Primrose House Nursery

Inclusion: Needs attention

Leaders ensure that children's needs are identified and assessed early on. They liaise with parents and carers and make appropriate referrals for additional support. However, leaders do not always ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and information to consider children's individual needs. This means that some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or barriers to their learning, do not always benefit fully from experiences. For example, staff caring for children with SEND and children that struggle to regulate their feelings and behaviour do not know their individual learning targets or agreed strategies. This limits their ability to consistently offer the targeted support that children need.

Leaders have a positive attitude and welcoming approach to inclusion. They know families well and their individual difficulties. This helps them to offer support that is matched to their needs. Leaders make effective use of additional funding to support children and broaden their experiences. For example, they use additional funding to take children on exciting outings, such as to the zoo.

Leaders put in place support for children who are known to children's social care. They work closely with the adults caring for children to understand their backgrounds and support required. Leaders offer a flexible approach to meet their individual needs, such as the days and times that they attend the setting, to ensure that they are able to access their sessions.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders have clear and ambitious intentions for the delivery of the curriculum. However, they do not ensure that all staff understand the curriculum design. Leaders have recently focused on the promotion of mathematics. However, staff do not deliver this in a way that meets children's individual needs and in the intended order. For example, they ask children to recognise and write numerals from 1-10 when they have not mastered the concept of number. Furthermore, teaching is not consistently adapted, inclusive or accessible for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face barriers to their learning. There are inconsistencies in staff's knowledge of what children need to learn next, and this sometimes impacts on their interactions with children.

Staff promote children's communication and language skills generally well. They introduce many stories to children and children show a notable interest in, and a love of, books. Staff speak clearly to children and take many opportunities to model language, engage in conversations and recall past events. For example, while looking through a picture book, staff discuss recent trips to a sealife centre. Children enjoy pointing to a sea horse as staff expand on what they saw. This helps children to begin to use vocabulary in context and make connections to their learning.

Achievement: Needs attention

Some children do not make the progress that they are capable of making. This is because the curriculum, teaching and learning opportunities do not consistently help children to build on what they already know and can do. While children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make some progress, staff do not target the areas that they require the most support in. This limits these children's ability to make sustained progress from their starting points.

Some children struggle to regulate and manage their feelings and behaviour. Staff do not have the skills and knowledge to help children to progress in this area of development. Children do not consistently develop positive social skills and interactions required to build relationships with their peers.

Children are developing steady progress in their communication and language skills. Children who have attended the setting for short periods and started with limited language skills, have already made progress and are starting to use some words. Children who are transitioning to school hold conversations, ask questions and use language in context.

Children show that they are physically able. They help with dressing and engage in self-care. Children move around with confidence, coordination and skill as they access bicycles outdoors. Children who will be transitioning to school are beginning to pour water and serve their meals at lunchtime. They show physical skills that are consistent with age-related expectations.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Strategies, such as additional resources and monitoring systems that help promote and support children's positive behaviour, are in place. However, these are not always readily available or used consistently by staff. This means that, at times, children's behaviour is not managed or promoted effectively. In addition to this, staff do not fully understand leaders' expectations for responding to children's behaviour. They use many different and reactive phrases, such as 'no' and 'stop'. Staff's responses are quick, calm and supportive, and this means that on the whole, children's behaviour does not impact on others. However, staff do not consistently help children to understand the potential consequence of their behaviour or provide a proactive approach.

Children are eager to learn and join in with activities and play. However, at times, teaching is not adapted to suit children's individual needs and this impacts on children's attitude to learning. Children occasionally become frustrated as tasks are too hard for them to complete. That said, when activities are well planned, children excite and show motivation to learn. They are eager to show off their capabilities and happily receive praise from staff.

Children show that they feel safe and happy in the care of staff. Even in the absence of their named key person, children build trusting relationships with other adults caring for them. Routines are well established and understood by children. Children know that after outdoor play, they wash their hands and choose a seat at the table in the dining room. This helps children to feel settled and secure.

Leaders promote children's regular attendance. They have agreed policies in place to ensure that any unexpected absences are followed up promptly. Leaders offer flexible sessions, when required, to support families' changing needs.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders ensure that children's welfare and wellbeing are prioritised. For example, children clean their teeth each day, they know to wash their hands at appropriate times and enjoy healthy meals and fresh drinking water. They access fresh air and rigorous exercise during regular outdoor play sessions. This helps to support children's physical and oral health.

Staff are kind, caring and responsive to children's needs. For example, they build positive relationships with children and help them to feel valued, settled, and secure. Staff are vigilant and notice when children need a tissue to wipe their noses and when nappies need to be changed, and respond promptly to this. They recognise when children are becoming tired and adapt their routines. This helps to ensure that children are well cared for and their physical and emotional needs are met.

Staff supervise children well as they play and deal with any minor accidents that they have. They communicate well with parents and carers regarding children's care routines. This helps to ensure consistency of children's care between the setting and home.

Leaders are inclusive and recognise that some children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, require a higher staff to child ratio to meet their needs and safety. They offer flexible sessions and times to promote attendance.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have high expectations for the quality of the setting. They work closely with the staff team and managers to offer support and guidance daily. However, leaders lack clear oversight and have not identified or addressed some areas to develop. They do not consistently monitor staff practice, and some staff do not receive feedback on their practice or are provided with targeted training to help their overall effectiveness. For example, some staff would benefit from training on behaviour management techniques and the delivery of the curriculum. Leaders do, however, ensure that staff all receive mandatory training, including safeguarding training. Staff are confident in safeguarding policies and procedures and know what to do in the event of a concern about a staff member.

Leaders have worked hard since they acquired the setting to support staff wellbeing. They recognise some of the difficulties that staff may experience and support them to overcome these. For example, leaders recognise that some staff benefit from smaller groups to build their confidence. Staff report that they enjoy working at the setting.

Leaders build positive relationships with parents and carers. They share a wealth of information and advice. Leaders work with families to ensure that communication is specific to their needs, such as using technology for some and not others. Leaders' key strength is ensuring that children have opportunities to access local community spaces. For example, staff regularly take children to visit local parks and attractions.