RAFA Kidz Shawbury

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders foster an inclusive culture by ensuring robust assessment systems identify children's individual needs promptly. Staff gather detailed information from parents through 'all about me' forms and complete a baseline assessment soon after enrolment. When concerns arise from observations or baseline assessments, staff work closely with parents to agree on clear, individual plans of action.

Staff adapt activities effectively to meet children's needs. For example, they tailor experiences by offering sensory play in small groups to support children who may feel overwhelmed, enabling both access to learning and the development of social skills. Leaders take purposeful action to reduce barriers through reasonable adjustments, targeted support, and the effective use of additional funding, for example, through one-to-one support and the purchase of communication resources. They carefully monitor children's progress and regularly review interventions to ensure a positive impact.

Leaders prioritise staff training, drawing on internal expertise, local authority support, and external professionals. They are also developing additional specialist roles to further strengthen expertise in communication and language, providing direct support and timely intervention. Leaders recognise this is particularly important for children from military families who may move settings before accessing external services. Partnerships with parents and other professionals ensure consistent support for children and enable them to make sustained progress from their starting points.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

The curriculum is well designed and provides children with rich experiences they may not encounter at home. Cultural opportunities promote equality and diversity. For example, there is an artist of the month and music from different genres, such as classical. Teaching is generally of high quality and supports children to develop resilience, independence, and confidence, preparing them for the next stage in their learning.

Practitioners effectively promote communication and language well. They narrate children's play, ask open-ended questions and introduce vocabulary such as 'sprinkle' and 'stretch' to babies. Children enjoy stories, singing and group activities, which support listening and attention, as well as building a love for stories and books. Physical development is prioritised well, with children developing their large muscles as they climb and balance using outdoor equipment, or participate in yoga sessions indoors. They use tools such as pipettes to fill bottles with their potions and large tweezers to carefully remove 'treasure' from the water. This builds children's concentration, fine motor skills, and coordination. Mathematical language is introduced, such as counting ladybird spots and comparing size when drawing around each other. However, this is not consistently embedded to secure understanding.

Leaders ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported. Staff adapt activities to suit individual needs, such as small group activities to be less overwhelming. However, staff do not always build on what children know and can do to further extend learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall, children make sustained progress across the curriculum from their starting points. They develop their communication and language skills, speaking confidently, listening attentively, and sharing their ideas during play and group activities. For example, pre-school children explore and discuss a ladybird they find, using new vocabulary to describe what they observe. All children achieve well, but further development is needed to enhance teaching consistently across all areas of learning. They build on their individual starting points, develop key skills, and demonstrate increasing confidence, independence, and resilience.

Children show curiosity, sustain their engagement in activities, and apply what they know in different contexts. They manage transitions well and form secure relationships, supporting their emotional wellbeing. As a result, they are well prepared for their next stage of learning, including starting school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear and consistently reinforced through well-established routines. Across the setting, children demonstrate a good understanding of what is expected of them. For example, toddlers confidently follow familiar routines such as handwashing, lining up for lunch and transitioning between activities. These predictable structures are supportive for children, providing a sense of stability during times of change.

Relationships between staff and children are warm and responsive. Staff are attentive to children's needs, offering reassurance and comfort, particularly to younger children who seek closeness during care routines such as feeding and sleep time. Staff support children to recognise and regulate their emotions by encouraging them to express how they feel and by responding sensitively to their needs. This is especially important for children experiencing changes in family circumstances. Practitioners use praise effectively, for instance, when babies attempt to climb or toddlers carry items with pride, which supports children's confidence and emotional wellbeing.

Children are supported to develop positive social skills. Toddlers and pre-school children play cooperatively, taking turns when climbing and sharing resources. They show respect for one another and engage in shared experiences, such as group snack times and storytelling. Staff often model language and interactions to help children understand how to collaborate, although opportunities to extend learning during play are sometimes missed.

Leaders promote the importance of routines, which underpin good attendance and punctuality. Practitioners take account of children's ages, stages of development and individual circumstances when supporting behaviour. For example, babies receive close support when navigating physical challenges, and staff adapt expectations appropriately.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children's welfare and wellbeing are a high priority in the setting. Staff demonstrate a secure understanding of children's individual needs and respond promptly. They support all children well through inclusive practices, clear communication with parents, and tailored learning plans. Deep and nurturing relationships are evident, with key persons providing comfort and reassurance. For example, staff cuddle babies during feeding and soothe older children to sleep, supporting secure attachments.

Staff encourage children to understand health and wellbeing through regular access to fresh air and physical activity. They provide home-cooked food that offers children a varied and balanced diet. Recently updated procedures around allergy awareness ensure staff understand children's individual requirements. Staff help children develop good hygiene practices through handwashing and oral health discussions. They also support children in expressing and managing their emotions by offering reassurance and creating calming environments when needed. For example, children enjoy sharing stories with staff in a quiet area, giving them time to relax and reflect.

Staff discuss daily routines with parents upon enrolment, including feeding and sleep. They adapt well-established routines to meet individual needs. As a result, children feel safe, secure, and supported to develop their emotional wellbeing and resilience.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are highly committed and passionate about the service they provide, with a clear ethos centred on supporting military families and addressing the unique challenges they face. They have a sound understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Leaders take purposeful action, including providing regular supervision and targeted professional development. While staff complete mandatory training and access additional opportunities, further focus is needed to ensure this consistently impacts the quality of teaching.

Leaders support staff to make decisions that prioritise the best interests of all children. Partnerships with parents underpin this work. Initiatives such as a resilience hub, home visits, lending libraries and regular communication support the whole family, and parents highly value this provision. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to broaden children's experiences, particularly where access to cultural opportunities may be limited, using approaches such as themed artists, music and community links.

Leaders also consider staff wellbeing, providing structured induction processes, ongoing support and manageable workloads. Overall, leadership is effective, with clear ambition and ongoing plans for further development, including enhancing outdoor and sensory learning opportunities.