Puffins at Westcliff

Inclusion: Strong standard

All children show a real sense of belonging at this highly inclusive setting. Leaders are swift to recognise barriers that children may have in their development. They meticulously assess children's learning and are proactive in ensuring that targeted teaching meets children's needs. They seek outside agency support as required, and this, alongside adaptive and nurturing quality interactions, best promotes progress for all children. Leaders prioritise staff training and match it well to the needs of children. For example, training on Makaton signing has strengthened staff knowledge in helping children develop into being confident, able communicators.

Leaders and staff monitor children's progress robustly and are quick to support any emerging gaps swiftly. This fosters rapid progress for all children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care. Leaders use additional funding purposefully to provide targeted support that meets children's needs and supports achievement. All children progress well from their starting points.

Leaders build effective, trusting, positive relationships with families. This helps foster a real community spirit, and children show a secure sense of belonging. Leaders support families superbly, and this helps children enjoy positive learning experiences that prepare them well for their next stage of development.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have a clear curriculum intent. They share this effectively with staff, and the team all prioritise promoting children's confidence, independence and communication skills. All children enjoy a high-quality and ambitious curriculum that is well planned and sequenced and consistently builds on what children already know and can do.

Staff support children's language and communication skills to flourish. They model vocabulary well and extend children's knowledge and skills through high-quality interactions as they play and learn. Staff have comprehensive knowledge of all children they care for. They adapt teaching highly effectively to meet the needs of all children, including those who face additional barriers to learning. Through these thoughtful adjustments, staff help every child make secure progress from their individual starting points.

Staff support children's early mathematical skills well. Babies explore number as staff draw attention to the fish in the tank. Toddlers enjoy counting their steps as they travel across a bridge on their outing at the park. Pre-school children focus intently as they pour and scoop rice into bowls, with staff encouraging them to work out how many spoonfuls they have used.

Staff promote children's literacy skills well. Children of all ages enjoy regular story times. Children in pre-school are confident communicators and excitedly create their own stories with staff. Staff model story sequencing language as they ask questions, such as, 'What happens next?' Staff help children's personal, social and emotional skills to grow. They narrate children's stories, and children work together putting actions to their words.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children achieve well. They receive the right support at the right time and make rapid progress from their starting points. Children are confident and motivated learners. Staff equip children with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their next stage of learning. All children demonstrate high levels of engagement and sustained concentration in their play. Children who face barriers to their learning thrive. Children become confident, competent communicators. They share their thoughts, ideas and needs and listen superbly to their friends. Children are developing their language skills and learn and use new words in their play. Children's physical development is impressive. Babies confidently sit, crawl and climb. They confidently explore their play space, negotiating their friends as they move around. Toddlers develop their control and coordination as they create stamp paintings. Pre-school children build enclosures to play inside. They develop balance as they ride scooters and balance bikes and manage risks as they check for obstacles before riding down a slope.

Children enjoy helping and supporting each other to learn. Staff encourage this with children of all ages, and children in pre-school demonstrate this consistently. For example, as children play a matching game with small bears, they explain the rules of the game to their friends and help them match the colour of the bear to the one they spin on a wheel. Children show such levels of focus and engagement and praise each other as they take turns.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children behave exceedingly well. Leaders and staff create a calm, nurturing learning space for babies and provide children of all ages with learning experiences that engage, motivate and promote positive attitudes towards learning. Children arrive happy and eager for the day ahead. They settle swiftly and engage in purposeful play quickly and confidently. Staff establish consistent daily routines that children quickly become familiar with and enjoy following. They model expected behaviours clearly and use simple, consistent signals, such as asking children to 'freeze'. Children listen to staff. They model and whisper 'copy' as they place their hands on their own head, clearly proud of their efforts.

Staff are quick to praise children's positive behaviours, and children are eager to please. They are highly motivated learners. Children show confidence in routines as they tell visitors that group time follows resetting the room. Children work together to tidy and care for their environment. They then excitedly explain, 'We will share our stories. It is so much fun.'

Staff help children to develop into inquisitive, curious learners. Children show confidence, asking questions to further their knowledge and understanding. For example, when toddlers enjoy a visit to the park, they develop road safety skills as they ask each other, 'Can you see or hear any traffic?' Older children support younger ones as they say, 'Walk across the road. Don't run.' As children see a building site on their walk, they ask each other what the big hole is for and listen to each other as they share ideas, such as, 'You hide inside' and, 'They dig for treasure!' Staff praise children's thoughts and ideas.

Leaders work closely with families to promote attendance, adapting sessions and support to best meet the needs of children. This ensures a shared understanding of the importance of regular attendance in helping all children achieve and thrive.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders prioritise children's wellbeing and welfare. They know the families they serve well and are swift to respond to changes in circumstances at home that could challenge children and families. Leaders and staff are proactive in sensitively offering support. Staff help children of all ages to recognise, express and manage their emotions. This promotes children's confidence to share their feelings with staff and increases wellbeing. There is a real community feel, with the children at the heart of every adaptation or tweak in procedure or practice. For example, leaders adapt lunchtime routines so they further promote children's independence and provide an enjoyable, calm eating experience. Staff provide children with a high-quality mealtime that exemplifies the community ethos of the setting. Staff support children's health and wellbeing superbly. They work in partnership with parents to promote healthy eating, and children enjoy nutritiously balanced hot meals made on site.

Leaders and staff focus on building children's social skills and emotional resilience. Staff form close bonds with children, which helps them thrive. Staff promote self-care routines well with all children. Older babies enjoy washing their hands ready for lunch. Toddlers enjoy helping apply their own sun cream and enjoy telling their friends, 'I won't burn now.' Pre-school children develop confidence and independence in using the toilet without assistance. As they wash their hands, they chat with each other about the importance of using soap to kill germs. Staff help children to recognise how their skills develop as they grow. They praise how thoroughly they can wash their hands now without any help. Staff teach children the importance of oral hygiene. Children take part in daily teeth brushing, where staff model technique and children thoroughly enjoy brushing for the duration of the sand timer.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have clear goals for their provision and are aspirational for every child. They work effectively to best support the learning and development needs of children who attend. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. They are responsive and adapt practice swiftly when they recognise a need to do so. For example, there is a new leadership structure in place to provide coaching and mentoring. This supports staff to deliver consistently high-quality interactions that build on what children already know and can do.

Staff wellbeing is high. Staff feel leaders value their contributions and provide training and development that best supports their key children's needs. Staff are confident helping children to progress. The key-person system supports staff and children well.

Leaders and staff build working relationships with parents that support all children to thrive. They provide guidance to parents on promoting positive behaviours at home and effective sleep routines. Parents receive frequent updates on progress and know how to further support learning and development at home.

Transitions are superbly managed, whether these are into the setting when children start, through the setting as children develop or leaving the setting when moving on to school. They are all carefully considered and meet the needs of each individual child.

Partnerships with professionals from outside agencies are highly effective. Staff seek support for all children swiftly, including those who need additional support. This ensures that children receive the right help at the right time.