Little Raccoons Day Nursery Fitzrovia

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a supportive and welcoming environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop confidently. Leaders work closely with parents and carers and other professionals, and respond well to advice and guidance. This focused, shared approach supports the individual needs of children with SEND well.

Leaders have arrangements in place where children attend other settings to promote collaborative working. Staff supporting children with SEND understand how to create targeted learning experiences. They understand and support children's changing educational and care needs. They ensure that children's experiences support their interests and enjoyment. For instance, children develop their independence as they make choices about which nursery rhymes to sing along to. Leaders promote some staff's knowledge by providing them with further training that is specifically aimed at supporting children with SEND.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders demonstrate an understanding of the weaknesses in the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They identify where there are inconsistencies, such as in interactions between staff and children. However, they do not implement plans sufficiently well or swiftly enough to make the improvements needed to support better outcomes for children. As a result, staff lack confidence in delivering the curriculum effectively.

Staff do not consistently provide rich language during interactions, particularly for children who are already confident speakers and could develop their vocabulary even further. Children are not always encouraged to talk more about what they know or to understand new concepts. This hinders the development of children's vocabulary. Staff organise some group sessions that are engaging and enjoyable, but this is inconsistent. When loud music is played during activities, children lose concentration and do not engage well with learning.

Staff teach children early mathematical concepts, such as early counting skills. Every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receives encouragement to take part in learning experiences. Children enjoy listening to stories, and staff sensitively encourage young children to wheel vehicles in paint and make marks. Children enjoy their time at the setting and develop their physical skills as they play. They socialise well with their friends, listen to each other and share resources.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from well-planned transitions to other early years settings. This supports their emotional wellbeing. However, children who move between rooms at the setting do not always experience the same level of well-planned support. This means that children's interests are not always effectively supported and they do not engage fully in learning.

Children take pleasure in choosing books and sharing them with their friends independently. They develop a love of books and learn to interact with their peers. They are active learners and enjoy moulding, pressing and patting dough as they play with it. Children learn to use tweezers to pick up crackers and fruit at snack time. They also use wheeled toys in the outdoor area. This promotes children's physical development. Children sing nursery rhymes, action and number songs as they develop their mathematical, language and literacy skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Staff do not help children to understand the expectations of the setting sufficiently well or in an age-appropriate manner. Although staff display kind behaviours and support children as they play, they do not intervene when children run inside the setting, for instance. Staff do not help children to understand how these behaviours affect their safety, or reinforce their understanding of how to care for resources. For instance, children do not learn to use and look after colouring and art materials well. This does not fully prepare children for their move to school.

Staff model caring relationships to help children make and maintain friendships. They encourage children to engage in experiences that help them to make friends, such as playing in the water tray together. Children develop independence skills, such as putting outdoor clothes and shoes on. Staff praise children for their efforts, which benefits their confidence. Leaders have professional partnerships with parents and carers. Effective strategies are in place to promote and monitor children's attendance and punctuality.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children have warm relationships with staff and their peers. Children take pleasure in socialising with friends and staff, particularly at mealtimes when children talk about their home lives. All children learn to wait patiently as they take turns to share their lunch. Children learn how to socialise and develop their emotional intelligence.

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. Staff place importance on supervising children when they eat to ensure that they are safe. All children delight in mealtimes and attempt to feed themselves from an early stage. This supports children's health, understanding of personal safety and hygiene practices well.

Leaders and staff are aware of children's dietary and medical needs. They have systems in place to manage these effectively, including adapting routines for children with barriers to their development and learning. Leaders and key staff implement sleep routines in line with parents' wishes and children's needs. This supports children's long-term health and physical growth.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

The setting has had recent significant changes. A new leadership team is being established. They recognise that the curriculum design and delivery require improvement. Leaders' arrangements to monitor teaching are not well embedded. Children are learning, but teaching is not of a high quality. Leaders have plans to improve staff's teaching skills and knowledge. They plan to introduce more training and professional development opportunities. Although this has not yet been implemented for all staff, some staff complete specific training to support better learning outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and staff are building professional and collaborative working relationships with each other. Leaders value staff and take account of their wellbeing. Changes to the key-person approach mean that staff do not feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities and duties. Leaders and staff respect each other, which creates an environment where children learn how to treat others.

Leaders identify some of the setting's strengths. This includes working in collaboration with external professionals and families, ensuring that interventions benefit individual children, particularly those with SEND. All staff complete mandatory training, which benefits children's safety, health and wellbeing.