Little Robins Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders generally take the necessary steps to provide an inclusive provision for children. They identify children's needs early and work closely with parents and carers and other professionals. Leaders put timely support in place to help reduce barriers to children's learning and wellbeing.

Leaders typically use additional funding purposefully to provide targeted support and experiences. For example, they bring in outside professionals and activities, such as dance workshops to help build children's confidence. They buy tailored resources and experiences that reflect children's individual interests and needs that help to reduce barriers to their learning. Staff generally understand children's individual needs well and make thoughtful adaptations to routines, the learning environment and teaching. Leaders have recently enhanced the way they use the nurture room to meet children's individual needs. They have refined the daily timetable, adapted routines and introduced smaller group experiences so that children who need additional emotional or sensory support can access nursery life more successfully.

Leaders generally use a range of assessment, screening and monitoring arrangements to identify children's needs early and review the impact of support over time. They use information from the progress check at age 2, regular tracking and individual eight-week target plans to adapt support and interventions as children's needs change. Leaders make timely referrals to other professionals and use their advice to further enhance the support children receive.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that generally builds progressively on children's knowledge and skills from babies through to preschool. They make appropriate adaptions to support children who face barriers to their learning. Staff support babies to develop their physical skills and growing sense of self as they strengthen their core muscles for sitting, explore their reflections in mirrors and investigate sensory resources. As children move into the toddler room, staff help them to build increasing control and coordination as they use tools to roll, shape and chop playdough. However, the layout and organisation of the pre-school indoor environment do not fully support children to access well-defined learning experiences that build progressively on what they already know and can do.

Staff typically deliver the curriculum through purposeful teaching that responds to children's interests and stages of development. They make effective use of the learning environment to encourage children to explore together, solve problems and develop their thinking. Outdoors, staff help older children investigate cause and effect as they roll cars down ramps and compare which travelled furthest. They extend children's mathematical understanding through discussion and questioning. Across the nursery, staff naturally weave communication and language into children's play, helping children to extend their language skills.

Leaders generally use assessment effectively to monitor children's progress and identify their next steps in learning. Staff regularly review children's development and use this information to plan experiences that reflect children's interests and individual needs. However, staff do not always identify and use children's next steps precisely enough to ensure staff teaching consistently builds children's learning across all areas of development.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children generally achieve well from their individual starting points. They develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to participate confidently in nursery life and prepare for their next stage of learning. Children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing generally make positive progress. For example, children become increasingly confident to play alongside others, develop their communication and language and grow in confidence to express their ideas and make choices independently.

Babies develop the foundations for communication as they increasingly respond to familiar adults through sounds, gestures and eye contact. They engage in early back-and-forth interactions. Toddlers build on this as they using an increasing range of vocabulary and begin to use language to express their ideas, make requests and talk about their play. Older children generally demonstrate the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. They ask questions, make predictions and test out their ideas. Children sustain their concentration as they work towards achieving what they set out to do, for example when collaborating with friends in the sand.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders typically establish clear expectations for behaviour and attitudes. Staff use calm, positive approaches to help children understand what is expected. For example, they use stories to help older children explore emotions, understand why characters feel the way they do and make links between events and feelings. Staff provide warm, gentle reminders, such as saying 'no thank you' when babies reach for another child's food. They help babies understand boundaries while maintaining positive relationships. Staff support children to understand how their behaviour affects others. For example, explaining how throwing sand could hurt a friend's eyes. They praise positive choices and kind behaviour.

Staff generally establish effective routines that children understand and respond to confidently. Children recognise familiar signals to stop what they are doing and calmly move on to the next part of their day. Leaders have adapted routines to meet the needs of children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff provide quieter outdoor experiences with fewer children, enabling them to concentrate and sustain their self-chosen play. Leaders monitor attendance closely and work proactively with families to reduce barriers so children benefit from the experiences the nursery provides.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders generally ensure children's welfare and wellbeing are promoted through personalised care that reflects children's individual needs and routines. Staff gather detailed information from parents and carers before children start and routinely adapt care as children's needs change. For example, they work closely with families to support babies through the weaning process. They adapt food textures as babies develop and make thoughtful adjustments to care routines and the environment for children with specific medical and physical needs.

Leaders have created a caring environment that typically supports children's emotional wellbeing. Staff provide nurturing interactions that help children feel safe and secure while developing their ability to regulate their feelings. Leaders have designed calm, welcoming spaces where children can seek comfort, regulate their emotions and regain their emotional balance before returning confidently to their play. Staff adapt care and support for children who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing, ensuring they are fully included in everyday experiences.

Leaders generally promote children's physical health and wellbeing through thoughtfully planned daily experiences. They ensure children enjoy regular outdoor play and have continual access to drinking water. Children benefit from visits within the local community that encourage physical activity and support their overall wellbeing. However, leaders do not maximise opportunities to develop children's understanding of healthy food choices through the meals and snacks they provide.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have established a clear vision that typically promotes children's learning and wellbeing. They know their community well and use their understanding of children's changing needs to adapt the provision, staffing arrangements and daily routines to support children effectively. Leaders generally monitor the quality of the provision and use their findings to make improvements. However, their monitoring of teaching is not always precise to identify where practice, particularly in the preschool room, needs further refinement.

Leaders generally develop a knowledgeable staff team through regular supervision, professional discussions and targeted professional learning. For example, they have recently focused on extending staff's knowledge and understanding of supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This has helped staff to respond more confidently to children's individual needs.

Leaders support staff wellbeing and have created a positive culture where staff feel valued and able to contribute to the continual development of the nursery. They place a clear focus on ensuring staff workload is manageable. Leaders have established positive partnerships with parents and carers that extend children's learning and development beyond the setting. Staff regularly share practical ideas, strategies and resources that help families continue children's learning at home.