Playhouse Day Nursery

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders do not monitor well enough to ensure that staff use agreed strategies to support children's communication. Staff do not typically use the intended visual cues and gestures, which reduces support for children with language delay. Practitioners rely on verbal instructions, which reduces support for children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, particularly during routines and transitions.

Leaders identify children's individual needs promptly and collect useful information from parents about home languages routines and development needs. They recognise when children may require additional help and seek support. Leaders engage external professionals when needed, and practitioners consider how they can implement the advice given. Leaders also monitor attendance and follow up concerns with families.

Leaders use early years pupil premium funding to buy books that children enjoy, but they do not check whether this improves children's experiences or progress. Leaders' monitoring of children's progress lacks precision, so support is not reviewed or adapted in a timely way. As a result, some children do not receive the adjustments they need to make sustained progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders outline broad intentions for what they want children to learn, but they do not design or sequence the curriculum well enough to ensure purposeful learning. They do not identify what older children are expected to learn beyond limited communication and language goals. Leaders do not evaluate whether daily routines, or the learning environment, help all children make the progress of which they are capable. Older toddlers and pre-school children access resources that do not provide sufficient extension for their stage of development.

Support for communication and language is inconsistent. Some practitioners model vocabulary during play, but others plan activities that do not match children's developmental stage. This reduces children's engagement and does not prioritise the core knowledge they need.

Leaders do not give sufficient priority to children's physical development. The outdoor area is not in use, so children miss daily opportunities for climbing, running and balancing and this is not provided for all children indoors.

Leaders do not ensure that teaching meets the needs of those who face barriers to their learning. Assessment is in place, but leaders do not ensure that practitioners use it to adapt teaching or plan precisely for children's next steps.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children do not make the progress of which they are capable because the curriculum and daily experiences do not consistently build their knowledge, skills and understanding. Some children develop early vocabulary and begin to use single words and short phrases. They gain some independence, such as learning to feed themselves and they carry their plates to be cleaned after lunch. However, many activities do not extend their thinking or help them to revisit and secure new learning.

Children who speak English as an additional language make some progress because practitioners use a few key words from home, but leaders do not ensure that planned interactions improve children's communication over time. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged do not benefit from precisely targeted support. Weaknesses in physical provision, including the lack of safe daily outdoor play, restrict children's gross motor development. As a result, children leave the setting without being fully ready for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that children sustain positive attitudes to learning. In several rooms, low-level engagement is common because activities lack purpose and challenge. Babies are sometimes moved back when they attempt to explore, and this reduces their independence and confidence. In the pre-school room, older children mill about and sometimes disengage because resources do not match their stage of development. Children comment that equipment is 'for babies', which reflects their limited motivation and reduced sense of ownership in their play.

Leaders establish clear expectations for behaviour, and practitioners use calm and consistent language to guide children. Children understand basic routines, such as lining up, navigating stairs and preparing for lunch. They show warm relationships with practitioners, who respond sensitively and support children to feel secure. Babies settle with their key person and show comfort in familiar routines. Leaders monitor attendance and follow up concerns, such as logging reasons for absences.

Some children play alongside others, but the curriculum and learning environment do not support them to develop the social skills they need to work together. Many children do not develop the sustained focus, independence and readiness needed for their next stage of learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Leaders do not ensure that welfare practices are consistently embedded. Staff leave mop buckets filled with dirty water in the conservatory, and take babies into this area without making a risk assessment. The outdoor area is unsafe and out of use, so children miss daily outdoor play. There is no suitable alternative during wet weather, which reduces children's access to physical activity and fresh air.

Practitioners build warm and trusting relationships with children, and babies show secure attachments to their key person. Children settle quickly on arrival and approach adults for reassurance. Practitioners meet personal care needs appropriately and follow safe sleep routines. Older children manage toileting with support and learn simple hygiene habits, such as washing hands and disposing of tissues before sanitising.

Mealtimes run in an orderly way. Children receive healthy and nutritious food and sit with practitioners, who talk with them and help as needed. Practitioners offer reassurance and guide children through the routine. Children follow the familiar steps and move on to the next part of the day calmly. Practitioners support children's emotional wellbeing, although inconsistent teaching and reduced challenge limit children's confidence and self-assurance over time. Welfare practices do not consistently promote children's welfare, physical development or emotional resilience.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders do not evaluate the curriculum, teaching or learning environment with enough precision to understand how well their intentions translate into practice. They gather information about children's experiences, but they do not analyse this deeply enough to identify where provision needs to improve or how children's learning can be strengthened. As a result, several areas of practice remain underdeveloped because leaders' oversight is not focused on the most significant priorities for improvement.

Leaders have begun to act on feedback and recognise the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment. They communicate with parents about children's routines and daily experiences, and seek guidance from external professionals, when children need additional support.

Leaders provide training and updates for staff and aim to support wellbeing within the team. However, leaders do not check whether training leads to improvements in practice and provision. Monitoring lacks sufficient depth to identify gaps in routines or inconsistencies in practice, which reduces how effectively leaders can drive improvement.