Riverside Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff liaise closely with parents to ensure children with barriers to their learning receive highly effective and consistent support. They are mindful of families' different circumstances and offer them flexible thoughtful assistance for children's needs. Parents are very complementary of the extra arrangements staff implement to help their children settle, such as playing songs in their home language. Staff support children gain effective English skills and considerable confidence.

Staff conscientiously and carefully assess children's development, linking closely with parents to gain a clear picture of children's individual needs. They liaise with leaders when persistent gaps appear. Leaders and staff quickly outline any additional needs children may have. They diligently link with professionals to gain strategies and specific support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff implement targeted plans focused carefully on children's needs. They successfully navigate systems that will ensure children with SEND have the right support to prepare them for their move on to school. This makes a positive difference to children's outcomes. Staff know the additional arrangements that children need, to help their continued involvement in activities. They support children with SEND patiently and with skill, consistently using key proactive measures to ensure children stay regulated and can engage and learn.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have focused closely on developing practice since the last inspection. They have provided effective support to help staff understand their curriculum aims and design and how to focus these on what children need to learn next. Each child's key person observes and assesses children's development. They then plan experiences and support linked to each child's interests and next step in their learning. Leaders and staff ensure that the curriculum is inclusive and help minimise any barriers children have to their learning. They very successfully implement additional arrangements for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities who have difficulties joining others in activities. They provide areas for them to calm and regulate their emotions before focusing in the activity. Staff outline targeted group times to develop children's attention skills, such as their 'attention box' activity. Children are fascinated, and during these and other activities young children listen and concentrate particularly well for their ages.

Staff offer a suitable balance of adult-led activities and times when children freely play selecting things themselves. Teaching is generally effective and builds children's skills across multiple areas of learning. Staff offer patient explanations to help toddler's understanding. Pre-school children develop their maths skills as they count, weigh ingredients and learn about capacity and quantity in a cooking activity. However, occasionally staff do not adapt their teaching in activities to ensure children's continued engagement. Additionally, at times they do not extend their interactions during children's free play to help children develop their skills further.

Achievement: Expected standard

Overall children achieve effective skills across all areas of their development. Babies and toddlers listen well during their singing and music sessions and show high levels attention. Children generally all develop their communication, concentration and engagement effectively. Pre-school children learn maths language and concepts in practical ways such as cooking.

All children gain considerable skills for their age related to their personal, social and emotional development. They beneficially gain confidence, show very positive attitudes to learning and doing things for themselves. Babies explore different age-appropriate equipment in the garden, persevering with challenges and developing their physical strength and coordination to high levels. Toddlers develop a wonderful sense of responsibility, tidying away the toys before their group activity. Pre-school children cooperate very effectively to prepare for their outing to the shop. They respectfully listening to staff and showing great maturity understanding the importance of following rules for safety. These skills prepare babies and young children very well for the next stage of their education and preschool children for their move on to school. This includes children with barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have carefully developed staff skills in supporting children's behaviour, since the last inspection. Staff patiently offer clear explanations to help babies and children learn boundaries in place for their safety. They use carefully thought-out strategies for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These are highly effective in helping children with SEND manage their frustrations and regulate their emotions. Children of all ages and abilities learn to share toys, take turns with resources and show respectful and considerate behaviour towards each other.

Leaders have successfully improved the nursery routines. Staff lead these consistently, effectively and efficiently. They communicate clearly with one another, and thoughtfully minimise any time children spend waiting, as they prepare for mealtimes or to go outside for example. Additionally, staff skilfully teach children to do things for themselves, offering them well-placed tips, encouragement and praise. They make routines fun and interesting, motivating children very effectively. Babies toddle over to get their items to go outside. Toddlers serve themselves food at mealtimes and clear away their things when they have finished. Pre-school children help collect items for their snack and talk about the items they need, knowing that some children require different milk. In this way, children gain high levels of confidence in their own abilities, a beneficial sense of responsibility and particularly positive attitudes to learning.

All staff form close and very beneficial relationships with babies and children and this builds a valuable culture of mutual respect. Leaders and staff support children's attendance. They flexibly and conscientiously working with parents to adapt days and arrival times to facilitate this, so that children can benefit from the opportunities here at this nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Since the last inspection, leaders have provided very effective support for the improvement of routines, behaviour and many aspects. Staff support children's emotional wellbeing very effectively. Children's key persons and all staff build close, beneficial caring bonds with children, fostering children's confidence and sense of security. Staff patiently help children manage their frustrations and learn to interact with each other; this includes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff ensure children with SEND have regular time during the day to access specialist resources and areas that help them calm, focus and regulate their emotions.

Staff lead care practices for children with kindness, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. They are attentive to children's individual care needs, carefully following children's dietary requirements and ensuring their safety and physical wellbeing. They change babies quickly if they become wet after play to ensure they are comfortable and happy. Staff inspire toddlers exceptionally well with their toilet training, taking considerable time throughout the day to help children to recognise their bodies needs and learn to anticipate these. They teach pre-school children very helpful health and hygiene practices and self-care skills in readiness for their move on to school.

Staff very successfully encourage children to be healthy and active and build their coordination. For example, babies eagerly take on challenges in the outside area, persevering to use little trikes and wheeled toys independently. Staff stay close by to ensure their safety while skilfully helping babies notice and manage little hazards themselves, fostering high levels of understanding.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have effectively developed nursery practice since the last inspection, considerably enhancing many areas. They have liaised closely with the staff team to develop the design and formation of the curriculum, consistently helping increase staff knowledge of the observation, assessment and planning cycle. Support for children's personal, social and emotional development has progressed considerably, with increased training and support for staff implemented across the nursery.

Leaders and staff work in a concerted way to develop effective partnership working. They have close links with parents and share lots of information with them. Parents are very complimentary about the nursery, leaders and the staff team and the difference they make to their children. Leaders work with other professionals to gain help and support for their team. This very much contributes to the highly effective outcomes for children with barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Leaders recognise staff achievements and support the team's wellbeing. They undertake supervision of staff and outline training needs and help apprentices gain qualifications. They have regular meetings as a team to share practice ideas and changes to legislation as well as to analyse and develop the team's practice. Although leaders undertake some ongoing observation and support for staff teaching this is not fully embedded. Additionally, they do not help staff to improve their self-reflection to help staff evaluate their own effectiveness and adjust their teaching in the moment, enhancing children's learning and outcomes further.