Shenfield Day Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders identify children's needs quickly and accurately and have high expectations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff encourage all children to follow the behavioural expectations and adapt their practice when they need to support individual children to understand and follow these. Staff gently remind children of what is expected and use strategies to support them. For example, they use sand timers to support children to share and take turns with resources. Leaders and staff use tailored training and advice from specialists and external partners to enhance their practice. For example, they include advice from speech and language therapists to support the strategies and interventions they use for individual children.

Leaders support the staff to understand the individualised support that children require and how to implement this in practice. As a result, children who require additional help are well supported with individualised interventions and strategies. However, staff do not always recognise when to extend the learning of children who are confident, content and engaged in their own play. For example, children are highly engaged in solitary play in sensory activities, such as sand and the mud kitchen. However, staff do not use their interactions to build on what children already know and can do at these times.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that aims to build on what children know and can do. Staff know what they want children to learn at each stage of their development. For example, staff in the baby room create an environment that supports babies to develop the skills they require to support future learning. They create a calm, stimulating environment, which supports babies to develop their emerging physical skills and early language. Staff are highly responsive to the children and, as a result, babies are confident and content. However, the curriculum intent is not yet understood consistently across the whole staff team. For example, at times, staff in the rooms for older children do not engage in high-quality interactions with children to extend their learning further, or enhance the curriculum when required to ensure it is ambitious for all children.

Staff plan and implement tailored small-group activities to support specific areas of children's speech development, such as speech sounds. Throughout the setting, staff focus on providing a language-rich environment that supports children to acquire and use language. Children are encouraged to sing familiar songs and develop a love of reading. Staff teach mathematics explicitly by providing children with opportunities to explore numbers and counting in their play. For example, children enjoy finding hidden numerals in sensory trays. They confidently name the numeral they find and smile when praised by staff.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, generally progress well through the broad and balanced curriculum on offer. They make secure progress across all areas of learning and develop new skills with the support of staff. Children progress well with their communication and language and are becoming effective communicators. They are learning to problem-solve, take risks and work things out for themselves. For example, children work together to use bricks to make tall towers. They share joy with adults at the size of the towers they make. In the main, children who face barriers to their learning and development make secure progress from their starting points. However, at times, some children are not making high levels of progress due to inconsistencies in how the curriculum is implemented. Children are typically ready for their next stage in learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations of all children to follow the clear behavioural rules and boundaries they set out. Staff expertly support children to recognise and follow these rules in a way that places an emphasis on the children's well-being. This helps children to feel safe and valued when learning how to behave appropriately. There is an embedded culture of mutual respect between the children and staff. Children are supported to recognise and manage their own feelings and behaviour and to recognise the impact their actions can have on others. Staff use a variety of strategies to support children to learn how to manage their behaviour and resolve any conflicts that may arise. For example, they use sand timers to support children to share resources and wait for their turn.

Children play collaboratively together to complete tasks, and staff regularly praise them. Children copy staff. For example, babies clap when their peers complete tasks. Older children support each other to engage in activities. For example, they find space for their peers to sit down and join in activities. Leaders work with parents to promote regular attendance at the setting. They offer individualised support to families in times of need to tackle barriers to attendance to ensure all children can access all of the curriculum on offer.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders prioritise children being physically active and healthy. They understand the importance of children receiving healthy, balanced meals that provide the required nutrients to fuel children's bodies and brains. Leaders want all children to be nourished mentally, physically and emotionally. Staff create a safe, welcoming space where children typically enjoy play, learning and social interactions. Staff develop secure bonds with the children they care for and, as a result, children appear content and confident. Children who face barriers to their learning demonstrate how the tailored interventions that staff use with them are meeting their needs. Children demonstrate they feel valued and listened to as they confidently communicate with both their peers and adults. Children are confident to make requests and select activities that interest them. They spend time outside being physically active. Staff encourage them to take appropriate risks and work out ways to complete tasks. For example, children use different tools to tip and pour water and explore what happens when water passes through a funnel. Staff teach children how to become increasingly independent in managing their own personal care needs and making healthy choices.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

There has been a recent change to the leadership team. As a result, leaders are currently working with staff to embed their vision for the setting. Leaders are clear about what they want children to learn, and they have designed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious for all children. However, this is not yet fully embedded with staff, and consequently there are some inconsistencies in teaching and the implementation of the curriculum. Leaders have made recent changes to the nursery environment to best support the learning and development of all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, they have created a space in the garden dedicated to teaching children how to grow fruits and vegetables to support children to learn about how food is produced.

Leaders are able to reflect clearly and accurately on the quality of practice across the setting and identify strengths and areas for improvement. They take swift action to address any feedback received by parents or other professionals and have a plan in place to drive continuous improvement. For example, leaders have recognised that staff require further training to ensure their interactions with children are of a high quality and consistently embedded across the setting. Staff state they have been well supported throughout the changes to the leadership team.