Pollyanna Pre-School CIO

Inclusion: Expected standard

Overall, leaders and staff have high expectations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged children and those known, or previously known, to children's social care. Inclusion across the setting is effective. Leaders identify children's needs quickly and accurately. Staff with key roles and responsibilities demonstrate a secure understanding of their role and use this knowledge to identify barriers to learning. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers, external professionals and agencies, including speech and language therapists, to ensure children receive timely and effective support. They work in close partnerships with the local authority to offer spaces for children who may need extra support. This helps to support children with SEND and disadvantaged children to make effective progress from their starting points. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to close gaps in children's learning, extend their attendance where appropriate and provide experiences and activities that strengthen children's learning and development. Children are recognised and valued as individuals. This helps them to develop a secure sense of belonging.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Overall, staff plan and provide a broad curriculum that reflects children's interests, developmental stages and individual needs well. Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. This helps children to make progress and work towards their full potential. Staff generally show a suitable understanding of the areas of learning and can identify what children need to learn next. Interactions between staff and children are positive overall. However, the quality of teaching is not yet consistent across the setting. While some staff consistently interact with children throughout the day, others do not always engage children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those facing barriers to learning. As a result, the level of support children receive varies.

Staff support children's physical development well. They help children to develop their control and coordination through activities they enjoy. For instance, as children take part in creative play, staff teach them how to use scissors and apply glue as they gain confidence in their fine motor skills. Children develop control of their large-muscle skills through activities such as climbing on foam apparatus, riding bicycles and playing ball games. Staff encourage and support children's mathematical learning through everyday experiences. They make effective use of practical experiences. Children develop their mathematical learning through everyday counting, discussions about 'more' and 'less' and practical experiences, such as exploring in water, exploring and transporting with sand and mark making.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children typically progress well from their starting points and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Some children make even better progress, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to learning. Overall, children engage positively with songs, discussions and a wide range of play experiences that help to build their confidence. Children show curiosity and interest in their play and activities. Children have fun making paper aeroplanes and enjoy experimenting with these to see how far they can make them fly. Children develop their problem-solving skills. For example, children of different ages experiment with dough, adding herbs to 'make dinner' for their friends. They enjoy learning about cause and effect as they add water to mud, developing simple hypotheses through trial and error. Children form warm relationship with others. They show growing resilience and curiosity as they explore and play. Children demonstrate increasing independence. They make choices about where to play indoors or outdoors, select activities that they would like to do, pour drinks and help to prepare snacks.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders ensure that policies and procedures to safeguard and promote children's welfare are firmly in place and applied consistently across the setting. Staff a show secure understanding of these expectations and maintain effective practice. The environment is warm, welcoming and thoughtfully organised. Leaders and staff transform the room each day into an inviting space where children can relax, be active and engage in purposeful play. This reflects a clear commitment to creating an environment that meets children's emotional and developmental needs. Hygiene routines are well established. Children understand the importance of handwashing before meals and after using the bathroom. Snack routines run smoothly. However, lunchtime procedures are less structured. For example, children arrive at different times to eat, tables are not always prepared promptly and, routines such as disposing of rubbish before continuing to eat are not consistently followed by children. Despite this, staff supervise children appropriately.

Outdoor play is prioritised. Staff give children regular opportunities for exploration and physical development. Leaders have created an action plan to enhance the garden area and increase cardiovascular activities throughout the year. Children feel safe, settled and emotionally secure. Staff work closely with families and external professionals to meet children's individual welfare needs, particularly for children with special educational needs or those facing barriers to learning.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders create an inclusive environment where children and families feel welcomed. They understand the setting's strengths and areas for development and take purposeful action to improve the quality of provision. Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions and wellbeing checks. They speak positively about the support they receive. Leaders provide ongoing opportunities for professional development through in-house training, apprenticeships and wider learning opportunities. However, inconsistencies in staff's practice are not always fully recognised and targeted swiftly. Despite this, staff are able to strengthen their practice through training, which contributes to a culture of continuous improvement.

The setting is secure, with robust procedures in place for monitoring staff's suitability. Clear policies and procedures ensure visitors and unfamiliar adults cannot access the pre-school unnoticed. Staff follow these consistently to maintain children's safety. Leaders and staff understand their roles for maintaining confidentiality at all times. Governance arrangements are transparent and in line with the requirements of the early years foundation stage.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers, schools, external agencies and the wider community to secure appropriate support for children and families. Partnerships with families are positive, and communication is effective. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the support offered to themselves and their children.