Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stanway

Inclusion: Expected standard

Robust settling-in procedures and a securely embedded key-person system mean parents and carers can share their unique information about their child before they start. These early discussions foster a collaborative approach, including listening to views from any external professionals already working with the child. Any early interventions, such as speech and language support, are actioned straight away. This ensures that all children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make typical progress from their starting points.

Partnerships with parents are prioritised and a strength of the nursery. Leaders and staff work sensitively and build trusting relationships with parents. This ensures that all families and children are consistently receiving well-rounded support. This increases attendance and the overall happiness of all children, including those known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. Staff use parental input and regular assessments of children's progress effectively to offer opportunities to support children's next steps in learning. Staff skilfully consider children's interests and learning priorities in planning activities. Staff notice when children are not getting the most out of typically effective teaching strategies, such as one-to-one support. However, occasionally, staff do not always adapt their interactions swiftly enough to help children make even more progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Babies and children develop their physical strength and mathematics in fun ways. Babies enjoy learning to climb and pull themselves up on soft-play equipment while attempting to count in sequence with staff who are modelling this. Staff consistently respond attentively to babies' early signs of communication. For example, when babies hold out a book to them, staff offer to read to them. Babies show excellent attention and listening skills while being read to. They are building on their articulation of first words as they attempt to repeat words that staff model to them. The promotion of these early literacy skills is crucial for when they progress to school.

Recent improvements to the nursery curriculum are highly successful and play a pivotal role in staff's delivery of typically high-quality teaching throughout the nursery. However, occasionally, when staff are implementing activities, they do not always gather a broad perspective of all children's involvement. This can lead to some children not persevering in activities of their choosing, which can reduce intended learning outcomes.

Staff use robust assessments of children's progress to inform planning. This ensures that the individual needs of all children are met, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff use Makaton sign language and visual prompts such as 'now and next' boards to help all children communicate and understand changes to routines.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are thriving and achieving very well from their starting points. Children with SEND typically benefit from tailored interventions, such as one-to-one support when appropriate. This includes for the most disadvantaged children to improve their best outcomes and achievements in all areas of learning and development.

Children become independent learners and develop the essential knowledge and skills needed for their future learning and development. Children are very proud of their achievements and delight in showing visitors pretend ice cream they have made from sand.

Older children and those with SEND independently take themselves to specific areas to self-regulate when they feel overwhelmed. These are spaces where children can take time to calm their mind and body, for example by listening to a quiet story. This helps children to manage their emotions and behaviours when they progress to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders provide training to ensure that staff deliver inclusive approaches to behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines. Leaders have recently introduced 'five-minute observations', where they implement focused reflections alongside staff. This helps staff step back and observe environments at key points in the day, such as transitions to outdoor play. This is in its infancy but will help staff to reflect and improve on their practice, such as ensuring that staff help children's increasing independence by helping them learn how to dress appropriately for different types of weather.

Children are happy, and laughter fills the air as they play cooperatively with their peers and staff. Staff support children to foster close friendships, for example through turn-taking games. Any minor disputes over popular toys are dealt with effectively. Children learn about sharing and respecting the needs and feelings of others through excellent modelling by staff. Staff praise children when they show random acts of kindness, such as sharing toys. This helps maintain positive attitudes to learning.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and establishing routines, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, staff model to children with SEND how to push chairs under the table so they are not a trip hazard.

Staff provide tailored settling-in processes, which help children develop routines and positive habits. They also promote children's punctuality and attendance at nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

All children are becoming increasingly independent in attending to their personal needs. They develop life skills, such as cutting up food with a knife and fork. Patient staff use gentle hand-over-hand guidance to support this learning. Children self-serve their own meals and learn to make healthy food choices. Freshly prepared meals are balanced and meet children's nutritional needs.

Leaders have embedded daily procedures, such as intermittent spot checks of all rooms in the nursery. This promotes children's welfare and wellbeing, as leaders identify times of the day where extra support could be provided to maintain safe and purposeful learning environments.

Staff meticulously follow daily risk assessments to ensure that children with special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances have their care needs met. Children develop good hygiene routines in age-appropriate ways. This supports children's health and wellbeing beyond nursery. For example, parents report how children sing a merry handwashing tune taught at nursery to help them wash their hands properly at home.

At times when children experience periods of high energy levels, staff know how to help individual children manage their feelings, such as playing outdoors. Children, including those with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from fresh air and physical play, which can help even the most disadvantaged children to improve their wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have made the required improvements since the last inspection. This displays their dedication to continuously reflect and strengthen the curriculum and teaching standards. Leaders have set clear goals to continually build on these improvements. For example, leaders have accessed further training and coaching opportunities to ensure that the curriculum is always inclusive and of consistently high quality.

Since the last inspection, leaders have taken substantial action to ensure that reciprocal communication with parents is consistent and highly effective. For example, parents are regularly invited to meet with their child's key person to discuss children's progress. Part of this process includes listening to parents' views and working together, sometimes with other external professionals, to plan children's next steps in learning and development. This collaborative approach particularly supports those children known (or previously known) to children's social care and those who face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

Parents express overwhelming amounts of praise for the caring and dedicated staff. They applaud the in-depth, daily communication about their child's day. Parents report a significant increase in their children's communication and language development since attending.

Staff provide overwhelming praise for their leadership team. They feel incredibly supported in their roles and feel their workload is manageable. Staff explain how training matches their development needs and preferences, alongside building their confidence to deliver high-quality care and education.