Shooting Stars Nursery Limited

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders create an environment where all families are welcomed. They provide focused training to help staff support children. Staff use observations and discussions with parents and professionals to identify children's needs. Leaders work closely with social workers when required to ensure children's welfare needs are met. Staff make close links with specialists to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support. Staff use recommended strategies, such as Makaton signing and visual cues, to help children communicate and understand routines.

Staff implement individual plans and regularly review targets to help children's progress. They successfully plan experiences to specifically encourage children's communication and interaction. For example, children giggle with anticipation when staff roll a ball to them. Staff use their observations of children's interests and next steps to decide how additional funding is used. For example, they purchase books focused on emotional development to help some children who struggle to express their emotions.

Leaders monitor and review children's progress through ongoing observations. However, they do not fully evaluate the impact of any additional funding for individual children when monitoring their progress. Parents report that staff keep them informed. However, they are not involved collaboratively in decision-making about next steps or how funding is spent. As a result, strategies used in the setting are not consistently followed at home. Therefore, some children do not make as much progress as they could.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have improved the quality of teaching since the last inspection. For example, they have provided staff training on child development and high-quality interactions. Planning and observation systems have improved to encourage building on what children know. As a result, staff consider children's interests and home experiences when planning. For example, children learn about their own and others' cultures and celebrations. Staff are starting to apply the knowledge gained on their training. However, they do not consistently adapt their teaching to extend children's thinking during activities. This means the most able children's learning is not extended as well as it could be. This means that they do not make the progress they could.

Children's communication and language development is prioritised by leaders. For example, staff use songs and books with children throughout the daily routine. They introduce new words during puzzle play, such as 'connect'. They use Makaton signs to help all children's communication, particularly where there are barriers to learning.

Staff introduce the curriculum for mathematics through play opportunities both indoors and outdoors. For example, they encourage children to notice shapes, size and number, and they teach mathematical words in everyday activities. These experiences help children begin to recognise mathematical concepts.

Staff ensure outdoor play is prioritised because some children do not have access to outdoor spaces at home. They provide all children with the chance to exercise and develop their coordination and strength. Staff help children to build hand strength and dexterity through mark-making activities and games with small toys.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make appropriate progress from their starting points, particularly in communication and language and mathematics. For example, some children speak in full sentences and hold conversations with friends about earthquakes. Others use Makaton signs and facial expressions to communicate with staff. Some children name shapes and enjoy reciting numbers beyond 20. Other children sort objects into colours or groups.

Children make connections between home and the setting. For example, while making a shape picture, they talk about their family attending the mosque. Children develop important independence and social skills through the setting's routines. For example, they are learning how to make friends, listen to each other and use each other's names. Children start to recognise their own emotions with staff support. These skills help children to become ready for their next room in the setting or their move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders are positive role models for staff, children and families through their warm and welcoming approach. They ensure everyone understands behavioural expectations, and they support staff to use a range of strategies to support children's individual needs. Occasionally, they also support parents to use these positive strategies at home. This provides consistent expectations for children. Relationships between children, staff and families are caring and respectful. Staff model respectful behaviour and help children to treat others with kindness.

Staff help children learn to share, take turns and cooperate during play. For example, they ensure children take turns when connecting jigsaw puzzles together or share play dough fairly. These experiences support children to develop positive attitudes to learning and an awareness of fairness.

Children enjoy attending the setting and engage well with the activities available. They show curiosity and interest in their play. Staff help children to develop independence through daily routines. This helps children to feel proud of their achievements. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance. They monitor attendance patterns and work with families to support children's consistent routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are cared for in a nurturing environment where staff know them well and respond sensitively to their needs. Care routines are adapted sensitively for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children enjoy spending time with staff. They often laugh and smile during interactions.

Mealtimes are calm and social occasions. Staff sit with children, model good manners and talk with them about healthy food choices and visiting the dentist. Children are provided with healthy meals and snacks. Leaders give parents advice on healthy lunch boxes and how to increase the range of food children will try. Staff monitor children carefully, particularly those with medical needs and those with SEND, to ensure their safety when eating.

Staff help children learn how to manage risks during outdoor play. They teach children about walking safely along the pavement when they are with their family. They are vigilant in supervising the play of all children, including those with SEND, for example when splashing in the bubbly water outdoors.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have taken action since the last inspection to improve practice. They have developed an action plan with the local authority officer to prioritise improvements. They have started to identify strengths and prioritise areas to develop through a review of this action plan. They have introduced a programme of training for staff, improved systems and recruited more staff. These changes are beginning to improve the quality of teaching and adult-child interactions.

Leaders work closely together to support staff, check their wellbeing often and provide opportunities for professional development. They encourage staff to share ideas and reflect on practice. Leaders ensure staff are not overwhelmed with work, for example by writing up reports themselves to reduce staff workload. They monitor practice through observations and discussions with staff to help identify priorities for improvement. However, leaders do not always use this information precisely enough to tailor professional learning to individual staff members' needs and to improve the quality of teaching.

Leaders promote an inclusive ethos and, on the whole, work in partnership with parents and professionals to support children's development and wellbeing. However, further collaboration with parents would support consistency and ensure children make even better progress.