Shining Stars Day Nursery (HYDE) Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and practitioners implement a consistently effective approach to inclusion. They know children and their families well and promptly identify children's emerging or changing needs. Leaders use information from observations, assessments and discussions with parents to identify potential barriers to children's learning, development and wellbeing. They take effective action to reduce these.

Leaders closely monitor children's progress and regularly review the impact of additional support. They involve parents and carers from the outset and work effectively with external professionals when children require further help. This joined-up approach enables support to be adapted promptly as children's needs change. For example, children with communication and language needs benefit from targeted strategies, including visual prompts, modelling and the repetition of vocabulary. Leaders provide families with resources and practical strategies to continue this support at home. As a result, children benefit from a consistent approach that helps them to communicate, participate fully and make progress from their starting points.

Leaders recognise that barriers to children's achievement and wellbeing extend beyond special educational needs and/or disabilities. They understand the circumstances affecting children and families, and make effective use of community organisations, charities and local support services. This helps families to access appropriate support and reduces barriers that may otherwise affect children's participation, wellbeing and achievement.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have clear curriculum priorities based on what they know about children's starting points and development. They appropriately prioritise children's communication and language and physical development where assessment shows that children need further support. Practitioners generally understand these priorities and typically use what they know about children to provide purposeful learning experiences.

Practitioners typically promote children's communication and language well. They introduce and model vocabulary through play, repeat words and phrases and use visual prompts where appropriate. Practitioners generally follow children's interests and give them time to respond and contribute. Consequently, children are typically motivated to communicate and increasingly use new vocabulary during their play.

Practitioners generally introduce mathematical language naturally through children's play and routines. However, they do not consistently extend children's counting to deepen their understanding of number. At times, children recite number sequences without practitioners helping them to connect number names to quantities, or build further on what they already know. Consequently, children do not have consistent opportunities to strengthen their early number knowledge.

Younger children's outdoor experiences are generally less varied than those available indoors, and predominantly focus on physical development. Consequently, children do not extend other areas of learning outdoors as consistently. Overall, children typically benefit from purposeful teaching, although the curriculum does not yet consistently build their knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make appropriate progress and develop the knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. They build their communication and language effectively. During stories and play, children confidently recall familiar words and phrases, respond to questions and use newly introduced vocabulary in conversation. Younger children increasingly use words, gestures and facial expressions confidently to communicate what they want.

Children who need additional help make appropriate progress from their individual starting points. Children with communication and language needs increasingly imitate words, make choices and initiate interactions with familiar adults. Those who find communication more difficult increasingly express themselves and participate in experiences. Children develop confidence in communicating their needs and increasingly apply their developing skills during everyday interactions.

Children develop confidence, curiosity and positive attitudes towards learning. They make purposeful choices, sustain their interest and increasingly use what they have learned in different situations. Children confidently revisit familiar experiences, share their ideas with others and show pride in what they achieve. They persevere when experiences require greater effort, and seek support appropriately when needed. Overall, children build securely on what they know and can do and are appropriately prepared for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children are happy, settled and secure in the setting. They form warm, trusting relationships with practitioners and confidently seek familiar practitioners for reassurance, help and comfort when needed. Practitioners know children well and generally respond sensitively to their individual cues and emotions. When children need reassurance, practitioners offer appropriate comfort, talk calmly and help them re-engage in play. This supports children to feel safe and develop a sense of belonging. Children generally behave positively and understand familiar routines and expectations. They respond well when practitioners signal transitions, cooperate with simple requests and increasingly manage familiar routines with confidence. Practitioners calmly reinforce expectations when children need additional guidance.

Children typically develop positive relationships with their peers. They play alongside and with others, share resources and increasingly negotiate during their play. Children involve one another in their ideas, take turns with popular resources and enjoy completing activities together. When minor disagreements occur, practitioners intervene appropriately and help children understand how to resolve these and return successfully to their play.

Children generally demonstrate positive attitudes towards their experiences. They confidently explore the environment, make choices and become absorbed in activities that interest them. Practitioners recognise children's interests and encourage them to participate, persevere and contribute their own ideas. Overall, children confidently engage, explore, and enjoy their experiences.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children benefit from warm and nurturing relationships with practitioners who know their individual care and emotional needs well. Children readily seek reassurance from familiar practitioners, who respond sensitively and help them feel safe and secure. Practitioners use information from parents and carers effectively to recognise changes in children's health, behaviour or emotional wellbeing and adapt their care accordingly.

Mealtimes are calm and appropriately supervised. Practitioners remain close to children, reinforce safe eating practices and provide support that reflects each child's age and developmental needs. They understand and sensitively accommodate children's individual dietary requirements and difficulties around food. This helps children to feel comfortable and secure during mealtimes and ensures that their individual needs are met.

Sleep routines and personal care routines respond effectively to children's individual needs. Practitioners monitor sleeping children appropriately and provide suitable sleeping arrangements. They respond to children's individual sleep cues and provide reassurance when needed. Practitioners manage personal care routines sensitively, maintaining children's dignity and emotional security.

However, practitioners do not consistently use everyday situations to develop children's understanding of good respiratory hygiene. They do not consistently encourage children to cover coughs and sneezes, use tissues or clean their hands afterwards. Consequently, children do not consistently learn the healthy practices that help them manage their own hygiene and reduce the spread of infection.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders know their provision, children and families well. They have clear plans to improve quality and have identified appropriate priorities. Leaders review these plans and take action to improve children's experiences. For example, they have identified the outdoor provision as an area for further development. They have plans in place to broaden the experiences available and make better use of the outdoor environment to support children's learning.

Leaders understand the wider needs of their community. They build effective relationships with parents and carers, professionals and local organisations. They plan to work with local foodbanks and charities to support families experiencing financial hardship, including at Christmas. Leaders recognise when family circumstances create barriers, and help families to access appropriate services. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those experiencing disadvantage receive appropriate support. Parents value the setting and speak positively about the care, guidance and practical support they receive.

Practitioner development is a clear priority. Leaders provide regular supervision sessions and use professional discussions and questioning to check practitioners' knowledge. Training is purposeful and responds to identified needs. This has included development around supporting children with SEND and children and families experiencing bereavement. Practitioners value these opportunities and describe leaders as approachable and supportive. Leaders also consider practitioners' wellbeing and workload.

Leaders have an accurate understanding of what works well and where further improvement is needed. However, monitoring has not yet ensured that expectations are consistently embedded in all aspects of practice. Some opportunities to strengthen children's learning, independence and healthy practices remain inconsistent. Consequently, leaders' improvement work is having a positive impact, but this is not yet consistently embedded across all aspects of the provision.