Noah's Little Ark day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand how to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as well as those with other barriers to their learning. They work closely with parents by completing initial home visits to establish children's starting points and identify the support they require. Leaders and staff work closely with external professionals and agencies to implement targeted support that helps children to make progress. For example, staff use 'sensory circuit breakers' to help children regulate how they are feeling and engage in activities. Leaders work with external professionals to review each child's support plan and identify when further support may be required.

Staff have a clear understanding of children's individual needs. They generally adapt routines and activities to support children with SEND and those with other barriers to learning. For example, staff sensitively support children with SEND to take part in activities outdoors when they recognise that children are no longer able to maintain their focus during group time. Leaders and staff use information gathered from observations and assessments to make adaptations to the environment that support children's individual learning styles. For example, leaders update areas of the setting to provide children with resources they can post objects into and pour water into as they explore how things move through tubes and tunnels.

Additional funding is used effectively. Leaders use funding to provide children with SEND and other barriers to learning with enhanced staff support, enabling them to access a range of different learning experiences. Leaders also ensure that funding is used to provide children with a broad range of experiences. For example, children access multilingual singing and rhyme sessions to support those who speak English as an additional language.

Leaders and staff generally support children who speak English as an additional language. Leaders provide all staff with a list of key words from children's home languages to incorporate into their everyday practice. This helps children to feel safe and valued and supports them to develop a sense of belonging. Staff use visuals with all children to help them understand and prepare for the next part of the routine.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have developed an appropriate curriculum that promotes the 7 areas of learning. They recognise that the curriculum and teaching are not yet well embedded for children and that this work remains at an early stage.

Staff typically promote children's early language skills by singing familiar rhymes and sharing stories. They encourage children to recall different characters from stories and take turns as they pass puppets around the group. However, staff do not adapt group activities to the individual age and stage of each child's development. They do not recognise when children lose focus. As a result, children sit for prolonged periods. Staff do not consistently have a clear understanding of how planned activities support individual children to make progress in their learning. While staff do identify children's next steps, the next steps identified are not always specific enough to help them prepare for the next stage. As a result, opportunities to extend children's learning and thinking are sometimes missed.

Staff interact with children in a warm and nurturing manner. However, staff do not ensure interactions are sharply focused on supporting children's communication and language. For example, children are sometimes asked questions that are closed and do not allow them to use their knowledge and learning. This does not provide children with the opportunity to think of their own ideas and expand their vocabulary. Interactions and teaching focus on what children already know. For example, children enthusiastically take part in imaginative play as firefighters. Staff do not use this opportunity to broaden children's knowledge. Staff provide children with a variety of different learning experiences. Overall, activities provided are based on children's interests, and children show varying levels of engagement. However, the quality and amount of learning experiences available for children to access in the afternoon reduces. As a result, there are several children who wander around the setting.

There are positive examples of teaching. Staff promote children's mathematical development as they explore how buckets become 'full' and 'empty' in the outdoor area. Overall, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported as staff provide sensory experiences for these children, such as water play, and deploy themselves effectively as they encourage children to join in with other activities available.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children's progress and achievement vary because the quality of teaching is not yet consistent. At times, children are not fully supported to extend their thoughts and ideas. They have limited opportunities to hear repeated words to help them develop their vocabulary. Children are not always given sufficient opportunities to practise, refine and embed new skills and knowledge. They do not reach their potential across all 7 areas of learning due to learning not being closely matched to children's individual needs.

Children have regular opportunities to develop their fine and gross motor skills. They manipulate dough in different ways using their hands and tools. Children make large marks as they paint outdoors and are confident to make their own choices as they decide which colour to use. Children develop early role play skills as they pretend to feed baby dolls. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to access all areas of the setting.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a calm environment for children, with clear expectations for behaviour and familiar routines. Staff support children to understand which part of the routine comes next by showing children visual aids to help them transition to the next part of the day. Children behave well in this setting. Staff know children well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and recognise when they may need additional support. For example, staff identify when children become upset and use the sensory room to support them with targeted strategies to help them regulate their emotions.

Overall, children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. Children cooperate, take turns and show kindness to each other. For example, staff support older children to take turns to walk across stepping stones in the outdoor area. Leaders and staff have implemented an effective key-person system, which enables children to form secure attachments and develop a sense of belonging at the setting. Staff respond sensitively to children and, when needed, provide children with reassurance.

Leaders monitor children's attendance closely. They follow up consistently with parents and carers when unknown absences occur. Leaders work closely with families to identify and remove any barriers to attendance and complete home visits where appropriate to ensure children remain safe.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to understand and meet children's individual needs. For example, leaders complete home visits for new children to identify starting points and strategies to help them settle. Children form positive relationships with staff, which helps them to feel safe, secure and valued. Staff typically support children's emotional wellbeing through warm and nurturing interactions. For example, staff share the story of 'The Colour Monster' to help children recognise their own feelings.

Leaders and staff ensure health and hygiene practices are embedded. Children wash and dry their hands independently using soap. Mealtimes are generally a sociable experience for children. Staff encourage children to pour their own drinks and incorporate key words from children's home languages to support those children who speak English as an additional language. Shared laughter and positive interactions between staff and children help children feel settled in the setting. Leaders and staff have a sound understanding of safer sleep and eating practices.

Children have regular experiences to develop their physical skills. Staff support children to negotiate obstacle courses and use construction blocks to build objects in different ways. Leaders and staff provide children with regular experiences outside of the setting, such as going on a 'nature walk', to help children develop their gross motor skills in a larger environment.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The effectiveness of leadership has strengthened considerably since the last inspection. Leaders have worked effectively with the local authority to address weaknesses promptly and improve oversight of the setting.

Leaders have clear recruitment procedures in place to ensure staff are suitable for their roles. They provide regular supervision opportunities to identify ways staff can further improve their practice. Leaders provide frequent professional development opportunities, such as training to develop staff's understanding of how to promote children's welfare. They accurately reflect on the provision and recognise that their ambitions for the curriculum are at the early stages of being implemented effectively. Staff say that they feel positive about their roles and the support they receive. They feel able to talk to leaders, which promotes their wellbeing.

Leaders understand the unique needs of families who attend the setting. They work with external professionals to ensure children and their families receive the most appropriate support at the earliest opportunity. Leaders support families to engage with the setting by attending coffee mornings and, where appropriate, supporting them to access a food bank. They have plans to further strengthen partnerships with parents. Parents say that they receive effective communication from the setting and have formed positive relationships with their child's key person. Leaders use additional funding appropriately to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to their learning are well supported.

Since the last inspection, there was a significant event where leaders did not notify Ofsted, which is a requirement of their registration. However, appropriate action was taken to address this and mitigate any potential risk to children.