Pippas House Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders implement clear, consistent strategies that all staff understand and follow. Staff identify children's individual needs and circumstances swiftly and maintain a secure understanding of any changes in their lives. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies. They seek and implement specialist advice to reduce children's barriers to learning and/or wellbeing.

Leaders have high expectations for every child and evaluate the impact of adaptations and adjustments they make. For example, when children find wearing prescription glasses challenging, staff provide play glasses for all children. This inclusive approach supports children to wear the prescription glasses alongside their peers, enabling them to access the same learning.

Leaders use additional funding purposefully to improve outcomes. They purchase specialist resources to support children's emotional regulation. They evaluate the impact of this and recognise benefits for all children. This has resulted in developing an accessible sensory room for all children.

Leaders ensure that their actions continuously improve outcomes for children receiving statutory support. They rigorously monitor and reflect on observations, conversations, progress and partnerships. They use this information to make adaptations so that the support is consistently well matched to children's individual needs. Staff contribute ideas for continued improvement to best support children's individual needs. They suggest adaptations to the environment, which leaders support and embed. This shared approach ensures adaptations remain responsive and purposeful and make a sustained difference to children's opportunities, learning and wellbeing.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have created a well-sequenced, purposeful curriculum that reflects children's ages, stages, individual needs and starting points. Staff prioritise children's communication and language development through their skilful teaching, and they use every opportunity as a learning opportunity. Staff identify clear individualised goals to prepare children for their next stage of learning within the curriculum aims. They support children to become confident communicators, establish secure relationships and emotional understanding, become inquisitive investigators, think creatively, and develop growing independence.

Leaders work closely with staff to establish a clear, consistent and shared vision. They provide targeted professional development opportunities to ensure staff consistently understand and deliver the curriculum. This provides children with a consistent experience. Staff ensure they know and understand children's needs and how to support them to achieve the curriculum's high expectations. Staff consistently maximise teaching opportunities, from discussing where food comes from during mealtimes to reinforcing safety practices during transitions.

Staff skilfully extend children's thinking through high-quality interactions, adapting teaching in the moment and addressing any misunderstandings. Staff use stories to provide meaningful context for children to investigate and think creatively, making sense of the world around them. For example, they enjoy exploring the mud while listening to 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Staff support children to develop their language skills and an understanding of mathematical concepts. While making 'Gruffalo Crumble', children talk about it tasting 'sour' and explore different weights of ingredients.

Leaders use assessment to establish accurate starting points, identify gaps and tailor teaching to meet children's specific individual needs. Staff use evidence to adapt the provision and make reasonable adjustments so that every child can access the curriculum. Leaders draw on expert guidance and evaluate impact, embedding effective approaches such as now and next language across the provision to benefit all children.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make secure progress from their individual starting points and develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to move on to their next stage in learning. Children feel secure in what they already know and can do before moving on to their next stage. For example, children learn how to use stairs safely before moving to the rooms upstairs. Babies develop their ability to use cutlery and progress throughout the various rooms, before gaining enough confidence to self-serve meals when they are in pre-school.

Children rapidly develop communication and language skills and use an increasing vocabulary confidently to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. They use language to organise their thinking and to collaborate with each other, such as when planning and building houses together with magnetic tiles.

Children with barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are supported to secure sustainable progress. Children develop the skills and knowledge they need to regulate. They use these skills to ensure that they are ready to learn and engage in every aspect of the day. For example, children use sensory peanut balls to regulate and fidget toys to sustain concentration alongside their peers. Children consistently access learning and develop the confidence, skills and independence that they need to thrive.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and practitioners set high expectations for children's behaviour from the beginning of each day and typically reinforce them throughout routines and activities. However, leaders recognise that these expectations are not yet consistently embedded by staff at every opportunity. For example, staff do not always remind children when they run indoors, despite 'walking feet' forming part of the setting's agreed rules that are shared with children at the beginning of the day. This means that children do not always receive consistent reminders and opportunities to securely learn and apply expectations.

