Pumpkin Patch Nursery Crescent Road Worthing

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are extremely passionate about removing barriers to learning for all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. They use additional funding very effectively to widen children's experiences and improve their outcomes. For instance, they provide children with engaging small group activities, which are highly effective in supporting children's developmental progress, especially their communication and language development. Furthermore, they provide children with enriching opportunities, such as yoga sessions, that support children to learn about regulating their emotions.

Assessment and monitoring procedures are sharply focused and regular. Gaps in children's learning are identified swiftly. Leaders and staff promptly respond to these gaps, putting highly impactful strategies in place and skilfully adapt their teaching. They carefully monitor these strategies and adaptations to ensure that they are effective in helping children to make progress from their starting points.

Leaders prioritise and target their training to consistently meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. They have a clear understanding of local processes for seeking support from professionals. Leaders and staff are highly effective in working in partnership with parents, professionals and other settings children attend, to ensure children have the best possible start.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have developed a high-quality curriculum that is inclusive for all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. Children are supported to access a range of resources depending on how and where they wish to learn. For example, children access spaces where they can relax and be calm as well as spaces where they can be physically active, such as riding bicycles.

Staff regularly assess children's progress to ensure that learning builds progressively on what children already know and can do. This also enables staff to identify any gaps or barriers to learning and respond swiftly. Children with SEND are supported through highly effective individual plans that are reviewed regularly with parents. This ensures all children make significant progress from their starting points.

Communication and language development is a strong focus throughout the setting. Staff introduce new vocabulary and use sign language to support all babies and children. They consistently modify their language and repeat key words for children who find it difficult to listen and focus. Children are provided with smaller group activities to further support their listening and attention skills. Mathematical development is strengthened through practical experiences. For example, children discuss with staff and their friends how many segments the fruit can be cut into at snack time and count the pieces together accurately.

Achievement: Strong standard

Babies and children, including those with special educational needs and or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, are developing an extensive range of skills and knowledge across the curriculum. They delight at beach school sessions; children work together to keep each other safe as they prepare to go to the beach. Older babies and children show highly impressive personal, social and emotional skills such as recognising when their friends are upset and offering them cuddles and reassurance in a supportive and caring way.

Children of all ages are highly articulate communicators. Babies show early progress in their interactions and emerging language skills as they thoroughly enjoy taking part in group activities. Older children speak clearly in lengthy sentences. They work alongside highly skilful staff to use detailed language as they draw and create their own stories. Children gain confidence as they tell and act out their stories to their friends. Furthermore, they are supported to learn words and songs in other languages.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have created a warm and welcoming environment where expectations for behaviour are clear and consistently reinforced. Generally, staff tailor their support to babies and children's individual abilities and stages of development. Babies and children respond well to praise and reassurance and take pride in their achievements. Children take on responsibilities and tasks, such as completing daily risk assessments. This helps them to develop a sense of belonging.

Older children understand routines and what is expected of them. For example, during forest school, rules are clear and children follow them confidently. Furthermore, they know and understand their established routines, such as snack time and tidy up time. However, mealtime routines for babies are not yet fully effective, as some babies have a lengthy wait for their turn to have lunch. At these times, staff do not consistently use resources or their environment effectively to support all babies to feel settled and engaged within their daily routine.

Babies and children show kindness to one another as they play collaboratively with their friends, taking turns, sharing and making sure everyone feels included. For example, they have fun as they take part in group activities with enthusiasm. Furthermore, they take turns using the endoscope to look at the seeds they are planting. Leaders actively promote punctuality and regular attendance and work closely with parents to ensure they understand the importance of this.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff build warm and nurturing relationships with children from the moment they start. They prioritise taking the time to get to know children's routines, interests and personalities. Key persons know the children extremely well, and they form meaningful bonds, responding to children's needs attentively. These attachments support children's confidence and emotional wellbeing.

Children develop increasing independence as they move through the setting. For example, older children delight at taking on the responsibility to complete daily risk assessments. They confidently share their findings with staff and their friends, as they talk about how everyone can keep themselves safe. Staff support older babies to feed themselves and drink from open cups. Older children begin to master the skills of serving their own food and pour their own drinks. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of children's allergies, dietary needs and weaning stages. For instance, they check ingredients and adapt menus accordingly. Staff typically provide positive support for babies and children's wellbeing. However, some opportunities to deepen this further through mealtimes routines for younger children are not fully established.

Staff implement calm and targeted strategies that promote engagement. For example, they consistently support babies and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to play alongside their peers. Staff use sensitive, purposeful interactions to help babies and children talk about their feelings. They model vocabulary and use sign language to build on the language children need to express themselves confidently.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are passionate and committed to providing all babies and children with a nurturing and highly stimulating environment. They have a shared vision for the setting and an understanding of its strengths and areas for development. Leaders have a secure understanding of their local community and have establish excellent links. For example, they work in partnership with local community groups to give children a wealth of opportunities.

Leaders value and nurture staff's wellbeing. They provide guidance, support and ensure that staff's workloads are manageable. Staff are provided with clear inductions when they start and ongoing supervisions. Leaders provide staff with extensive training opportunities to support their ongoing professional development. However, leaders do not consistently provide sharply focused support to staff, to ensure all staff understand their roles and responsibilities, especially during transition times for younger children.

Leaders know the children and families they work with extremely well and provide extensive support and guidance. They have established positive working relationships with other agencies, professionals and other settings children attend. This helps to provide swift support and intervention for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing.