Ribby Hall Nursery and Preschool

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff ensure children experience an inclusive, welcoming environment where their uniqueness is valued and supported. Staff take time to learn about the families they serve. Close, ongoing partnerships with parents ensure that information is shared effectively and that parents play an active role in their children's learning journey. Parents praise the communication from staff, stating they are approachable, warm and caring. They share they feel reassured to have regular updates about their children.

Additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, is used to enhance provision and offer experiences that enrich early opportunities effectively to allow children to make progress. This reflects the dedication of staff who are responsible for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those facing barriers to learning. Leaders' knowledge and understanding of how best to utilise external professional support is evident. This builds trust and a shared understanding with families. For example, leaders support families to obtain early healthcare plans and speech and language support for children.

Observations and assessments are typically used well by staff to monitor the progress children make and to identify any gaps in learning. Overall, when gaps are identified, key staff adapt learning experiences to suit individual needs. For example, staff working with older children change the focus of games to ensure inclusivity for all. Additionally, they use sign language to communicate routines that are well understood by children. Information is shared with staff at other settings that children attend, or will attend, to provide continuity in the approach to children's care and learning. This supports children to make smooth transitions.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is responsive to children's interests and promoting independence. For example, children are managing age-appropriate tasks independently, such as handwashing and using knives and forks to eat their lunch. They have a clear plan to bring about improvement and are in the early stages of delivering this to staff. During some activities, staff are not fully clear about the intent for children's learning. At these times, children do not fully benefit from high-quality teaching opportunities to extend their learning and deepen understanding further. However, overall, children develop the skills they need for the next stages of their learning.

Staff who work with babies focus on supporting them to build solid foundations for the future, such as helping them to develop physical skills. For example, children scoop sand and manipulate play dough to strengthen their physicality to feed themselves at mealtimes. Babies are confident young learners and explore activities with enthusiasm. They roll and pat dough and say 'ball' to adults supporting them. Staff offer praise and reassurance.

Children show enjoyment as they join in with adult-led activities. For example, listening to sounds and identifying the object. Staff use this time to support developing communication and language skills effectively. Outside, older children excitedly work together to build an obstacle course with hurdles. Staff support them to outline the rules and ensure turn-taking as well as manage risk safely.

Achievement: Expected standard

Throughout the nursery, children benefit from a focus on their personal, social and emotional development, reflected in well-established routines. Children learn to share and take turns to build emotional resilience and empathy, with guidance from staff. Children show an understanding of behavioural expectations and can listen and follow instructions, appropriate to their age and stage of development. For example, children use their manners, saying, 'Can I have more? please!' or 'Ta' during mealtimes. Children make steady progress across all areas of learning. However, staff do not consistently understand children's identified next steps or what they need to build on next. As a result, they do not always use this knowledge to shape interactions and experiences that extend children's learning.

All children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning, show positive attitudes to learning. Children build strong relationships with peers and adults. For example, they work together to use pegs to pick up coloured objects and sort them into corresponding bowls. They do this while using mathematical concepts such as 'more' and 'less' with supporting staff.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have created a positive environment where children feel safe, happy and secure. Children are excited to attend, and parents share that they often talk positively about their experiences at nursery at home. Leaders are proactive in identifying patterns of non-attendance and work with families to support regular attendance. This helps children establish positive routines and develop a strong foundation for their transition to school. Leaders provide flexibility to enable families to access their full funded entitlement, supporting children to benefit from consistent learning and development opportunities.

Warm and nurturing relationships ensure children typically follow routines that are rooted in high expectations. Staff are positive role models who are kind and caring. As a result, children generally behave well and have a clear sense of belonging. For instance, they confidently and warmly include new adults in their play, saying, 'Come and play with us.' Children have positive attitudes to learning and with the ongoing support and clear expectations of staff, they show high levels of perseverance. Overall, staff understand and consider children's uniqueness and make reasonable adaptations to maintain expectations of behaviour that reflect the children's ages and stages of development. However, on occasions, staff are not consistently well deployed within rooms. There are times when staff do not extend children's learning or monitor behaviour effectively. Staff manage disputes proportionately. Typically, the clear boundaries set by staff offer a fair and nurturing response which children are responsive to.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. They build trusting relationships and regularly ask children how they are feeling. For instance, children who want a cuddle are promptly given the support and care they need to recognise and manage their emotions. As a result, children are emotionally secure, confident and settled. Leaders and staff ensure that each child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feels safe, valued and supported, reinforcing children's sense of belonging.

Staff encourage children to wash their hands at mealtimes, to begin to manage aspects of self-care, supporting independence. This promotes hygiene routines and creates a solid foundation of adopting healthy habits. Staff ensure children's dietary requirements are followed whilst ensuring a nutritional, balanced diet. There are some occasions, during busier times of the day, where staff are not consistently well placed to support each child to engage. However, overall, staff understand the importance of ensuring children are closely supervised to keep them safe. For example, staff sit with children while they eat and talk to them about their meal 'making us strong'. Staff in the baby room have secure knowledge and understanding of safe-sleeping guidance. They are confident with procedures to ensure children remain safe, such as placing babies on their backs and ensuring they are checked regularly. Staff adapt routines to ensure individual needs are met and align with home, which is highly praised by families.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive and nurturing environment where children's care and wellbeing are prioritised. They build positive partnerships with other professionals, including those who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to ensure staff are well informed and able to meet children's individual needs. This helps children experience a successful transition into school.

Leaders demonstrate a reflective approach to continuous improvement. They regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their practice and implement initiatives that respond to the changing needs of the children. For example, leaders have developed a new curriculum that is tailored to the needs of the current cohort. Leaders recognise the importance of continuing to support staff to deepen their knowledge and consistently extend children's learning opportunities. This will ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently strong and has the greatest possible impact on outcomes for all children.

Leaders work collaboratively with staff, parents and professionals through open communication. Staff report that they feel well supported and valued by leaders, and a thoughtful package of support is provided to promote wellbeing. Leaders monitor teaching and staff development through clear supervision processes. Professional development opportunities are focused on raising the quality of care. However, leaders have not ensured that all staff have a consistently secure understanding of how to assess ongoing risks within the environment. As a result, risk assessment practices are not always fully embedded across the setting.

Leaders make positive links within the grounds they are situated in. For example, the children benefit from regular forest school sessions and yoga classes which promote mindfulness. They reach out to local schools to support transition for those children who are reaching the end of their journey with them to ensure they have the best possible start to school. Leaders show a willingness and commitment to improvement in their own practice to secure excellent outcomes for children in their care.