Making Friends Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children's individual ages, likes, needs and home lives are carefully considered by the staff. Leaders make sure staff are alert to any issues affecting children in their lives, which enables them to support the children and their families. Leaders ensure that staff typically have the skills and knowledge to identify, support and encourage children's learning especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or any barriers to their learning. This means that all children make effective progress from their starting points. For example, leaders and staff ensure children have plenty of time outside. Leaders are aware not all children have access to a garden and understand the importance of being outside to support children's wellbeing.

Staff know and understand children's emotional and physical needs well which enables them to provide targeted interventions and adapt routines, they work closely with parents and seek external support from professionals to ensure children have the best care and support to meet their individual needs. Leaders use any additional funding effectively to enhance children's experiences, build on what children already know and provide resources to help reduce any gaps in children's learning and development.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff generally share a collaborative approach to their teaching at the setting. They work with children's families to collect up-to-date information about each child. Regular assessment of children's progress helps to identify any gaps in children's learning and development. This enables leaders and staff to implement targeted intervention activities to support children's ongoing progress. Leaders want children to be confident, independent and have the skills and knowledge they need to transition to their next stage of learning.

Children have good relationships with their key person, they understand what children know and can do, and what they are learning next, including those that have recently started at the setting. Children enjoy sharing storybooks with staff and peers. This helps to build on children's communication and language skills. Staff foster a real love of books by focusing on the content and characters and implementing this into other play activities. However, this is not consistent as staff sometimes do not consider all opportunities to build on children's language acquisition and understanding of the words they learn in context. Leaders and staff implement the curriculum into children's interests and planned activities. For example, as staff are reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk' children use rulers to measure the beanstalks, building on their mathematical understanding. Children create their own beanstalk with dough, developing their hand muscles and using their imagination.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children develop the knowledge and skills needed for their next stage of learning. They show increasing confidence to join activities, share resources and follow familiar routines independently. Children build communication skills through daily interactions, such as describing experiences and responding to questions. They develop early mathematical understanding by counting, matching and solving simple problems.

Children strengthen independence by managing personal care routines, making choices and typically persist when tasks become challenging. They refine fine motor control through activities that require careful handling of small resources such as, filling small containers and using tweezers and pegs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities access learning experiences alongside their peers and make progress from their starting points. Children's progress is regularly reviewed to ensure all children make positive achievements across all areas of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children thrive in an environment that positively supports their learning, development and care. Leaders establish clear routines that help children to feel secure and understand what is expected of them. Staff teach children the necessary skills to focus their attention and manage their behaviour with increasing control. For example, children wait for their turn to recall what they have enjoyed during the morning by holding the toy monkey.

Staff make thoughtful adjustments for individual children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to their learning. They seek advice from external professionals to ensure that children's best interests are met. Leaders monitor children's attendance closely and remind parents about the importance of regular attendance.

Leaders set high expectations for children's behaviour across the setting. Children typically play well together, such as sharing resources, taking turns to make and mix the dough. Staff use positive praise effectively to reinforce the behaviours they want to see. When children become overwhelmed staff understand why and how best to support their individual needs.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children feel secure and settled in the setting. They form warm relationships with their key persons and confidently seek reassurance or support when needed. Staff respond sensitively to children's care needs, helping them to feel emotionally secure and ready to learn. Children benefit from consistent routines that support their wellbeing throughout the day. They manage personal care with increasing independence, including handwashing and preparing for mealtimes. Children understand expectations around hygiene and follow familiar processes confidently. Leaders and staff follow safer sleep practices at the nursery to ensure children are kept safe.

Children enjoy talking about their emotions as a group, for example they say, 'I feel happy today.' This supports children's emotional development and wellbeing. Children are learning to understand how others are feeling. Children take time to listen to one another and share conversations with the staff team. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face barriers to learning are well supported. Time is spent on each child's learning and next steps. This helps support them and makes them feel included, enabling them to fully access and enjoy learning at nursery.

The setting promotes healthy lifestyles. Children have access to regular outdoor play and balanced meals, and they talk about healthy choices during daily routines. These experiences help children develop awareness of their physical wellbeing. Overall, children show growing emotional resilience. They begin to manage minor frustrations and transition between activities with support.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leadership and management are effective in ensuring children receive a safe, inclusive and well-organised experience. Overall, leaders understand their responsibilities and maintain a reflective oversight of practice. They know the children and families well and use this knowledge to shape provision that supports children's learning, welfare and personal development. Leaders promote a positive culture where staff work together consistently and share responsibility for children's progress.

Leaders support staff through ongoing communication and reflective discussion. This strengthens staff confidence and helps them deliver the curriculum across the day. As a result, children experience familiar routines and purposeful learning opportunities that build on their early mathematics, independence and social development. Leaders encourage staff to use day-to-day interactions to support children's learning and help them develop the attitudes and skills they need for their next stage in learning. Leaders ensure staff implement an effective curriculum for communication and language, staff across the setting introduce new ideas and words to children through books and activities. However, this is not yet consistent as not all staff use any opportunity to extend and strengthen children's understanding of words.

Leaders prioritise partnership working with parents. Parents speak positively about the care and education their children receive and value regular communication about their children's progress and next steps. This supports continuity between home and the setting and helps children to thrive. Leaders ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified promptly and supported appropriately through specialist guidance and regular review. Consequently, children with SEND are included in daily routines and learning experiences and are supported to achieve well.