Muddy Boots Gildersome

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff identify children's needs swiftly and provide well-planned support. Staff scrutinise children's development. Children with emerging challenges in their learning, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from targeted strategies such as calm spaces, visual prompts and adapted communication approaches. This helps children to express their needs with confidence and supports them to play a full part in nursery life.

Leaders work exceptionally well with external agencies, establishing highly effective partnerships that underpin coordinated support for children. These well-embedded relationships ensure that children receive timely and cohesive support, with professional advice feeding directly into daily practice. Children with SEND benefit from highly tailored strategies that scaffold their secure, sustained progress. Staff share agreed approaches with parents, promoting consistency between home and nursery. Regular reviews ensure that targets are broken down into clear, achievable steps, so that children experience frequent success. Leaders recognise when children's needs change and make adjustments, for example to staff ratios, routines and expectations, to ensure that children remain very well supported.

Disadvantaged children and those facing other barriers participate fully in all aspects of the day. Staff maintain close oversight of children who are known, or have previously been known, to social care, and leaders ensure open communication with families. Inclusive practice is deeply embedded across the setting. Staff understand, respect and meet every child's individual needs through consistent, responsive provision.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders set a clear vision for what they want children to learn. The curriculum focuses on developing children's independence, emotional development, curiosity and nurturing a real enjoyment of learning. It is designed so that all children can access learning, and staff make thoughtful adjustments that help everyone take part. Each room follows its own curriculum, which focuses on what staff want children to achieve at key points before moving to the next stage. Staff plan activities based on accurate assessments of children's progress and provide a broad and appealing range of learning opportunities across early number, language and physical development. Leaders encourage children to spend as much time outdoors as possible, where experiences differ from those provided indoors and offer distinct opportunities and challenges. This reflects a key aspect of the nursery's curriculum and approach to learning.

Staff vary in how precisely they build children's mathematical understanding, and some opportunities to deepen learning are missed. At times, younger children find activities too challenging, while older children do not always encounter teaching that moves their learning forward. Teaching across the rest of the curriculum is, overall, very effective, though there are some minor differences in staff confidence, for example in how they encourage children to develop a wider vocabulary. Leaders have identified professional development opportunities and are beginning to cascade more effective teaching through modelling, shared observations and targeted support. The impact of this is already being realised, with swift improvements in practice. For example, staff increasingly give children time to think and narrate play rather than asking too many questions, resulting in calmer, more purposeful interactions that support children's developing thinking extremely well.

Achievement: Expected standard

Babies settle well and make steady progress in their early development. They build confidence in communication, respond to familiar routines and begin to explore their environment with increasing curiosity. They show growing awareness of others and develop early social interaction skills. Toddlers achieve typically well across all areas of learning. They show enjoyment in stories, songs and outdoor play and sustain engagement in activities that build early language, physical development and social confidence.

Older children make secure progress across the curriculum and develop a foundation of skills and knowledge that prepares them well for school. They communicate confidently, develop remarkable listening and attention skills and show pride in what they can do. They practise early literacy and mathematical ideas in everyday contexts, though some would benefit from more precise teaching in mathematics to move their learning forward even further.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make meaningful progress from their starting points. They develop attention, play skills and early communication through carefully sequenced experiences. They express themselves increasingly well and show growing confidence in their interactions.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders provide clear direction for positive behaviour. Their approach creates a calm, respectful atmosphere in which children feel secure and confident from the moment they arrive. Babies settle quickly into familiar patterns of the day, while toddlers and older children move through routines with assurance and a strong sense of belonging. Children's attitudes to learning are highly positive. They sustain focus, show curiosity and participate with enthusiasm in stories, songs and outdoor exploration. Even the youngest children demonstrate remarkable engagement, while older children approach routines with enjoyment and confidence in what they can do.

Relationships across the setting are consistently warm and respectful. Staff model respect and courtesy throughout all interactions, and children mirror this naturally. They greet others politely, wait patiently and show kindness towards their friends. Older children relish opportunities to take on small responsibilities, such as being the 'special helper' at lunchtime. They carry out these roles with pride and care, demonstrating independence, a developing sense of responsibility and a genuine enjoyment in contributing to the life of the nursery.

Leaders promote attendance diligently, working closely with families to develop regular habits that help children to benefit fully from early education. Inclusive approaches are embedded throughout routines. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities participate confidently and increasingly overcome any anxieties they may feel during transitions and routines. They move through the day with growing assurance, benefitting from predictable routines and sensitive support that help them take part alongside their friends. Leaders' oversight ensures that staff apply their high behavioural expectations. Children develop kindness, consideration and a clear understanding of right from wrong.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Warm, reliable relationships are a priority from the moment children join nursery. A highly effective key-person system supports tailored care and a consistent, familiar presence that helps children to feel safe, secure and ready to explore. Staff notice when children are becoming unsettled and step in early, offering calm words, reassurance and gentle guidance that helps them feel more secure. Children build bonds with staff who do not usually work directly with them, but often step in to give additional support. They show kindness and give warm hugs that help children to feel safe and at ease in nursery.

Children develop a secure understanding of ways to keep themselves safe, such as why they use sunscreen and wash their hands. They help staff to complete simple risk assessments and take pride in helping to keep the nursery safe. Staff share age-appropriate books about privacy and online safety to help children to make safe choices. They carefully consider ways to support non-verbal children with this, for example by teaching them signs. This helps children's growing awareness of how to protect themselves. Children enjoy nutritious meals. They help grow ingredients in the garden and talk about how fresh food supports their bodies, such as the 7 vegetables they include in their curry for lunch. Children's growing understanding helps them to make healthy choices, and they eat a wider range of fruit and vegetables than previously.

Leaders closely monitor children's welfare through supervision, daily conversations, and rigorous oversight of practice. Staff are highly vigilant throughout the day, particularly during sleeping and eating routines, and manage allergies with great care so that every child stays safe.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders provide clear, strategic direction, based on sharp, accurate reflections that guide purposeful decisions. They and staff share a consistent understanding of high-quality practice, which shapes daily routines and interactions. Leaders scrutinise provision, for example through regular staff observations, and focus on aspects of practice that they want to strengthen. Staff welcome feedback and act on it, and leaders are already seeing improvements in curriculum delivery and teaching consistency.

Staff wellbeing is a major priority, which leads to a harmonious atmosphere where every member of staff feels supported, valued, and part of a close, professional community. This strong sense of belonging fuels staff enthusiasm and their desire to keep building on their skills. Professional development is purposeful. Leaders cascade their own learning across the team, which leads to marked progress in the quality of teaching. For example, staff interactions have become increasingly skilled and intentional. Leaders work closely with staff to embed purposeful teaching, recognising that some aspects of curriculum understanding are still developing. Recent staffing challenges have slowed some planned development work. Those in governance have responded by increasing recruitment to ensure that staff have more time and opportunities for further professional development. This demonstrates how decisions are made in the best interests of children and means that the emerging excellence in teaching can become more consistent and established swiftly.

Leaders ensure that they make themselves available each morning to speak with parents, ensuring communication is open, responsive and supportive. Parents feel informed and valued, and leaders share strategies with families so that children experience continuity between home and the setting. Those in governance share the nursery's priorities and provide support to sustain improvements and maintain high standards. Alongside leaders and staff, they create a culture of reflection, professional growth and shared responsibility. This helps to ensure that all children flourish in a safe, well-organised and thoughtfully planned environment, and families feel involved and fully assured.