Scribbles Day Nursery (Gorleston)

Inclusion: Exceptional

Leaders and staff are unflinching in their aim to provide all children with the best start in life. Right from the start they identify where children and their families need extra support. They use their skills, knowledge and experience to make sure that referrals for additional services get to the heart of what each child needs. As a result, children receive highly personalised levels of support that are precisely tailored to their individual needs. Staff are skilfully trained and implement well-planned interventions and enrichment sessions that help children to overcome barriers to their learning and development. When leaders determined that children with complex needs would benefit from a specially designed space to play, they made changes to the environment. Interactions are highly responsive and carefully adapted to enable children to progress despite the complexity of their additional needs. Children who could not engage with other children or staff when starting now sit with confidence to play and eat their meals. Leaders use and evaluate funding exceptionally well to enhance provision and meet children's individual needs. After identifying that many children lacked access to green spaces, they recruited a gardener to ignite children's passion in designing and creating a vegetable garden, significantly enriching their learning and broadening their life experiences.

Leaders recognise the complex circumstances faced by some families, particularly those with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and have established a SEND café to provide targeted support and foster a sense of community. This innovative approach has enabled families who may otherwise experience isolation to develop meaningful social connections, share experiences and build confidence alongside other parents and carers in similar situations. This makes a difference to children's experiences as it helps to enhance their home life. Leaders are committed to ensuring continuity in children's care and go above and beyond to ensure that children's needs are fully understood by other professionals. This is particularly evident in their support for looked-after children. Leaders carefully consider the long-term impact of children's experiences in the setting and take effective steps to create positive and meaningful memories that children can carry with them as they move on to the next stage of their lives. Through the extraordinary support provided by the staff team, combined with highly effective partnerships with parents and external professionals, children's lives are transformed as they progress from their starting points and achieve the very best outcomes.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff deliver a highly ambitious curriculum that is firmly rooted in their excellent understanding of child development. They have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn and why and ensure that learning experiences build progressively on children's existing knowledge and skills. Staff use assessments and interactions skilfully to extend children's thinking, build on their interests and deepen learning. As a result, children acquire new knowledge and skills and make excellent progress from their starting points, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Staff use well-planned activities to support children's communication and language development. For example, during the setting's regular 'bucket time' sessions, staff introduce new vocabulary and encourage children to identify and discuss different objects, helping to extend their language and understanding. Staff skilfully embed mathematical learning throughout children's play and daily experiences. They encourage children to count and compare quantities as they scoop and pour water during water play, helping to develop their early number skills. Children explore numbers while playing with play dough, where they confidently recognise and count the numbers they create. These meaningful experiences help children to develop a secure understanding of early mathematical concepts.

Staff place a high priority on supporting children's physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Babies and younger children receive the support they need from staff to master their early walking skills. They learn to develop the balance, coordination and strength required to pull themselves up to standing before cruising along the equipment and furniture. Older children are provided with opportunities to refine their fine motor skills, for example as they use pipettes to mix colours and discuss their predictions about what might happen.

Achievement: Strong standard

All children, including disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care make excellent progress from their starting points. They develop a wide range of knowledge and skills across all 7 areas of learning, which supports them to become increasingly confident and independent learners. They understand the importance of good hygiene, washing their hands at appropriate times, and confidently serve their own meals. Children take pride in carrying out responsibilities, readily helping to tidy resources and preparing the environment for the next part of the day. These opportunities support the development of their confidence, self-help skills and readiness for future learning, including their transition to school.

There is a clear focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. Children communicate their needs clearly and engage in rich, sustained conversations, listening attentively to their peers and staff. They collaborate effectively, sharing ideas and using their imagination with purpose. For example, after watching staff re-enact a story, they collaborate and work together to problem-solve and decide how to use resources to create their own spaceship.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children demonstrate excellent behaviour and a clear understanding of expectations. They are kind and considerate towards their peers and confidently share and take turns with minimal adult support. For example, children willingly share play dough, saying, 'Of course I will share because you were kind and shared with me too.' These experiences help to strengthen children's relationships and support their understanding of positive social interactions. Staff consistently provide praise and encouragement, reinforcing children's positive attitudes and behaviour. They acknowledge children's efforts and achievements in the moment, helping to build confidence and self-esteem. This supportive approach motivates children to persevere with tasks and develop a positive attitude towards learning and play.

Staff create a nurturing environment where children are motivated to join in with activities. They consistently model behaviours and language superbly to help children to understand what is expected throughout the day. Staff gather detailed information about children before they start and plan their environment excellently around children's individual needs and stages of development. This supports children to form secure attachments, feel safe and develop confidence in their environment. Leaders monitor attendance effectively and work closely with parents to promote the importance of regular attendance and consistent routines, helping to maximise children's learning opportunities and progress.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Children form warm, secure attachments with staff, which supports their emotional wellbeing and fosters a sense of belonging. Staff provide opportunities for children to express their emotions and needs. They use the setting's wellbeing boards effectively to encourage children, particularly those with limited language and those who speak English as an additional language, to communicate how they are feeling. Staff build positive relationships with families and know them well, enabling them to respond promptly and sensitively to any changes in circumstances. They work closely with parents to ensure that children's care routines, including sleep and dietary needs, are implemented consistently and effectively. Staff actively encourage children to take responsibility and develop self-care skills and independence. Children take pride in being chosen as a 'special helper', eagerly assisting with tasks such as preparing for snack and lunch and helping to wash up.

Leaders and staff work closely with parents to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition. They are mindful of the financial pressure experienced by some families and provide practical, accessible support to help meet their needs. Leaders share effective strategies for incorporating vegetables into children's meals. They provide fresh fruit and vegetables for families to take home and offer food hampers to encourage healthy eating habits. These well-considered initiatives help to reduce barriers for families while supporting children's health and wellbeing. Staff ensure that children have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children go on regular outings in the local community, play games in the setting's indoor hall and help to plant their own vegetable garden. Staff actively teach children to recognise risks and make safe decisions, consistently modelling and reinforcing safe practices.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly committed to ensuring that children, families and staff receive excellent support. They place a high emphasis on staff's professional development and provide them with opportunities to pursue specialist interests, for instance to become a reading champion. Staff speak overwhelmingly positively about the support they receive, highlighting leaders' commitment to their wellbeing and ongoing professional growth. As a result, staff feel valued, motivated and well equipped to deliver high-quality practice.

Leaders are committed to continually improving the quality of the provision and experiences for all children, especially disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known or previously known to children's social care. They regularly reflect on staff's practice, identifying strengths and areas for further development to support positive outcomes for children. Leaders ensure that policies and procedures are consistently reviewed and maintained, helping to create a safe, organised and secure environment where children can learn and develop with confidence.

Partnerships with parents and carers are a key strength in the setting. Leaders ensure that they develop trusting relationships with parents and go above and beyond to make sure children and families receive the support they need to help children thrive. Parents emotionally discuss how supportive the setting has been to them and helped them through hard times. They feel fully involved in all aspects of their children's development and comment on how much progress their children have made and how eager they are to come into the setting each day.