Playdays Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders identify children with barriers to their learning and use observations and assessment appropriately. They understand what children need to learn next. Leaders adapt and purchase resources and source training for staff using additional funding appropriately. This supports children's needs and reduces some barriers to their learning. For instance, they support children to join their friends for mealtimes, enjoy social experiences and learn to manage routine times of the day. However, leaders have not focused on timely staff training to have an even more significant impact.

Staff understand how to measure some children's progress in smaller steps and celebrate their efforts and each achievement. They review children's progress and make changes to support plans to account for their changing needs and circumstances. Parents and carers understand the strategies staff use to support their children. For instance, they use behaviour management strategies to help children to manage their feelings and responses. Leaders seek advice from other agencies to help them support children's needs. Children with barriers to their learning, including those who are known to children's social care, make progress in their development and learning. This supports children towards the next stage of their education.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have a sound overview of the quality and delivery of the curriculum and understand where improvements should still be made. However, while teaching is typically of appropriate quality, it is not consistent or always adapted for children's ages and stages of development, particularly around their communication and language skills. Leaders source training for staff to support improvement in their teaching, such as to enhance their knowledge of teaching children of differing ages. However, this is not swiftly implemented to bring about rapid progress.

Staff assess children's progress to understand how to build on their learning from their current stages and starting points. They promote mathematics well. Children learn to count and use mathematical concepts and language. Staff approach children's personal and emotional development with thought and consideration of their family circumstances. Children develop emotional security through close relationships with staff and their sensitive and nurturing approach. Children are physically active. They enjoy space inside to move their bodies as they dance and outside to climb and balance, for example. Children enjoy stories and songs with staff, and older children chat with confidence.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically achieve appropriately in their learning, and children with lower starting points make progress. All children make progress towards their move on to school, learning skills that they will need through targeted sessions. Older children are chatty and confident. Younger children and those who are more difficult to engage do not benefit from more consistent interactions that focus on their language development. However, overall, they do make appropriate progress in their communication skills. Children who speak English as an additional language benefit from the use of key words in their home languages as they play. Children count and use mathematical language and number in their play. Children develop emotional security and understand how to manage their feelings to interact with others.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff model the behaviours they expect and help children to understand the rules of the setting. They teach children to have 'kind hands' and to treat their friends with respect. Staff anticipate frustrations and help children to manage friendships and disputes. Staff step in and discuss how certain behaviours may make them feel, for instance where children display more challenging behaviour. Children generally listen carefully and respond well to staff's instructions and discussions.

Children enjoy the freedom to choose and lead their own play at the setting, asking staff to join them in activities. Relationships are sensitive and nurturing, particularly for babies and younger children. This helps them to feel safe and secure in readiness for learning. Staff understand children's family circumstances and stages of development. They take account of this when helping children to manage routines and behaviours. Support for children's attendance helps them to make the most of their time at nursery. Leaders have planned training for staff to promote even better outcomes for all children across the curriculum.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are central to leaders' vision and to staff's practice. They understand the challenges faced by families and how this affects children. Leaders are also mindful of staff's personal circumstances and support them well. Staff support children known to social care to form bonds, build secure relationships and develop a sense of belonging, for instance. They focus on developing children's understanding of their emotions. Children learn how to express their feelings in a safe space. They understand how they can manage their emotional responses in a measured manner.

Care practices, such as around mealtimes and sleeping, are thoughtful and help children to learn about their health and social skills. Children learn that exercise and outdoor play are beneficial. They learn when it is helpful to play actively and when calmer activities, such as yoga, are more appropriate. Children learn about keeping themselves and others safe. They help to tidy away equipment, for instance, to clear a path on the floor. However, staff have not embedded their teaching of different age groups to support children's learning about their wellbeing further through consistent interactions.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The new leadership team has implemented and overseen numerous changes throughout the provision and to practice. This has had a positive effect on staff's wellbeing and on outcomes for children. Leaders understand that they have more ongoing work to do. They know that some of their planned changes have not been implemented swiftly enough to have had a measurable impact yet on children's progress. For instance, changes to staff deployment and training to enhance confidence and teaching are still underway.

Leaders are very mindful and supportive of staff's home lives and personal circumstances. They support staff well to enable them to give their best to their roles and to children in their care. This includes managing staff's workload and supporting their professional development appropriately. Leaders act with the best interests of the staff team and outcomes for children in mind. They work hard to reduce barriers to children's learning where possible. Leaders seek advice and refer to external professionals to source early help and support for families, for instance. They help children to attend more sessions where possible to promote their interests and outcomes.