Robert Bakewell Playgroup Limited

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have established a deeply inclusive culture where they identify all children's needs and support them quickly and accurately. They have a precise overview of children's needs. Leaders ensure that assessments, including the progress checks when children are aged between 2 and 3 years, are accurate and reflective of children's emerging strengths and barriers. Staff know their key children very well. They use this knowledge to plan thoughtful adaptations that enable every child to participate, engage and succeed. The graduated approach is implemented effectively. This results in clear and targeted next steps that are reviewed regularly to check their impact.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers, who feel well informed and involved in decisions about their child's support. There are excellent partnerships with external professionals, including local authority special educational needs and/or disabilities teams, medical specialists and those involved in child protection conferences. This ensures that children receive timely and coordinated help. Children benefit from staff using simple vocabulary and Makaton. Staff use visual timetables to help children to understand the daily routine. They consistently communicate at children's level using eye contact and clear language to support their understanding. Children engage well with others and benefit from activities that meet their individual needs.

Leaders use early years pupil premium funding appropriately to have a clear and positive impact on children's engagement, confidence and progress. The sensory room provides a calm and supportive space that helps children to regulate and re-engage successfully. As a result, all children make excellent progress from their starting points. They experience a curriculum that is ambitious, accessible and responsive to their individual needs.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that covers all areas of learning. It reflects a clear understanding of what they want children to know and be able to do. Staff embed children's mathematical learning throughout the day. Children benefit from opportunities to practise counting, recognising numbers and comparing quantities. Staff provide targeted intervention sessions, which are purposeful and well delivered. This helps children to develop specific skills, such as strengthening their early communication. Staff read books with enthusiasm. They ask questions that check children's understanding and revisit vocabulary to embed learning. Children confidently describe a tree using words such as 'trunk' and 'branches'. Staff ask open-ended questions that encourage children to think and express their ideas.

The curriculum for personal, social and emotional development is clear. Staff teach children about their emotions and help them to become confident to express themselves. They promote physical development through activities, such as using pipettes to strengthen their small muscles. Children enjoy being creative as they explore paint, colour and mark making freely. Staff generally adapt their teaching appropriately for different ages and stages, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Children benefit from highly-tailored activities in small focus groups and individually with members of staff. However, when staff lead activities in larger groups, these are not always focused precisely enough to support each child's individual learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children make excellent progress from their starting points. Any gaps in children's learning close rapidly, particularly in their communication and language. Children become confident communicators, who can express their ideas, listen carefully and respond thoughtfully.

Children develop their independence consistently. They learn to put on their own coats, shoes and aprons. Children persevere with tasks and keep trying when they find things difficult. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from carefully planned support that enables them to develop the same self-help skills as their peers. At mealtimes, children proudly demonstrate their independence by opening their own lunch items and even teaching their friends the 'pinch, pinch, pull' technique they have mastered. Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning. They demonstrate the knowledge, confidence and personal skills they need to move on successfully. Children benefit from individual time with members of staff, which helps tailor their learning and ensure high levels of sustained progress.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

All children behave very well and thrive in the calm and purposeful atmosphere that leaders and staff create. Staff have clear expectations for behaviour, which children consistently understand. Children follow instructions without hesitation. Staff ensure that routines are firmly embedded. As a result, children know what to do and move smoothly between activities with confidence. Children feel emotionally secure and are confident to ask for help when they need it.

Children display highly positive attitudes to learning. They persevere when tasks are trickier and show pride in their achievements. Staff model respectful interactions, and children mirror this in the way they play, share and collaborate with one another. Children manage their own behaviour well, regulating their emotions very well during their play and group times. Leaders promote children's attendance effectively. They work closely with families to establish effective routines. This ensures that children benefit from regular and consistent time in the setting.

Mealtimes are a particular strength. Children remain seated throughout lunch and follow the established rules and demonstrate impressive independence. They remind staff to bring the rubbish bins to the tables and use them without prompting. These routines are so well embedded that children support one another, contributing to a smooth and respectful lunchtime experience. Children's behaviour and attitudes are consistently positive. This contributes to a highly settled, orderly and nurturing environment.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are happy, settled and emotionally secure in this welcoming environment. They form warm bonds with staff and confidently ask for help when they need it. Most children play alongside others with ease and show high levels of engagement in their activities. Staff promote positive hygiene routines, such as children washing their hands before eating. Children follow these routines with increasing independence.

The environment is safe, calm and well organised. This helps children to feel comfortable and ready to explore. Staff encourage healthy choices and talk to children about different fruits and vegetables, including peppers and cucumbers. At snack time, children enjoy choosing between apples and cucumbers and learn to recognise these foods confidently. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part fully in care routines, including mealtimes, with small adaptations made when necessary to support their independence and comfort.

Children are beginning to recognise and manage their emotions through a range of targeted activities. This helps them to understand how they feel and how to express themselves appropriately. While most children demonstrate secure attachments and follow routines well, those who are newer to the setting sometimes appear less settled. They may float between activities or not yet show the same close bonds with staff or peers. Leaders continue to work with staff to support these children sensitively, so they become familiar with routines and develop stronger relationships over time.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate and realistic understanding of the provision. They monitor practice closely and use this oversight to identify strengths and areas that require further development. Leaders act swiftly when improvements are needed. Leaders support less-experienced staff well, offering guidance, modelling positive practice and ensuring that they have access to relevant professional development opportunities. This helps to build staff's confidence and consistency across the setting. Staff report feeling well supported by their leaders.

Partnerships with parents and carers are effective. Leaders communicate clearly and work closely with all families to support children's learning, wellbeing and individual needs, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have established strong links with local schools and help to secure smooth transitions for children moving on to their next stage of education.

Leaders are mindful of staff's workload and take steps to ensure that their expectations are manageable. They provide supervision sessions for staff. These have become more regular as part of leaders' ongoing improvement work. However, while these meetings provide space for reflection and support, they are not yet precise enough in identifying clear, individual next steps. This does not consistently further strengthen staff's practice and high-quality teaching.