Shelly Tots Pre-School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders consistently implement and review inclusive strategies to meet children's individual needs. They maintain close relationships with the community and specific families to keep abreast of children's changing circumstances and needs. This enables staff to implement and adapt inclusive practices that continually help children to achieve well and develop a secure sense of belonging. Leaders and staff take every opportunity to reduce any barriers to children's attendance, wellbeing and learning, sometimes before a child even starts at the setting. They use ongoing assessments of children's progress, staff's training and development. Staff make adaptations to the curriculum to meet children's unique needs. They work as closely as possible with outside agencies and other professionals to make sure that any support is well targeted towards the most disadvantaged children.

Leaders and staff work closely together to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care, thrive. They adapt the environment and routines as necessary and take swift action to implement support strategies that have the best impact on children's care and learning.

Leaders use specific funding thoughtfully. They provide resources, staffing and learning experiences that provide the most disadvantaged children with the same opportunities to thrive as their peers. All children have equal access to all activities and experiences, and they achieve extremely well.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders maintain a vigilant oversight of the curriculum and teaching. They know what they want children to learn and how this should be taught. Leaders plan, provide and monitor an inclusive curriculum that helps all children to progress well in all areas of learning. They and the staff team assess children's progress regularly to plan the next steps in their learning. The curriculum is designed in a way that maximises children's learning, particularly for the most disadvantaged. Staff make all children's learning exciting and interesting. They teach children new skills in small and achievable steps to deepen their understanding. They continually teach mathematical concepts to all children, for instance, to increase their understanding of number, size, shape and measure.

Staff seamlessly encourage children's communication and language development. For example, they ask interesting questions, narrate children's play and readily respond to their ideas and interests. Staff use children's love of books and stories to encourage repetition and their understanding of new words and phrases. They provide additional ways to encourage this area of learning for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, staff use signs, gestures and picture prompts to enable children with SEND to make choices and understand what will happen next.

Staff use every activity and routine as a learning opportunity, which keeps children purposefully engaged throughout the day. All staff consistently teach children through high-quality interactions to help children feel secure and continually gain new skills and knowledge.

Achievement: Strong standard

Every child, regardless of their age or stage of development, makes rapid progress in their learning. Younger children show great perseverance, for example, as they practise drawing water up into a pipette. Children engage in an abundance of mathematical activities, such as rolling dice to identify numbers, exploring how many sides a cube has and weighing different objects.

All children make sustained progress in their communication and language development. Older children initiate conversations with staff and one another. Younger children learn and use new words such as 'squirt', 'plop' and 'slippery'. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities respond increasingly well to signs and picture prompts that staff use to encourage their language skills and understanding.

Older children develop high levels of independence in readiness for starting school. For example, they consistently manage their personal-care routines and learn to sit well and concentrate during focus activities. Children, including those who may face barriers to their learning, develop the knowledge and skills they need to quickly progress to their next stages of their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff work consistently well as team to implement effective behaviour management strategies. They are positive role models who set high expectations for all children's behaviour. They understand that some behaviours are attributed to children's individual needs and circumstances. Staff offer ongoing support to help all children behave in positive ways and to teach them how their actions may affect others. This practice continually encourages children to learn to manage their feelings and behaviour.

Children play harmoniously together and behave extremely well. All children follow simple instructions with ease, including those who may experience barriers to learning. Staff take every opportunity to praise children for their smallest achievements. They encourage them to take part in all activities through their exuberant and effective teaching practices. Consequently, all children happily join in and make positive relationships with others. For example, they laugh together with staff as they sing and move to action songs. Children arriving later begin dancing even before they have removed their coats. All children form close and trusting bonds with their key persons and with all staff. They show high levels of wellbeing and involvement and positive attitudes towards all their learning experiences.

Leaders form excellent and trusting relationships with all parents and carers, including those who are harder to reach. This helps them to create a two-way approach to managing children's behaviour and encouraging regular attendance. Staff implement well-known routines and experiences that enable children to feel secure and enjoy their experiences.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders put children's welfare at the heart of everything they do. This is highly evident in the excellent care practices in place and the way that parents and carers praise the team's excellent support. Leaders and staff know children and their families extremely well, including those who are less easy to engage than others. This helps staff to understand children's individual and changing needs.

All children, including the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, show they feel safe and secure. They enjoy very close relationships with their key persons, other staff and each other. They develop high levels of emotional wellbeing and follow routines confidently. For example, all children tidy away resources with minimal help so that everything is put away neatly in the right place, ready for next time. Staff teach them to independently follow routines. For example, children are competent at washing their hands at the appropriate times and managing their self-care needs.

Leaders and staff keep children safe wherever they play. Children are heavily involved in discussing and following safety measures. For example, they know why it is not safe to use outside equipment in rainy weather or to get up from the table if they still have food in their mouths.

Staff consistently help children to learn about positive health, including eating well and following excellent oral hygiene practices. Children experience plenty of physical exercise and learn to negotiate space safely, including as they dance vigorously to music.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are highly reflective and have a clear and consistent understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for further development. They have worked tirelessly to meet an action set at the last inspection, to improve staff's interactions with children. Leaders have provided staff with ongoing professional development opportunities and support to improve their teaching skills in this respect. The impact of this is extremely evident in children's engagement and rapid learning.

Leaders and staff have recently reviewed how children newer to the setting engage and play. To meet their changing needs and those of other children, they have adapted the environment and activities to reduce noise levels. This has already had a significant impact on children's concentration and enjoyment of learning.

Leaders offer ongoing support to staff to encourage their professional development and to manage their wellbeing and workloads. Staff are required to set out and pack away all resources each day due to shared use of the premises. However, this does not detract from the excellent care and learning opportunities they provide for children. The seamless ways in which they work as a team results in children feeling continually safe, secure and well cared for.

Leaders and staff methodically engage with the community, parents and carers and outside agencies and other professionals to achieve the best outcomes for children. Parents report that they value the community feel to this setting and how the staff warmly respond to their children's needs. Staff encourage parents to be involved in all aspects of their children's learning to offer children every chance to make swift progress.