Pumpkin Patch Nursery Steyning

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff regularly assess children's progress and quickly identify when children may be facing barriers to their learning. For example, they monitor how well children settle into the setting, acknowledge when children feel anxious and provide spaces for them to feel secure.

Leaders have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to their learning. Staff have the necessary skills to assess children's progress to ensure they are achieving. They use their knowledge of each individual child's needs to inform practice so that they can address barriers to children's learning very carefully. This includes ensuring adequate protective clothing for all children to access all experiences and working with parents and carers to ensure all children have the same opportunities.

Leaders use additional funding effectively so that all children are fully included and can access the whole provision. Leaders have a secure understanding of every child's needs and family circumstances. They work effectively with other professionals to ensure that children are fully supported.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have developed a very ambitious curriculum for all children, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, which is well sequenced throughout the setting. For example, staff focus on promoting children's communication and language and provide a narrative to their play. They comment on what children do and use Makaton consistently.

Staff know children extremely well and use assessment effectively to check what children know to tailor their teaching. They quickly identify where they need to adapt their practice to fully support all children and ensure that the curriculum is inclusive to all. Staff provide experiences for all children that builds on their skills as they move through the setting. For example, babies receive the time and space to build their confidence and explore tools to build on the skills required for their future learning.

As children move through the setting they gain knowledge across all areas of development. For example, staff create awe-inspiring activities that promote older children's mathematical development and thinking skills. Children demonstrate excellent perseverance as they fill pipettes with water to slowly melt ice and reveal hidden penguins. Staff encourage children to estimate how many penguins are hidden in total and introduce mathematical concepts, such as addition, subtraction, floating and sinking.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children's perseverance and resilience when learning new tasks are impressive. They repeatedly practise new skills and keep trying until they succeed. In addition, children encourage other children to have a go and to keep trying. For example, they coach each other as they melt ice with small amounts of water, motivating each other to keep going.

Children confidently communicate with each other. They explain the intent of activities and what they are trying to achieve. Even the youngest children use Makaton independently to communicate with their friends.

Children's achievements are celebrated throughout the whole setting and their efforts are respected and valued. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to their learning, are very well prepared for transitions within the setting and their future move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. All children, including the youngest children, learn the importance of respecting and valuing each other. For example, staff encourage children to listen to each other when they share their experiences and encourage babies to wait and take turns.

Children recite songs they have learned about using 'kind hands' and respecting each other's personal space and boundaries. Children demonstrate this in their play as they remind each other when they are not happy about something their friends have done. They are respectful towards each other and staff reinforce this, helping to develop strong relationships. Staff consistently use Makaton with all children to support their understanding of the rules. Children independently sign please and thank you when asking their friends to share resources.

All children are extremely engaged in their learning and motivated to learn. For example, babies show increasing curiosity as they explore a range of tools and brushes used to spread glue. Older children use their imaginations as they intricately place different media in clay models to replicate forests and shells.

Leaders ensure that parents and carers understand the importance of children's attendance. All children, including those who face barriers to their learning, such as who are new to the setting, are happy and settled in their environment.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders prioritise when children may need more time to support their emotional wellbeing and provide a calm sensory area for all children to access. Staff support children to recognise when they feel sad and use Makaton consistently to reinforce this. This helps children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning, when they feel overwhelmed to reengage back into their learning.

During forest school sessions, staff teach children how to stay safe. For example, children are involved in risk assessing the forest area to ensure that it is safe to use. When using tools, such as hammers, children learn they need 2 hands and to move their faces away. Children have time to practise these skills and show pride when they succeed. Staff provide a variety of protective equipment, such as different-sized goggles, so that children who might wear glasses can take part safely.

All children build secure relationships with staff and are extremely settled, including those who are new to the setting. Children are encouraged to be independent. At mealtimes, they learn to put their plates and cups in the bowl, use mirrors when wiping their face and put their tissues in the bin. Even the youngest children can do this independently.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have recently reviewed the procedure for when children transition outside to ensure that all staff understand this process and all children are accounted for. Leaders regularly evaluate the whole provision. They understand their strengths and identify areas to improve further. For example, they plan to develop their forest school offer and involve children in designing an allotment so that they can grow their own vegetables. This will support the development of a cooking programme to promote children's awareness of healthy eating and teach them where their food comes from.

Staff wellbeing is a high priority. Staff surveys inform their offer, such as providing more regular feedback on their practice and providing mental health support that is accessible at all times. Professional development programmes are high quality and provide rich learning opportunities to help staff fully understand the ethos behind the curriculum. Staff report they feel very well supported in their roles.

Leaders know their families exceptionally well. They organise parent workshops and provide resources to support children's learning further at home. Leaders use additional funding to enable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning, to access the full curriculum and experiences on offer.