Penmoor Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders know children and their families very well and have high expectations about meeting individual children's needs. Professional learning ensures staff have the knowledge and skills they need to ensure all children can access the curriculum. As a result, staff expertly support children's specific communication and language skills. For instance, they play games with children to help them hear words and identify pictures. This helps to develop children's understanding and to learn new vocabulary. Staff frequently review the strategies they use to ensure they are helping children to make progress towards their individual targets. Leaders and staff assess children's needs effectively and regularly monitor their progress. Leaders and staff proactively seek specialist support for children when it is needed. Staff work very closely with specialist early years professionals, which enables them to adapt the provision precisely to meet children's individual needs so that they are included in all aspects of life in the setting.

Leaders use funding well to meet children's needs. They provide one-to-one support when needed and arrange community trips so that children who may not otherwise access such experiences can enjoy new opportunities. Therefore, children who face barriers to learning receive timely, targeted interventions that help them overcome challenges and make sustained progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff plan and implement their curriculum well. They use assessments effectively to check children's development and establish their next steps in learning. Staff know what they want children to learn, such as helping them to develop an understanding of how to express their emotions. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They consistently use sign language with children to help them convey their needs. Staff organise specific small-group activities, focusing on children's mental health and helping them to talk about their feelings. Staff promote children's physical skills effectively, including 'Wellies and Moor' sessions where children visit outdoor rural spaces and learn about nature. Indoors, staff encourage children to develop their balance and coordination as they enjoy using the slide after lunch. Staff help children develop their mathematical knowledge through songs and rhymes as they join in counting rhymes with actions. There are some times during the day, such as when children transition from one routine to another, where staff take a more supervisory role. During these times, staff do not always provide high-quality interactions to support children's learning further. Leaders make astute decisions to bring about improvements. They utilise staff's strengths effectively by making the best use of their skills and knowledge to provide support to families through their 'In-house Champions' roles. This includes providing support for parents about potty training children and identifying specialist equipment for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children achieve well in readiness for their next stage of learning. For instance, older children talk in detail about 'Remembrance Day' and why this is important. Children use effective communication skills to describe the events happening in the community around this memorial. Younger children confidently remember the stories they have heard. They join in with repeated refrains and develop empathy as they talk about how 'hedgehogs' feel in the autumn months, supporting their literacy development. Children predict key parts of the story with excitement, joining in with familiar actions. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive well-tailored support so they progress well from their starting points. Children learn sign language rapidly and confidently use this to communicate with others around them. Older children develop essential skills needed for school. They successfully self-register, recognising their name and placing their name card in the designated space. When going outside, they independently change in and out of their all-weather suits, adjusting zips and afterwards, hang up their belongings. Furthermore, children show high levels of skill as they use tools and equipment, such as scissors and cutlery.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a positive learning environment where every child feels seen and heard. Children form firm bonds with staff, who are effective role models. Staff have consistently high expectations of children, who play cooperatively with one another. Staff help children to feel empowered. They provide them with choices and opportunities to be responsible during daily routines. For instance, children wave a flag to tell their friends it is time to line up. Peers respond quickly, informing and helping each other. Fostering children's confidence and communication skills is central to the nursery, which creates respectful relationships and collaboration as children learn to play together. Well-established, predictable routines and respectful boundaries mean that children of different ages and stages of development gain the security to explore their feelings and reflect on their choices. Leaders ensure that families understand the value of punctuality, which means children arrive on time, enabling them to experience the whole curriculum to benefit their development.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Relationships with children are sensitive and nurturing so that children enjoy playing and learning. Leaders support children's physical and emotional health. They promote the importance of oral hygiene through toothbrushing, which is embedded into daily routines. Children enjoy listening to the accompanying song as staff role model how to move their brush in different directions to ensure children learn to clean all their teeth. Children make healthy soup to have with their peers using a range of fresh ingredients. Although staff teach children about making healthy choices, they do not consistently help children to understand why these choices are important. Staff carefully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making relevant adaptations to help them with feeding and drinking. Staff always talk to children when it is time to change their nappy so they develop awareness of their personal needs. When children sleep, staff provide a cosy, safe space for them, adapting their practice to meet their individual care routines. Children feel a sense of security through the trusting relationships they have with staff, who support their emotional wellbeing effectively. Staff read stories and use actions to talk about how children are feeling, such as giving hugs for both happy and sad emotions, which helps them learn to express their emotions. Children benefit from physical activity both inside and outside. Staff teach children how to stay safe and have positive social skills, such as waiting in line for their turn.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

The nursery is operating under new leadership. Leaders show passion and commitment to providing high-quality care and education for all children. They have a secure understanding of the setting's strengths and continually reflect to identify any priorities for improvement, responding swiftly to further develop practice. For example, they identified some children were not accessing books as much so have introduced an initiative called 'Treasured Tales' to support everyone's enjoyment of books through daily access to stories and being able to take books home. Children enjoy sharing these books with their family, which contributes to the development of children's early reading skills. Leaders use funding astutely to help close any gaps in children's learning. Children enjoy regular outings in the local area with staff, such as visits to the nearby care home, which helps them develop a sense of community.

Staff morale is high because leaders are supportive and mindful of staff's wellbeing. They access a wealth of ongoing training to support their individual professional learning needs. For instance, staff implement specific games to help support children's understanding. Highly effective partnerships with parents and other professionals result in a consistent two-way flow of information that benefits children's learning and development. Parents comment on the strong communication staff provide and particularly value ideas that help them to support their children's learning and development at home.