Mini Malvern Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff identify children's needs quickly and accurately. They work closely with families to determine children's starting points and share their initial assessments of children's development. This helps them to create individual play plans for children, with targets that are specific to their learning needs. Parents know what their children's unique targets are and how they can support their children at home. This is shared via the nursery app and is displayed in the setting for parents to see when they are at the nursery. Nursery leaders and staff ensure that they work in collaboration with a variety of outside agencies to support individual children. They identify and implement strategies to enhance children's learning experiences. This makes a sustained difference to outcomes for children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or with other barriers to their learning. Leaders use additional funding effectively to make skilful adjustments to the learning environment and to support children's precise needs. For instance, they purchase resources to support children's physical development and spatial awareness. Leaders ensure that all children are celebrated as unique individuals. They promote diversity throughout the nursery and support the development of different languages. For instance, older children learn to speak French. These actions have a positive impact on children's achievement and wellbeing.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive curriculum that is designed to respond to children's individual needs and interests. The curriculum typically meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those with barriers to their learning. Leaders recognise that each child has different early experiences. They understand the importance of building on these and offering opportunities for children to explore the natural environment and gather first-hand experiences. Children learn about the different wildlife that live within the grounds and how they can care for them. Although children are typically exposed to a variety of different learning experiences, teaching is not yet consistent across the nursery. This means that teaching is not always adapted in the moment in response to children's emerging thinking and to allow children to excel in their learning and development.

Staff plan a curriculum that prepares all children, including those with SEND, for the next stage in their education. They explore numbers and develop their counting skills each morning by counting how many children are in that day. They learn to record information and begin forming numbers to represent the correct number of children. Younger children listen to staff and join in with counting as they transfer fruit onto their plates.

Leaders and staff prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills at the nursery. Staff communicate with children throughout the day, supporting them with the development of their language and vocabulary. Staff shares stories with babies. They encourage children to explore the textures of objects on different pages and talk to them about how it feels. Children begin to name different characters that they see, and staff offer gentle praise for their contributions.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, generally make effective progress from their starting points. They learn to develop independence skills, such as feeding themselves and pouring their own drinks. They learn about hygiene and practise washing their hands with soap and running water at a sink, starting in the baby room. Older children prepare themselves for outdoor activities by dressing themselves in their waterproof clothing. Children take part in group activities that increasingly develop their listening and attention skills. They develop their speech and vocabulary through conversation with their peers and adults in the room. Children tune into sounds in the environment, beginning to name what they can hear. Older children begin tuning into the sounds that they can hear in words. This helps them to recognise their name and supports early reading skills.

Children develop physically through opportunities to climb on outdoor equipment and explore ways of moving on ride-on toys. They learn to manage risks as they practise travelling down the ramp, avoiding obstacles in their way. Children develop strength in their hands and fingers as they learn how to squeeze water in and out of water play resources. They take part in activities where they can develop their patience and concentration as they take turns to pass paper around a circle, using only pegs to transfer it to the next person. This promotes children's finger strength to enhance their early writing skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff plan consistent routines, which children confidently follow. Children are happy, and they build secure attachments with key members of staff. Leaders recognise the importance of developing warm, positive relationships between staff and children. They ensure that buddy systems are in place to support children's smooth transitions into nursery and between different rooms. This means that children are always supported by familiar adults who know and can attend to their individual needs.

Staff are positive role models and have consistently high expectations for children's behaviour. They encourage children to share and demonstrate kindness to others. This supports children to learn to play harmoniously with their peers. Children consistently demonstrate positive behaviour and attitudes to learning across the nursery. Leaders and staff set high standards and offer praise and reward to children. Babies are happy to share photos of their families and objects from their home with their friends. When there are instances where children are reluctant to share a ride-on toy, staff are swift in teaching the importance of learning to compromise and share resources. This leads to children learning and understanding the needs of others.

Leaders promote positive partnerships with parents. This encourages effective communication between parents and staff. They communicate effectively about children's attendance, and parents update staff on key events that take place in children's lives. This enables children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face barriers to their learning, to establish positive routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are celebrated as individuals at this caring nursery. Leaders and staff get to know children and families very well and typically build positive relationships that promote children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders promote partnership working with other agencies to ensure that those children with special needs and/or disabilities receive support that enables them to make progress from their starting points. Staff work collaboratively with specialist advisers to create individual learning plans for children and adapt the learning environment or activities to promote inclusive learning opportunities.

Leaders understand the importance of working with other settings that children also attend. They share key information, including details about children's development. This partnership working promotes children's wellbeing.

Staff teach children about how to live healthy lifestyles. They learn about positive hygiene by washing their hands before every meal. All children learn to wash their hands in an age-and-stage appropriate way. At mealtimes, children receive healthy, balanced and nutritious food that meets their individual requirements. Leaders and staff ensure that they find out all updates to children's individual weaning and dietary needs to maintain children's safety. This means that children's food is prepared in a way that is appropriate for their age and stage of development. Children choose between a variety of fresh fruit at snack times and use tongs to select and transfer it to their plates.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are responsive and caring towards the needs of staff and children that are part of their learning community. They help children to settle and communicate effectively with parents about children's development. Leaders work collaboratively with schools to establish systems that support smooth transitions for children. Leaders value the importance of joint working and embrace opportunities to share in learning opportunities. For instance, pre-school children routinely take part in activities with Reception-age children from the school, such as weekly visits to the on-site forest area. This offers children the opportunity to get to know staff from the school and to experience learning with their older peers.

Leaders reflect on practice to evaluate their priorities for development. They have procedures in place for the supervision of staff and recognise that they could improve this further to offer more targeted support. Leaders have high ambitions for children and have high standards of care and education. They recognise that teaching is not yet fully embedded throughout the nursery. Leaders take action to ensure that staff feel valued. Staff talk positively about the care and compassion of the leadership team. They share that they have opportunities to discuss their career aspirations and to complete routine training.