Staff act as positive role models and teach children to treat others with kindness, care and respect. Children develop positive attitudes to learning through regular encouragement and praise. Children are motivated and persevere when challenges arise. They are curious to try unfamiliar experiences and new concepts with adult support. Children play cooperatively, listen to each other's ideas and extend each other's play. They take turns when using equipment and increasingly understand and respect others' boundaries.

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality with families. They explain how this supports children's learning and prepares them for school. They work with families to address barriers to attendance when needed. Leaders recognise children's individual needs and ensure routines enable them to take part successfully. They use enhanced staffing during transitions where appropriate, supporting children to follow routines safely and confidently.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create an inclusive, respectful environment where children feel valued, secure and understood. They develop secure partnerships with parents, gaining and sharing information, which enables them to respond sensitively to children's individual needs and changing circumstances. This supports staff to build warm, trusting relationships with children.

Staff make reasonable adaptations to care routines to promote children's welfare. For example, when a child is feeling tired because of changes in their personal circumstances, staff adjust their individual routine to provide an earlier nap. This ensures that they can fully participate in each aspect of the day comfortably. Children develop secure attachments and a strong sense of belonging through positive relationships with their key workers.

Leaders ensure staff understand and implement appropriate practices relating to safer sleep, weaning and safer eating. Staff promote children's physical and emotional health. They encourage hygiene practices and for children to grow in independence when managing their personal care, such as blowing their own noses. Leaders respond quickly to changing circumstances, such as introducing a 'dribble box' so staff can sterilise items promptly and reduce the risk of any illnesses or infection spreading.

Staff help children recognise, express and manage their emotions. They provide opportunities for them to use learned strategies independently, including access to the sensory room, which supports their regulation.

Leaders recognise that routines are not yet consistently embedded. Children can be left waiting to transition or during mealtimes, which can make them feel a little unsettled. Leaders have identified this as a priority for improvement. They are at the beginning stages of securely embedding consistent routines. They have a clear action plan of how to bring about improvements, and they have started to implement this. They are working closely with staff to reduce waiting times and improve the predictability of routines.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have a detailed and perceptive understanding of the setting's strengths and priorities for improvement. They reflect upon the impact of staff's professional learning and practice on children's experiences. They use evaluation to create a purposeful improvement plan with clear actions and targets. For example, leaders recognise that routines and a consistent approach to behaviour expectations require further development. They are actively implementing changes to strengthen these areas.

Leaders have created a culture of continuous improvement and high professional expectations. Staff confidently offer suggestions, seek feedback, share ideas and embrace training opportunities. Leaders listen and respond positively, creating a culture where staff are empowered to contribute to sustainable improvement. Leaders prioritise high-quality professional development, carefully matching professional learning opportunities to improvement priorities and individual staff needs. This ensures all staff understand all children's needs, the barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, and how to reduce these barriers and their impact on children's progress. This deep level of understanding means that all staff consistently implement effective strategies and work as a team to continue to drive improvement.

Leaders balance staff workload and make decisions to ensure staff wellbeing is prioritised. They recognise a well-supported, happy staff team impacts the effectiveness of their expectations being embedded and creates consistency for all children.

Leaders work closely with senior leaders, parents and external partners. They use these partnerships to provide targeted support for every child and their individual needs and circumstances. They adapt their approaches to provide support for children in response to changing needs. Their positive engagement with parents supports continuity between home and nursery. This helps children to transition both into the setting and prepare them for life beyond the early years.

This inspection was a result of a risk assessment from a provider notification regarding the requirements for safer eating and allergy management. Leaders' swift action to mitigate the risk of this happening going forward has been responsive and robust. They have ensured that all staff have refreshed relevant training, devised a new menu ensuring that no allergens are offered, simplified the 'children's choice offer' to include fruit only and now carry out additional management checks and mealtime observations. Leaders demonstrate clear commitment to securing sustained improvement and positive outcomes for all children throughout their early years.