Phoenix Park Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff swiftly and accurately assess children's development and achievements to determine appropriate next steps, which they embed within children's play. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that any changing needs and identified concerns about children's development are very well supported. This collaborative approach ensures that children receive the targeted support and carefully tailored learning opportunities that they need to help them make the progress they are capable of.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to children's social care and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing are very well supported. Leaders, staff and parents work closely together to develop effective strategies, ensuring that these children get the very best experience while at the setting. For example, leaders monitor how children with additional needs regulate themselves when they feel overwhelmed. As a result, leaders adapt the resources available, enabling children's unique needs to be met, and a significant improvement has been seen in children's development.

Leaders use funding effectively to support children. For example, targeted funding is used to purchase appropriate resources to support one-to-one interventions and to support transitions within the nursery and to school. Staff monitor and review the impact this has on children's learning to ensure that it helps to improve outcomes for them.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders work with staff to identify the most important areas of learning for the children in their care. For example, the curriculum is sequenced and linked to each child's ability to build on their existing independence skills. This includes the use of cutlery, serving themselves food and drinking water and clearing away after themselves. Staff determine appropriate next steps in learning and embed these within children's play. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who experience barriers to their learning.

Staff adapt their vocabulary to support early mathematics. Children are helped to identify colours, shapes and direction when taking part in creative activities. For example, toddlers are supported to use glue spreaders to spread glue up, down, left and right on the paper. This ensures that each child builds on what they already know and can do.

Overall, daily routines are well organised and support children to learn. However, on occasion, children's learning is interrupted. For example, group story time is disrupted by staff taking individual children to wash their hands in readiness for lunchtime and by children who are not positively engaging in the activity. Consequently, this disrupts children and their ability to fully listen and engage in learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children's communication and language skills are well supported. They confidently involve themselves in back-and-forth conversations with staff. Children are given time to think and provide their individual responses. Toddlers fully engage in water play and eagerly repeat words such as 'water' and 'splash' as they tip and pour water from containers. Children enjoy accessing books that staff have placed throughout the setting. Pre-school children cosy up to staff, giggling as they work together with their friends to find items in the pictures.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning have access to a variety of activities, both indoors and outdoors, to help them make progress from their starting points. There are occasions when some children are unable to participate with their chosen activity. This is due to some staff not responding swiftly to children's emerging interests or requests. At these times, some children are not learning as much as they could.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children develop positive relationships with staff and show confidence in their environment as they join in activities. Babies settle well, cosying up to staff to enjoy their bottle of milk, and toddlers hold up their arms to staff when they recognise it is nappy changing time. Leaders have a clear process in place to monitor attendance. They ensure that any lapse in attendance is checked to keep children safe. Staff work with parents to help them understand the importance of regular attendance and how it may affect their child's development.

Overall, children are supported to develop positive behaviours across the nursery. Staff are positive role models, encouraging children to use their manners, take turns and share their toys. Children receive praise from staff when they follow instructions, show kindness towards others and attempt to do things for themselves. When minor disagreements occur, staff gently intervene, supporting children to play together with their friends. That said, these strategies are not yet fully embedded across the nursery. For example, some 3-year-olds demonstrate unwanted behaviours during group time, struggling to follow staff requests to sit and take part in a singing activity. As a result, this unwanted behaviour continues until more confident staff intervene. This does not consistently support children to understand expectations of their behaviour.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff are highly responsive to children's needs and prioritise children building secure attachments with their key person. For example, staff caring for babies work closely with parents to develop care routines that are aligned to what is experienced at home. As a result, even the youngest children quickly develop positive relationships with staff.

Leaders embed support for children's emotional wellbeing. When children start to become overwhelmed, staff gently speak with them about how they feel. This helps to validate children's emotions. Staff have created calming spaces for children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These spaces thoughtfully contain resources that children use to help them self-regulate. Children seeking quiet time freely use these spaces, returning to their play when they are ready.

Leaders consistently support children's health and wellbeing. Children receive nutritious meals, and robust systems are in place to ensure their dietary needs are met. Staff create a calm, comfortable environment for children who need to rest. They regularly check that children remain safe while they sleep. All children have daily access to outdoor play. Staff embed hygiene practices within the daily routine. Children know to wash their hands after messy play and before meals, and they freely access tissues to wipe their runny noses. This helps children practise simple self-care tasks.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders work to ensure the setting provides high-quality care for all children. They continually reflect on how to improve the provision and ensure all children are progressing well from their individual starting points. For example, leaders have monitored and reviewed how pre-school boys engage with mark-making activities. As a result, activities have been adapted to support boys to engage fully to further support their readiness for school.

Leaders fully consider staff's wellbeing and workload. They ensure that support and professional learning is of high quality and available when needed. Staff enjoy working at the setting and state that managers are approachable and fully support their training and development needs. Leaders undertake regular observations of staff practice and provide mentoring and support. While not yet fully embedded, leaders are acutely aware of areas that they want to work with staff on for continuous improvement of the provision. They work collaboratively with staff to implement consistent strategies, helping children to understand behavioural expectations and to develop even higher quality staff interactions with children.

Leaders work closely with external professionals so children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known to social care and those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, receive swift, appropriate and targeted support. This ensures all children make progress from their individual starting points.