Little Stones Pre-School LTD T/A Primrose Cottage

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders show passion and commitment to ensuring children's needs are identified promptly and support is received at the earliest opportunity. Where required, they work in close partnership with parents as well as external professionals, including health visitors and the local authority to gain additional guidance and advice while maintaining a collaborative approach.

The setting's special educational needs coordinator has received necessary training to implement their role effectively and continuously seeks further training opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills. Some of this information is passed onto the staff team. However, leaders have not ensured that practitioners who work the closest to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the specific skills and knowledge required to consistently embed tailored support, to encourage well-rounded progress while awaiting specialist assessment or professional input.

Leaders and practitioners have a good understanding of children's needs and decisively ensure that additional funding is used to help enhance children's opportunities and experiences, including providing cooked meals and access to extra-curricular activities.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum which places a strong emphasis on developing children's confidence, independence and preparing them for their next stage of learning. Practitioners share this vision, with the youngest children supported with skills, such as walking and early communication, while school leavers are encouraged to carry out self-care routines confidently and independently throughout the daily routine.

Children benefit from accessing extra-curricular activities across the week, including forest school. Children spoke excitedly of these sessions, discussing what was involved and recalling their experiences. Through these activities, children have the opportunity to develop their physical skills, confidence and coordination, as well as explore and learn about the natural environment.

Leaders and practitioners have a secure knowledge of children's starting points, the progress they have made and their next steps in learning. This knowledge informs daily interactions, teaching and learning opportunities across the curriculum. Practitioners build on what children already know and can do through responsive interactions and purposeful teaching. For example, when a child showed an interest in the addition and subtraction symbols on a puzzle, a practitioner recognised this as an opportunity to extend their mathematical knowledge and skills. They supported the child to identify what the symbols were used for, before encouraging them to apply this knowledge by completing simple sums.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same curriculum as their peers. There is potential for leaders to build further on the support already in place, by embedding targeted teaching and support for individual children more consistently throughout the daily routine. This would help children to consolidate prior learning and gain greater developmental benefit from activities they revisit regularly.

Achievement: Expected standard

Typically, children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, make progress from their starting points across all areas of learning and development.

Younger children develop their physical skills while playing on soft-play blocks by crawling, climbing and sliding. They engage in messy play and sensory activities alongside their peers and are introduced to appropriate language.

Older children show curiosity when engaging with a potions tray, filling and emptying containers while copying newly introduced vocabulary. They seek out peers to share experiences and ideas with, often working together to solve problems and offer each other help when required.

Children confidently follow their own interests and ideas, making choices about their learning and sustaining high levels of interest and engagement in activities for extended periods of time. This is reflected in parents' views, who unanimously report improvement in their children's confidence and independence since attending the setting.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders implement well-established routines and expectations for behaviour across the nursery. This is fostered by practitioners who act as positive role models for children. In turn, children mirror these behaviours, engage positively in learning and demonstrate a clear understanding of what is expected of them. For example, when a child's tower collapsed, a peer checked they were okay and offered to help rebuild it.

Leaders have recently made improvements to enhance behaviour and routines further. This includes the introductions of cooked meals, which they report has had a noticeable difference. They have also implemented a more structured routine following lunch. This ensures that this remains a calm time and children can transition more smoothly back into their chosen activities.

Children play collaboratively together, share ideas and develop positive friendships. For example, when creating junk models, 2 children discussed where one of them was going to put their bug house once they had taken it home, with questions and ideas shared between them as to how this would be possible.

Leaders place a high priority on promoting regular attendance, working in partnership with parents. They use their knowledge of individual circumstances and professional curiosity to recognise and address barriers that may arise. Leaders provide additional support as appropriate, which in turn increases attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners create a warm, welcoming and safe environment for all children. Children's welfare and wellbeing is evidently high, with children typically forming secure attachments with practitioners. They remain happy throughout the day, with emotional support sought from familiar practitioners when needed.

Leaders and practitioners have an extensive understanding of each child and their individual circumstances, enabling them and their families to receive appropriate support, which meets their varying and changing needs. Partnership working with parents and external professionals is in place to ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing remain at the forefront of practice.

Children engage enthusiastically in their play and learning, while accessing a well-designed indoor and outdoor space. Children are confident to explore the environment, with younger children using practitioners for reassurance when required. Older children engage appropriately with practitioners, sharing discoveries and ideas excitedly.

Children's awareness and emerging knowledge of healthy habits are facilitated through consistent routines regarding self-care, physical-play opportunities and their own wellbeing. For example, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story was brought to life, with children exploring knitted food items and identifying which are healthy choices and those less so. As a result, children related this knowledge to their own experiences, such as having eaten watermelon at snack time.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders prioritise improvement and have a clear overview of the setting. They understand the provision's strengths and areas of development and demonstrate a commitment to continual improvement. Leaders actively seek and consider the views of children, parents and practitioners when making decisions. Most recently, leaders identified the garden as a priority. They have introduced new equipment and resources, and leaders have considered the accessibility of the space for non-mobile children by introducing soft-flooring mats.

Leaders typically provide regular supervision for practitioners. They express that they feel supported by leaders and are confident to approach them with any concerns or issues. Leaders place an importance on practitioner wellbeing and ensure that unnecessary time away from their roles is avoided. As a result, practitioners report that their workloads are manageable.

Leaders promote a positive culture of professional development. They encourage practitioners to engage in a range of training opportunities, including areas of individual interest, such as additional languages. This helps practitioners to develop their knowledge and skills and broaden the experiences they can offer to children. Leaders could strengthen this further by ensuring that professional development is more consistently matched to the specific needs of the nursery and the children attending.

Leaders place importance on developing positive relationships with parents and keeping them informed about their children's experiences and progress. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children's time at the nursery, including a photo update sharing app and parent-information evenings and events across the year. Leaders also maintain links with external professional where appropriate, such as teachers from local schools. This helps school-leavers to experience a supported transition and prepares them for their next stage of learning.