Millington Road Nursery School

Inclusion: Expected standard

The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator knows how to identify and support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as any children who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This enables leaders to recognise and act on potential delays in a child's development. Leaders work sensitively in partnership with parents and carers to make sure all children have the right support at the right time. Leaders work well with external professionals to seek advice and implement strategies, such as tailored approaches and specific interventions, to support individual children. This helps support children's progress and development.

Typically, the support that leaders and staff provide reduces barriers to children's learning and wellbeing so that they are able to make steady progress from their starting points. Leaders allocate additional funding appropriately, such as by purchasing additional resources with children's needs and interests in mind. This helps ensure that children can learn effectively. Staff work well together, using their knowledge and experience to promote inclusion for all children.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a broad curriculum that is typically taught well, drawing upon the unique natural environment around them. This helps children gain the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding they need to be suitably prepared for their next stage of learning or for school. Leaders have a solid understanding of the quality of the curriculum. They are developing an action plan to bring about further improvement to ensure it is of a consistently high quality, ensuring highly effective teaching and that interactions with children are embedded.

Staff demonstrate that they know children and their individual needs well. During a messy play topic activity, for example, staff weave in early mathematical language and concepts such as number, size and space. They also extend children's vocabulary and understanding in relation to animals they see in their local area, such as foxes and squirrels. Children also develop their fine and gross motor skills, which contributes to their growing independence. During singing time, children join in with familiar songs. These opportunities help support children's early language skills. Ongoing assessment informs future curriculum planning for children's next steps, with children's interests in mind.

Staff understand the steps in children's learning to help build their physical skills and emotional development so that they typically achieve well. This includes an inclusive curriculum where staff adapt their practice to meet children's individual stages of development, including those of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This results in children typically being engaged in their learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children show through their interactions and behaviour that they feel valued and included because they are well supported by staff. For example, some children enjoy playing in the well-resourced sand pit, while others paint outside collaboratively. As a result of attending the setting, children typically achieve well from their individual starting points and are suitably prepared for their next stage of learning or school. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who may face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

Children develop in confidence and demonstrate positive engagement and attention skills during imaginative free play with others. They develop age- and stage-appropriate communication and language skills, as well as a love of stories. For example, children join in enthusiastically during story time before mealtime, taking turns to make appropriate animal noises and interact pleasantly with their peers. Staff develop children's confidence and early mathematical concepts by incorporating shape and size in everyday routines and activities, such as during a water-play activity. This contributes to children being ready for school and their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have embedded a warm and welcoming environment where children demonstrate through their body language that they feel safe and valued. Children develop meaningful and warm relationships with their key persons, which also helps children feel safe and secure. Staff use their understanding of individual children to adapt routines and approaches so that each child feels supported and included. Staff teach children the importance of treating others with kindness, care and respect, and are positive role models. This helps children identify what is expected of them and supports them in creating and maintaining positive relationships.

Careful, highly impactful teaching around behaviour and routines meets the needs of all children and provides consistency throughout the day. As a result, children consistently demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and others. This enables children's best possible behaviour. Staff effectively use engaging songs and stories to support transitions and language development. Children are increasingly able to manage their emotions, and staff are attentive to ensure that children are consistently supported.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers to consistently identify and tackle any patterns of non-attendance, finding ways to support parents and children's individual needs. This helps to ensure that children consistently attend the setting.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders foster a warm, welcoming and inclusive approach. Staff work closely and effectively in partnership with families, which ensures that staff have a comprehensive understanding of the changing needs of all children who attend the setting. They consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing.

Children settle swiftly because of the close bonds with and effective support from staff. Children show through their body language and interactions that they enjoy attending the setting and have genuine, secure attachments with their key person. As a result, children develop positive relationships, engage positively in their learning and feel emotionally secure.

Staff make the most of different opportunities to teach children about the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles. They weave in information throughout a range of relevant experiences, conversations and well-structured, embedded routines. For example, during snack time, staff support meaningful conversations relating to a healthy diet, developing children's knowledge about the importance of eating different fruits and vegetables. As a result, children consistently make their own healthy choices. Staff follow rigorously adapted safer-eating practices during snack and mealtimes to ensure children's safety, and are highly responsive to any changes in children's needs. Staff carefully plan experiences to include all children. For example, they follow external professional guidance, such as through adapted approaches or tailored language, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children have abundant daily opportunities to develop their physical skills and spend time in the large, engaging outdoor space to support their emotional wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are reflective and have identified relevant areas for improvement, such as enabling staff to further plan their own activities suited to children's individual needs. However, they do not consistently provide children with effective teaching and interactions to sustain high-quality provision for all children across the curriculum. Staff turnover is low, and staff say that they feel valued and typically well supported in their roles. Leaders are conscious of staff workload and wellbeing due to regular discussion. However, the arrangements for staff supervision do not yet support staff to achieve consistently high-quality teaching. Leaders and staff complete appropriate training to support their professional learning, which helps them carry out their roles. This is not yet precisely focused enough to improve the quality of teaching to the highest level.

Those responsible for leadership and governance place children's best interests at the heart of decisions, to help ensure that children are safe and supported. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to support and promote children's attendance. Leaders have a solid understanding of how to use and track additional funding to support children's individual needs, for those children in receipt of this. For example, they provide additional resources or experiences, which helps to reduce any barriers to learning.

Parents talk highly about the setting. They place great value on the strong relationships between staff, children and families, as well as regular, open and honest communication. This helps support children's education and care.