Pepper Royd Day Nursery & Forest School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face barriers to their learning typically make progress. Leaders have implemented support plans for children with SEND and those who face barriers to learning. This assists practitioners with adapting environments and breaking learning down into smaller steps. For instance, children can access a sensory room to regulate their emotions, away from the larger group.

Leaders and practitioners' complete regular assessments of children to ensure that any gaps in learning are identified. They have developed positive relationships with parents and carers, enabling valuable 2-way communication.

Practitioners have secure relationships with children with SEND and those who face barriers to their learning. They carefully adapt the ways in which they communicate with children to meet their individual needs. For instance, practitioners use visual prompt cards and 'now and next' boards to communicate with children who are non-verbal and those who speak English as an additional language.

Leaders support parents well in making referrals to external agencies for additional support. They use additional funding effectively, for instance, to develop and enhance the outdoor space to support the physical needs of children.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Older children are given opportunities for extended thinking. For instance, during forest-school sessions, children are asked about the rules of using the saw when cutting wood. Older children within the group respond to these questions confidently. However, discussions are not tailored to meet all children's needs, which, in turn, leads to children becoming disengaged from learning. This has an impact on how well children become confident learners.

Leaders and practitioners regularly assess children's development and monitor progress from their starting points. However, practitioners do not always understand the curriculum well enough and what they want children to learn. This means that not all children are making the progress that they are capable of. Some mathematical language is used. For example, while children play hopscotch in the garden, practitioners count as children jump on the squares. However, this is not thoroughly embedded into practice and is often incidental.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning are supported well. Leaders implement support plans to provide targeted support.

Children are supported to develop their physical skills, indoors and outdoors. Practitioners allow babies the space to develop independence and are close by to support them, when required. Babies confidently sit down on the step, turn around and come down backwards to access a different area of the room, for instance. Practitioners offer praise, and babies smile at their achievements. Leaders and practitioners generally support children's communication and language skills appropriately.

Achievement: Needs attention

Older children make progress and build on what they already know. They typically develop the skills they need for the next stage of learning. However, inconsistencies in teaching and insufficient adaptation to reflect children's ages and stages of development impacts younger children's progress.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning make progress in their communication skills, with the use of visual prompts. Children with speech delays proudly begin to repeat single words.

Children develop independence skills, self-serve their meals, access their own drinking water and, when appropriate, access the bathrooms independently, with an adult close by. This helps children to develop resilience and perseverance.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders set high expectations for children's behaviour, and children generally understand what is expected of them. For example, when children help build a fire to cook their lunch on, they listen intently to the rules and follow these well. Children listen for their name, and when the practitioner calls them, they carefully approach and place sticks on the fire. This develops children's listening skills and how they begin to understand and manage risk.

Practitioners have secure bonds with children and their families and know them well. They take time to get to know children during settling-in sessions, which are tailored to meet children's needs. Parents and carers speak highly of the setting, and the relationships that practitioners and children develop. Practitioners generally encourage children well to work together on tasks. For instance, when using the water dispenser, older children help younger ones to turn on the tap, helping develop their self-esteem and sense of responsibility.

Leaders adapt routines to ensure that all children's needs are supported. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning have the option to leave the area that is used for meals when it is busy and return when it is quieter. This helps to ensure that they do not become overwhelmed. Practitioners notice key indicators of children's emotions and intervene quickly, when needed. Leaders have effective procedures in place to promote and monitor children's attendance.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and practitioners prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development, helping them to enjoy their interactions. Children ask where their friends are as they wait for them to arrive, showing great excitement when they do. Practitioners develop bonds with children, who feel secure and benefit from the positive attachments. For instance, the babies show delight in playing a game of peek-a-boo with a familiar practitioner, maintaining focus on the game for a period of time.

Leaders and practitioners adapt routines to meet the individual needs of children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning. For example, when children show signs of tiredness, practitioners help them to settle by taking them to a quieter area and notify parents and carers of any change to their usual routine. Positive relationships with parents enable practitioners to have supportive communications with them.

Leaders offer children a variety of healthy foods, and children and practitioners sit together at mealtimes. Practitioners role model sociable and polite practice by eating alongside children and encouraging the use of manners. For instance, children are encouraged to say 'please' and 'thank you' and to use cutlery to eat their food. Practitioners talk to children about the food they are eating, although teaching opportunities during these conversations are not always used effectively. Leaders have implemented procedures for children who have dietary requirements and/or allergies.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders make decisions based on the interests of children attending. They demonstrate the ability to identify when changes are needed and monitor the impact of these generally well. There have been recent changes to leadership and the staff team. Although leaders have begun implementing changes, they are not yet having an impact due to needing more time to embed into practice.

Although leaders have general oversight of the setting's areas for development and conduct observations of staff's practice, practitioners' development and training are not yet sufficiently effective, which leads to inconsistencies in teaching.

Leaders have a sound understanding of safeguarding and ensure that practitioners are regularly questioned on safeguarding topics to maintain their knowledge. Leaders support practitioners' wellbeing through regular supervision sessions, which helps to ensure that their workload is manageable.

Leaders promote children's attendance and quickly follow up on any child who does not attend their usual sessions. Leaders have developed partnerships with parents and carers, and typically communicate effectively with them, sending out newsletters and using an electronic system to keep them up to date about their children's learning. Parents speak positively about the updates they receive about their child's day and the support they receive as a family.