New Beginnings at Park Spring

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders create an inclusive environment in which they welcome children and their families wholeheartedly. They understand the community that they serve. When children begin at the nursery, leaders work with families to build a picture of the child, including their experiences and learning and development needs. From this, staff generally plan activities and experiences that build on what children already know and can do. For example, as many children have limited opportunities for outdoor play at home, the nursery provides extensive access to outdoor experiences that promote children's physical development, exploration and wellbeing.

Leaders maintain a clear oversight of all children's development, with a particular focus on the progress of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They draw on advice and support from other professionals to help shape individual support plans and set appropriate targets, ensuring children receive the support they need to make progress in their learning. This is typically implemented well by staff. For example, staff give particular regard to children's non-verbal communication and body language, responding to these cues encouragingly to promote interaction. This helps many children to make progress and contributes to identified gaps in learning being narrowed over time.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a curriculum that promotes children's independence, confidence and positive attitudes towards learning, supporting them to develop a secure sense of self and their own unique identities. Staff foster children's personal, social and emotional development, enabling them to make choices, develop independence and build positive relationships with others. For example, babies independently access instruments stored at their level, learning about cause and effect through exploration, while older children learn to collaborate, take turns and share during group play.

Staff know children well and have a clear understanding of their current stage of development and what they need to learn next. They use this knowledge to plan experiences that support children's progress across the curriculum. Through purposeful interactions and intentional teaching, staff help children to acquire new knowledge, skills and vocabulary. For example, as children explore water play, staff encourage them to practise large movements and build their strength, reaching up to pour and bending down to scoop the water. They introduce new vocabulary, like 'splash' and 'scoop', to expand on the language that children use. However, opportunities to deepen children's learning are not always fully maximised. For example, when children recite numbers as they line up to come inside, staff do not always use this spontaneous learning moment to further develop children's mathematical knowledge and thinking. As a result, children do not consistently practise and consolidate the knowledge they have.

Staff develop warm, positive and nurturing relationships with children, helping them to feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. They use their knowledge of children's interests and individual needs to provide engaging experiences that support learning and social development. For example, staff encourage children to engage with preferred resources and sensitively support them to play alongside and with their peers. This helps children to develop cooperative play skills, form positive relationships and build confidence in social situations.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children demonstrate the progression in skills and knowledge they achieve throughout their time at the nursery. For example, babies and young children explore the ways in which they can move, pulling themselves up on furniture and reaching for toys to explore, whilst older children learn to move in a variety of ways, propelling themselves on sit-and-ride toys, climbing and skilfully changing direction as they run in a game of superheroes.

Children learn to communicate effectively and make their needs known. They progress from pre-verbal communication to speaking in sentences to share their ideas and experiences. Children are independent, attending to their own personal care needs, such as handwashing and nose wiping. As babies, with developing physical skills, they learn to feed themselves, developing their grip to select foods and bring them to their mouths. As children practise pouring and scooping motions in their play, they develop skills to be able to serve their meals and feed themselves with cutlery. By the time children are pre-school aged, they are mostly independent in these skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders establish effective routines that help children feel secure, settled and ready to learn. Key persons work closely with parents to develop a strong understanding of children's individual needs and experiences. For example, they gather information to enable them to support children's behaviour and emotions, such as whether they need additional comfort following a disturbed night's sleep. Staff use this knowledge to respond sensitively to children's needs and support their engagement. Staff have regard to safer sleep guidance and have procedures in place to monitor children during this time.

Typically, routines promote children's engagement and independence, however, some routines do not always promote children's sustained involvement in activities. For example, children are sometimes distracted during song time when they are called to wash their hands, or become frustrated when others knock down their models while waiting for afternoon activities to be set up. As a result, there are occasional incidents of unwanted behaviour and missed opportunities to maximise children's learning and engagement.

Leaders have high expectations for all children and establish clear policies and procedures that promote respect, tolerance and positive behaviour. Staff generally support children's behaviour through positive interactions and consistent reinforcement of expected behaviours. Typically, they adapt their approaches appropriately to meet children's ages and stages of development. For example, staff encourage younger children to use 'kind hands', while helping older children to understand the consequences of their actions, such as throwing stones. This supports children to recognise and manage their emotions, develop an understanding of expected behaviour and treat others with respect.

Leaders actively promote children's attendance and work closely with families from the outset to build positive relationships and ensure they receive appropriate support. They monitor attendance effectively and follow up on absences to promote children's safety, wellbeing and welfare.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the community they serve and are responsive to local issues that may affect children's health and wellbeing, such as oral health. They work proactively with families and partner agencies to promote children's welfare, supporting initiatives such as toothbrushing programmes, and providing resources to help parents continue good practices at home.

Leaders plan opportunities that broaden children's experiences and promote healthy lifestyles. Children learn about the diverse cultures within their community and develop an understanding of healthy eating. For example, they celebrate a range of festivals and learn about foods and where they come from, nurturing food plants until they are ready for harvest and preparing them to eat. Children also cook with vegetables grown in the nursery garden. These experiences support children's physical wellbeing, encourage positive attitudes towards trying new foods and help them to develop healthy habits for the future. Mealtimes are a social occasion, and staff are alert to the risks associated with foods, such as choking and allergens. They give children reminders to remain seated whilst eating and monitor the food that children eat.

Children are typically well supported during settling-in periods. Babies and children form attachments with familiar staff and are comforted by their caring interactions with them. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who face barriers to their learning are fully included in all aspects of the nursery. Generally, staff prioritise all children having a voice and are in tune to their individual needs and how children express themselves. For example, staff use objects of reference to encourage children to make choices. This promotes not only children's developing communication but their emotional wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders generally have an accurate view of the setting's strengths and areas of development. They have identified areas that they want to develop further, such as implementing the curriculum more consistently and developing the outdoor play spaces. They reflect on local need, to understand the priorities of the community and their cohort of children. For example, prioritising children's access to outdoor play and providing them with a nutritious diet.

Leaders establish effective partnerships with parents, carers and external professionals to support children's learning, development and wellbeing. They work collaboratively with other agencies to secure targeted and specialist support for children and families where needed, helping to ensure that children receive timely and appropriate interventions.

Leaders maintain open and effective communication with parents, ensuring that relevant information about children's development is shared and used to support positive outcomes. They also provide opportunities for parents to develop their knowledge and understanding through workshops and guidance on specific areas of need. For example, leaders facilitate sessions on approaches, such as intensive interactions, to support communication development and strategies to help establish routines at home. This strengthens partnership working and promotes a consistent approach to supporting children's development across home and the setting.

Staff receive support, coaching and training that equips them to fulfil their role. Leaders use observation to identify professional development opportunities and role modelling to support staff to strengthen their practice in the classrooms. Staff report that leaders support them well and take positive steps to manage workload effectively. They feel their contributions are valued and appreciate the encouragement and support they receive to undertake further training and gain additional qualifications.