Little Seedlings Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to gather information about children's starting points. Staff assess children accurately and identify the need for additional support at an early stage. This enables them to act promptly to address potential barriers to learning. Leaders further support parents to understand how to access additional help for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Collaborative work with speech and language therapists and educational psychologists is effective. Leaders implement specialist advice appropriately to support children's development.

Leaders recognise the importance of supporting disadvantaged children and those facing barriers to learning. Leaders liaise effectively with social workers for children known to social care. Carers comment positively on the high-quality support provided by the setting. This includes support to help children settle and to access learning opportunities at home.

The special educational needs coordinators are new to the role. Experienced leaders provide effective support and guidance to help them develop in the role. This includes implementing individual support packages and using the 'assess, plan, do and review' cycle. Leaders typically share information with staff about how inclusion funding is used to support children who struggle to maintain attention and those requiring support with their emotional wellbeing. For example, staff provide children with their own sensory bags. They evaluate the impact of resources used to help children to manage their feelings and emotions.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders understand the curriculum and recognise where further improvements are needed. Staff use assessment effectively to identify children's starting points. They prioritise children's communication and language effectively. Children enjoy stories and rhymes, and staff focus on developing new vocabulary. For example, during group times, children confidently join in with familiar action rhymes. Leaders recognise that some staff require further support to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of children who lose concentration easily. At times, staff do not implement some planned activities effectively, which can impact the learning experiences of some children.

Staff support children's mathematical development well through everyday play and interactions. Staff use questioning effectively to extend children's thinking. For example, when younger children collect balls and say how many they have, staff reinforce this learning. Staff also introduce mathematical language by asking whether objects are 'too big' or 'too small'. This encourages young children to explore early mathematical concepts.

Babies benefit from effective support for their physical development. Staff model and teach movement skills, helping babies to develop their fine and gross motor skills. They provide sensory activities, such as exploring materials in boxes, to engage babies well. Babies show enjoyment as they pull out and replace materials. They extend their play by throwing fabrics, further developing their coordination. Staff provide warm and high-quality interactions that typically support children's engagement and learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children show positive attitudes to learning and enjoy helping staff with everyday routines, such as clearing up after breakfast and taking items to the kitchen. They are motivated by praise and take pride in their contributions.

Most children engage well in storytelling activities. For example, they use familiar texts, such as 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea', to recreate experiences. Children prepare pretend food and act out scenarios, demonstrating their imagination and recall.

Older children develop their social skills. They form nurturing friendships, show care for one another and share resources. For example, when children see that other children are upset, they ask, 'What happened?' Older children listen to and respond to others, supporting their readiness for school. Overall, children are well prepared for their next stage of learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Key-person arrangements are embedded well. Children form secure relationships with familiar adults, which helps them to feel safe, settled and confident. Leaders and staff monitor children's attendance closely and follow up any concerns promptly.

Leaders' ongoing improvement plans include supporting staff to establish clear routines and set appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. Staff typically promote children's positive behaviour through planned activities and games that encourage cooperation and turn-taking. Children generally learn about safety through meaningful discussions and visual prompts. For example, younger children learn what is safe to put in their mouths. This helps them to develop an early understanding of keeping themselves safe.

Children benefit from a calm and nurturing environment. The recently developed calm area is used well by older children to support them to regulate their emotions. Children access books, calming resources and sensory features, such as the fish tank, to help them recognise and manage their own feelings. Leaders have plans to extend this provision for younger children. However, staff do not yet consistently use strategies to help children understand how their behaviour and actions affect others. Consequently, some children repeat behaviours that upset their peers.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Supervision at mealtimes is not consistently effective. Some staff do not consistently prevent all children from using used utensils when self-serving food. While staff intervene to stop food sharing, they do not consistently use these moments to teach children about hygiene practices and safe routines. As a result, children do not yet develop their understanding of hygiene expectations. During mealtimes, staff sit with children and talk to them about healthy and balanced meals and the importance of chewing food safely. They support children's growing independence through daily routines, such as self-feeding, handwashing and pouring their own drinks. Staff build warm and caring relationships with children.

Staff support babies well. They follow individual weaning plans in partnership with parents and carers to encourage babies to develop their early feeding skills, including using cutlery. Staff sit with babies at mealtimes and support them to feed themselves. They make eye contact, share warm smiles and offer gentle encouragement. This individualised support helps babies to develop their independence and promotes their emotional wellbeing. Hygiene routines for babies are effective and meet their personal care needs. Staff provide sensitive support for children's personal care. For example, during toilet training, staff reassure children using calm tones and kind language. This helps children to feel secure and confident. Parents and carers speak positively about the care and support their children receive.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders work effectively with parents and carers, who praise staff communication. Parents speak positively about the support they receive. They value the guidance provided around their children's learning, including support with the curriculum, home learning and preparing children for the next stage of their education. Parents highlight the support given to help their children manage transitions.

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing and workload. They take effective steps to ensure that workload is manageable. Staff report high levels of wellbeing and feel valued and supported. They describe leaders as approachable and responsive when support is needed. Leaders promote equality, diversity and inclusion well among staff and families. They provide opportunities for staff, children and families to share their experiences through events that celebrate different cultures, including food, music, dance and dress. This helps children to develop an understanding of what makes them unique and supports a sense of belonging.

Leaders understand the setting's strengths and areas for development and take appropriate action to support continuous improvement. Ongoing training has helped staff improve the environment in the setting so that areas are clearly defined and better support children's different ages and stages of development. The leadership team is currently undergoing a period of transition. Experienced leaders provide appropriate support to those new in post. This includes guidance for staff on behaviour management and the use of the new calm space to support children's emotional development. However, leaders have not yet ensured that all aspects of mealtime practice are consistently embedded across the setting.