Oakmount Day Nursery Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture that values every child and supports them to succeed. They use accurate assessments and effective monitoring systems to quickly identify children's emerging needs. Leaders implement timely support, regularly review its impact and adapt provision as children's needs change. They work exceptionally well with parents and carers and external professionals to secure the right support at the earliest opportunity. For example, leaders advocate effectively for children, ensuring that their individual needs are met. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to remove barriers to learning and carefully evaluate its impact on children's progress. Parents value the setting's swift identification of children's needs and the support they receive.

Staff confidently implement leaders' inclusive vision across the setting. They identify barriers to learning through ongoing observations and regular assessments, and skilfully adapt their practice to meet children's individual needs. Staff consistently implement advice from health visitors and speech and language therapists through targeted strategies and purposeful adaptations. This enables children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the curriculum successfully alongside their peers and make strong progress from their individual starting points. Staff thoughtfully weave children's cultural capital throughout the curriculum. For example, they introduce experiences, such as swimming lessons, dance and Spanish activities. This broadens children's understanding of the world around them, particularly for those who may not access these experiences beyond the setting. As a result, children, including those with SEND and other barriers to learning, thrive and make sustained progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. This reflects the needs of their children and maintains high expectations for every child, regardless of their starting points or individual needs. Leaders prioritise communication and language, physical development and social and emotional development. Staff adapt teaching to children's ages, developmental stages and individual needs. This helps all children to access the curriculum, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff skilfully extend learning through play. They introduce new vocabulary and give children time to think and respond. Children confidently explain their ideas and thinking. Staff also promote mathematics purposefully. Children measure sand, predict how many scoops will tip the scales and test their ideas. This strengthens their problem-solving skills.

Staff deliver the curriculum through consistently high-quality teaching and purposeful interactions. They adapt their teaching to children's ages, stages of development and individual needs. This ensures that all children access the curriculum and make rapid progress, particularly those with SEND.

Leaders and staff embed communication and language throughout the curriculum from the baby room onwards. For example, staff model new vocabulary, clearly articulate speech sounds and allow children time to respond. Staff weave mathematical language naturally throughout play. For example, children measure sand, estimate how many scoops they need to make the scales heavier and solve problems together.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children achieve well across all areas of learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. They benefit from personalised support and timely interventions that enable them to make sustained progress towards their individual targets. For example, children use a dedicated sensory room, where projectors and calming resources help them to regulate their emotions.

Children develop secure communication, literacy and mathematical skills through meaningful experiences. For example, older children confidently identify the initial sounds of their own names and those of their peers during activities. Children independently apply these skills when writing their names.

Children also confidently collaborate in the home corner, taking on different roles and developing their communication and social skills. Children build resilience, confidence and emotional security. They form close friendships, cooperate during their play and manage their emotions with increasing confidence.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders establish high expectations for children's behaviour. They embed consistent routines that help children to feel safe, secure and ready to learn. Leaders work closely with families to promote positive attendance and respond quickly to barriers, ensuring that children benefit from regular learning experiences. Leaders promote an inclusive culture and adapt expectations to children's ages, stages of development and individual needs. Babies develop their senses through purposeful sensory experiences, songs and singing. Older children build problem-solving and teamwork skills by assessing risks within their environment. They confidently discuss their findings and share their ideas with staff and peers.

Staff consistently implement the setting's expectations and model respectful and positive behaviour. They build warm and nurturing relationships with children and use praise, gentle reminders and strategies to help children recognise their feelings and understand why they feel that way. This helps children to make positive choices and regulate their feelings. Staff encourage children to be kind, share, take turns and consider the feelings of others. This creates a calm and purposeful environment. For example, children comfort other children when they are sad and show care and concern towards one another.

Children behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They understand established routines and confidently move between activities. For example, children independently tidy away their snack, sit together on the carpet and wait patiently for the next activity to begin. They cooperate well, share resources and support one another during play. Children confidently seek reassurance, share their ideas and engage readily with staff. This demonstrates that children feel safe, valued and secure.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of the provision. They work closely with families to identify and meet children's individual needs. Staff respond skilfully when children with special educational needs and/or disabilities become unsettled. They use reassurance, choice and tailored strategies to help children regulate their emotions and quickly re-engage in their learning and play.

Staff build warm and secure relationships with children. They respond sensitively to individual needs and follow consistent routines for sleep, feeding and personal care. These consistent routines help children to feel safe and secure.

Staff promote healthy lifestyles through nutritious meals, positive hygiene and daily physical activity. For example, children access a well-resourced outdoor area throughout the day, where they develop physical skills, build stamina and burn-off energy through active play. Children feel safe, valued and emotionally secure. They confidently seek comfort from familiar adults and form secure attachments with their key persons.

Children develop independence through daily routines. For example, they blow their noses, dispose of tissues, sweep the floor and tidy away resources without prompting. They make healthy choices by drinking water throughout the day and understand the importance of wearing hats in sunny weather. As a result, children develop positive emotional wellbeing and confidently move to the next stage of their learning.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations for children, staff and the quality of the provision. They know the setting well and accurately identify priorities for improvement. Leaders welcome feedback and use self-evaluation to strengthen practice. They work closely with the local authority and other professionals to review provision and respond to children's changing needs. Leaders adapt the curriculum and environment accordingly. They monitor teaching and learning through supervision sessions, coaching and regular discussions with staff. This helps leaders to embed improvements across the setting.

Leaders place a clear emphasis on staff wellbeing. They create an open and supportive culture where staff feel listened to, valued and respected. Staff describe leaders as approachable, responsive and readily available for advice. Leaders recognise when staff experience changes in their personal circumstances and provide appropriate support. They consider workload and individual needs when making decisions. Regular supervision sessions and targeted professional development strengthen staff knowledge and confidence. Staff use their learning to improve their practice and outcomes for children.

Parents and carers speak highly of the setting and value their partnerships with leaders and staff. Leaders maintain open and supportive communication with families. They provide regular updates about children's learning, development and wellbeing. Leaders involve parents in decisions about their child's care and respond to their views. They work effectively with families and other professionals when children need additional support. This ensures that children receive timely and coordinated help.

Leaders place children's best interests at the heart of their decisions. Their joined-up approach creates consistency between home and the setting. As a result, leaders have established a positive culture where children, families and staff feel valued, supported and included.