Minik Kardes Childrens Centre and Community Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Inclusion is securely embedded throughout the setting. Children experience an environment that actively values diversity and supports them to feel included, respected and confident. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit consistently from a bilingual staff team that uses children's home languages alongside English. This approach supports children's understanding, communication and confidence effectively, enabling them to participate fully in play. Children feel valued and supported, which strengthens their sense of belonging and supports positive attitudes towards learning.

Children with additional needs are identified promptly and benefit from well-targeted support. For example, where children are identified as having gaps in their speech and language development, staff work closely with the special educational needs coordinator to complete referrals for speech and language therapy. This ensures children benefit from timely access to specialist support and targeted strategies. Staff carefully plan opportunities that support children's communication and interaction skills, as well as their social and emotional development. These individualised approaches help children to develop their speech, build relationships, manage their emotions and engage positively with others. All children continue to make progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff use observation and assessment effectively to identify what children need to learn next and to recognise any gaps in their learning promptly. Staff provide stimulating activities that enable children to play, explore and learn. Activities are inclusive, and all children are fully engaged and motivated to learn. Staff interact positively with children to support their learning and development. For example, during story times, they read expressively and ask questions that encourage them to respond and demonstrate their understanding of the story. This supports the development of children's literacy skills and helps to foster a love of books. Children display effective communication and language skills. They respond to questions confidently and demonstrate secure listening, understanding and speaking skills.

There are plenty of opportunities for children to develop their understanding of the world. They engage in imaginative play, where they use household items, pretend to cook and serve their friends. Children learn about the seasons and weather conditions. Additionally, they learn about animals through activities and visits to the local farm. Children use their senses to explore a range of materials effectively. They explore freely and learn through trial and error. This supports the development of their thinking, memory and concentration. Furthermore, this helps to strengthen their hand muscles as they pick up and handle different items effectively. Although there are opportunities for children to explore mathematics within the planned curriculum, staff are not always confident to extend children's knowledge in this area through taught activities.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their individual starting points. Children approach learning positively. They typically develop a broad range of skills across the curriculum and are prepared for the next stage of learning. Children demonstrate curiosity and sustained interest in activities as they explore and move freely between experiences. They demonstrate confidence, independence, resilience and perseverance when faced with challenging tasks. Children have good physical skills. They practise both small- and large-muscle development during indoor and outdoor play.

Children who speak English as an additional language develop confidence in their communication skills. They use words and phrases from their home language alongside English and clearly express themselves. All children participate well in play activities and daily routine tasks. Children's happy interactions and engagement show that they feel settled and comfortable in their surroundings.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children behave in a respectful and considerate manner. They listen to adults and respond positively to them. Children learn to take turns and share resources during play well. They move calmly between activities and use their stimulating environment with confidence. Children demonstrate an understanding of the daily routines, and they know the expectations from them. They consistently show positive attitudes to learning and display sustained attention during activities. Children regularly make their own choices and seek support from staff, if needed.

Staff consistently encourage positive behaviour through clear guidance and positive encouragement. They use effective strategies to support children to develop self-regulation. Staff work closely with parents to support children's behaviour promptly and sensitively. This helps children to manage their emotions and behaviour in a supportive environment. For example, during role-play activities, children show kindness and care as they recognise others' feelings, offer help and adjust their behaviour to meet the needs of others.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on children's attendance and engagement. Attendance is monitored closely. Leaders work with parents to address any barriers to regular attendance. This supports children to benefit fully from the experiences available. Therefore, expectations for behaviour across the setting support children's learning, relationships and wellbeing.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing remain central to practice. They ensure that systems and routines are securely embedded across the setting. This supports children's physical and emotional needs throughout the day. Leaders ensure a well-established key-person system is in place, and they encourage staff to work closely with parents to support children to settle. This helps children to build trust and form close attachments with familiar staff and supports consistency between home and the setting. Staff support children during transitions between rooms through carefully planned arrangements. This helps children to adjust and feel secure as they move to the next stage.

Staff promote children's welfare through sensitive and responsive care. Nappy-changing routines are carried out by familiar staff, which helps to strengthen relationships. Staff provide healthy food for children to eat, and they carefully consider their individual dietary needs and allergies. Children take part in regular toothbrushing activities so that they develop positive routines around oral health.

Children show that they feel safe and secure in the setting. They approach their key person for reassurance and support when needed. Children demonstrate increasing independence in self-care routines, such as feeding themselves and using the toilet. They take part in regular physical activity and benefit from opportunities to rest and sleep when needed. Children's interactions show that they feel valued, calm and emotionally secure.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders set a clear and ambitious vision for the setting, which is understood and shared by the staff team. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure children are supervised at all times and that required ratios are met. Leaders use self-evaluation to reflect on the quality of provision. They consider feedback from parents, staff and children when identifying strengths and areas for development. Leaders work closely with the local authority to review practice and, in the main, take timely action where improvement is needed. This reflective approach supports ongoing development that is responsive to children's needs.

Leaders typically ensure that staff access training and regular supervision. They discuss staff workload, wellbeing and any concerns. This includes consideration of their personal circumstances, where appropriate, to ensure staff feel supported and able to carry out their roles. There is an understanding of the importance of reviewing how specific training is translated into practice. However, on some occasions, learning from previous training has not been reviewed effectively. As a result, some elements of staff's teaching and practice are not consistently effective when supporting children's learning.

Leaders ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as disadvantaged children, receive appropriate and effective support. Leaders and the special educational needs coordinator work closely with staff, parents and external professionals to identify needs, implement targeted strategies and review progress regularly.

Parents share positive feedback about the setting. They value the communication they receive, the progress their children make and the range of opportunities available.