities strengthen the partnership with parents and carers, who feel informed and valued as part of their child's continuing development.