Rhymes Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture in which children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early and their needs are precisely understood. There is a meticulous and bespoke approach to planning for these children, particularly when they first join the setting. Leaders work closely with families and a wide range of professionals across different services and local authorities to ensure that every aspect of children's needs is fully understood and planned for in advance. This supports children to access all aspects of the curriculum from the outset.

Leaders and staff maintain a highly focused and responsive approach to reviewing support for children with SEND. Staff demonstrate a secure, consistent understanding of how to implement tailored strategies, ensuring support is embedded throughout the day. Leaders retain detailed oversight, using this to ensure provision remains sharply focused on meeting children's needs.

Leaders use funding strategically to support children with SEND and provide carefully considered experiences that reflect their individual needs. They consider the needs of disadvantaged children and those who may face barriers to learning or wellbeing, including those known to children's social care. They work with families and external professionals to ensure support is coordinated and responsive, helping children feel included and benefit fully from what is on offer.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders generally have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and have taken appropriate action to strengthen staff knowledge, particularly in communication and language. Staff typically support children's language development purposefully through interactions, routines and planned experiences. For children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), communication strategies are highly personalised, including the use of visuals, objects of reference and tailored approaches to interaction.

In the baby rooms, staff demonstrate a secure understanding of children's starting points and use this effectively to support their development. For example, they recognise children's stages of physical development and plan opportunities to support early walking and movement. However, staff do not consistently use children's starting points to inform planning, and learning experiences are not always sharply focused on what children need to learn next.

The outdoor learning environment generally reflects a broad range of learning opportunities across the areas of learning, enabling children to explore, be active, and make links to their own experiences. However, this level of precision is not consistently evident across all indoor learning environments. Resources are often based on what is available rather than being intentionally planned to maximise learning. This reduces opportunities to extend learning consistently across the day.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically make age-appropriate progress from their starting points, with children with special educational needs and or disabilities making accelerated progress. Overall, children develop their communication and language through daily interactions and show increasing confidence. Toddlers make links to familiar characters in their play, using language to share their ideas and retell aspects of stories, supporting their understanding and development of early communication skills. Older children demonstrate secure social skills as they play cooperatively with their peers, take turns, and negotiate roles during play. They are eager to take part in activities and show curiosity and interest in their learning, including during group times and imaginative play.

However, for some children, progress is less consistently supported across the curriculum, and opportunities to deepen knowledge and extend learning are not always fully maximised.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders generally establish a positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear and understood. Staff build warm, respectful relationships with children and model kindness and care in their interactions. This supports children to feel secure and confident. Children typically learn to play alongside each other, take turns and begin to manage their own behaviour. Older children generally cooperate in games and negotiate roles during play, demonstrating developing social skills.

Staff support children's behaviour through routines and interactions that reflect their age and stage of development. They guide children through daily routines and reinforce expectations. Mealtimes are social occasions where children sit together, develop their independence, learn manners and understand expectations. Staff establish familiar routines, including sleep times and nappy changing, which help children to feel secure and understand what will happen next. In the main, staff adjust routines to meet children's individual needs.

Leaders promote attendance and punctuality. They work with families to support children in attending regularly. They identify children who need additional support and put strategies in place, such as working with families to establish morning routines, so children can access the full learning offer.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders generally ensure that care practices meet children's individual needs. Staff know children well and build secure relationships through an effective key-person system, which supports children to feel safe and emotionally secure. Bespoke transition arrangements help children settle confidently into the setting. Leaders ensure any care plans are detailed and clearly understood by staff, who receive specific training to manage children's medical needs. This ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive highly responsive care that reflects their individual routines and needs.

Staff support children's emotional development through familiar approaches that help them to recognise and express their feelings. For example, staff use children's favourite characters and stories to help them understand emotions and communicate how they feel. Staff support children to develop their independence through daily routines, including feeding and self-care.

Leaders promote children's health effectively. Meals are nutritionally balanced, and children are encouraged to make healthy choices, including through the introduction of healthier dessert options such as stewed fruit. Staff follow clear hygiene procedures and support children to understand routines that keep them safe and well. Children typically develop a secure sense of well-being and are supported to thrive.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for development and have identified the need to strengthen staff knowledge, particularly around child development and planning. They have begun to address this through training and mentoring. They now need to ensure that the actions they take to address identified areas for development lead to timely and measurable improvements in the quality of teaching and learning.

Leaders show a notable commitment to inclusion and take decisions that prioritise the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders use their reflections and understanding of families' needs in the local community to take proactive steps to increase access to early education, ensuring that children receive their entitlement. They have also recently introduced specific language interventions for all children.

Leaders support staff wellbeing and workload through regular supervision, mentoring, and access to additional support, including counselling services. Staff feel supported and value the opportunities to develop their practice. Professional development is relevant and includes both core training and more specific training linked to children's individual needs, enabling staff to meet children's care needs effectively.

Leaders work successfully in partnership with families and other professionals. They have taken steps to strengthen communication with parents, including responding to feedback and reviewing their approaches.