Partou Cherubs Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) typically have effective plans in place that support their development. Leaders and staff seek support from local authority SEND services to help them to plan effectively for children with SEND to make sure they receive the support they need to make progress. This includes referrals to other agencies who can support the child, their family and the setting in moving forward.

Leaders have highlighted that the provision for children with SEND needed a full overhaul to make it more effective. They have enlisted the support of the local authority to enhance their own training and knowledge, which has then been cascaded to other staff to help promote inclusive practice. Leaders and staff have plans in place to support children, but this has not been recorded fully for all children. Not all children who receive additional support have plans in place. All staff are clear on how to differentiate learning to support children's individual needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders and staff work closely together to design and implement a high-quality curriculum that supports children's needs. They work hard to address any issues over how the curriculum is implemented. Leaders provide coaching and training opportunities for staff to help them to develop a robust understanding of the curriculum. As a result, staff are confident when talking about what they want children to learn.

Staff interact with children well, narrating their play and extending their learning through effective questioning to help children to make progress. They adapt activities to ensure all children, including those who have barriers to their learning, can take an active part in further learning.

Staff plan for children's next steps with activities that engage and encourage their curiosity. For example, after reading about dinosaurs, children show curiosity about how dinosaurs lived. Children enjoy sitting with staff to read stories and share books. Literacy learning features heavily in each room, with activities planned around children's favourite stories. This promotes communication and language development well. Staff model and encourage children to explore early mathematical concepts through play. For example, children learn to measure how far their play cars are travelling. Staff are supportive role models and help children to explore their feelings and emotions. Leaders and staff provide learning to enable children to learn about cultures and family lives other than their own. This benefits children's healthy lifestyles.

Achievement: Strong standard

The curriculum is ambitious and supports all children to achieve well and develop positive attitudes to learning. Children make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children gain independence skills.

Children benefit from fun story time sessions. They snuggle with staff to share their favourite story and join in with the parts they know. Books are easily accessible to all children. Children's language skills are developing. They enjoy taking part in singing and movement sessions as they sing action rhymes. This is developing their physical development.

Children have opportunities to practise new skills and extend their learning in a supportive environment. Young babies pull themselves up to standing as they practise cruising. This supports their core strength and balance. Older children develop increasing independence, using tools and cutlery as they become more self-sufficient. This demonstrates that the activities are carefully sequenced so that children can embed the skills they need to be successful as they move on to their next stage in education, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff are supportive role models who promote the behavioural expectations of the setting. Leaders and staff have identified this as an area for improvement following the last inspection. They have worked hard to identify gaps in staff knowledge and have provided training and support to all staff to enable more effective transition arrangements and behaviour support to be implemented. As such, children develop positive attitudes to learning and quickly learn the supportive routines that are in place.

Leaders prioritise children's independence. There have been recent changes in the daily routines, particularly at lunchtime. For example, smaller group sizes enable staff to sit and communicate with children and support their individual needs even further. Staff have introduced more independent mealtimes, with children learning to self-serve and develop important social skills. However, these are in their infancy and will need time to further embed to really see the impact. Staff promote and model positive behaviour across the setting to help children understand the behaviour that is expected of them.

Leaders monitor attendance and work closely with families to help improve communication around absences. Staff provide support for parents to help them implement positive behaviour routines at home. This promotes purposeful links between home and the setting.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff support children's wellbeing. They promote opportunities for all children to develop independence and learn to do things for themselves, including those who face barriers to their learning. The key-person system is well embedded to support children's individual needs, with a buddy system in place for additional support. Children feel safe with staff and know who to go to for reassurance when needed. Communication between staff and a child's key person supports effective handovers, including information about their sleep and feeding routines and their learning. Parents are clear about what their children are learning and how they can enhance this at home.

Leaders and staff have worked well to support children's wellbeing through new routines. Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about feelings and emotions. They help children to develop an understanding of behavioural expectations and how their behaviour can impact their peers. However, staff need to further develop children's understanding of how to manage their own feelings and behaviours at times. Children move between rooms when they are ready to. The leaders delight in involving parents in this process too. Key persons help with settling visits to ensure children's emotional wellbeing is considered. This supports all children's emotional health.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have worked tirelessly since the last inspection to improve outcomes for children. They have addressed the actions raised on inspection and have implemented new procedures to support learning and development. Leaders acknowledge that, while improvements have been made, embedding these changes and ensuring continuing improvement is key to their future action planning. Leaders implement more robust and supportive supervision arrangements to ensure all staff are fully aware of their target and next steps. This, along with opportunities for coaching and mentoring, helps staff to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. To further support staff wellbeing, leaders offer opportunities for flexible working to help staff have a better work-life balance. This helps staff to feel valued in their role and supported in their professional development.

Partnership with parents is a key strength, with parents reporting improvements in communication and clarity. Parents are happy with the care and learning their children receive. They feel that leaders and staff provide many opportunities for collaborative working. This enables parents to be fully involved in their child's learning. Leaders also work closely with external agencies to ensure that necessary referrals are made quickly. All children receive the support they need without delay.