Shoreham Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing are promptly identified and well supported. Leaders, alongside those with lead responsibility for inclusion are quick to seek help from wider professionals when needed. They are clear on referral processes and make timely referrals. This helps to ensure that children receive the right help, at the right time, from the right people. Leaders and staff have established links with a range of professionals, such as health visitors and occupational therapists, as well as the children and family centre they are located next to. Leaders understand the importance of working together which, in turn, benefits children and their families.

Those with lead responsibility for inclusion are on hand to support staff, offering advice, guidance and their expertise. Together, all staff strive to create an inclusive environment that adapts and tailors support for individual children. For instance, children with SEND benefit from individual education plans and one-page profiles. These include strategies from external professionals and are widely understood among the staff team to promote a wholesome approach to children's care and learning.

Leaders are aware of additional funding that can be claimed to provide further support for children. They ensure this is used effectively to benefit children as individuals. For example, additional funding is used to purchase resources, provide new experiences or reduce staff ratios to ensure children benefit from targeted time with staff. Leaders monitor how funding is used to ensure it has the desired impact.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Overall, leaders demonstrate a clear and generally accurate view of the quality of their curriculum, staff interactions and teaching. Leaders spend time in the rooms, which enables them to identify strengths and areas for ongoing improvement. For instance, leaders, alongside their staff team, effectively support staff who are working towards achieving an early years qualification to continually develop their teaching practice. This has a positive impact on the quality of teaching as well as the delivery of the curriculum over time. Generally, the quality of teaching is high, which ultimately supports all children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, to build on what they already know and can do. For instance, children excitedly prepare to use real tools as they take turns to crush chunky chalks. Staff give children time to think about what they need next to make their crushed chalk into a paintable mixture. Children confidently recall they need to add water and spend time mixing these until they create a paintable texture. Children then enjoy using their home-made paints in a variety of ways. Some paint readily prepared stones. Others explore the environment to see what their paint will look like on other textures, such as leaves. These opportunities promote children to become confident and curious learners.

On the whole, children show positive engagement as they join in. For instance, children enjoy gardening alongside staff. They pull up weeds to go in the compost bin and water runner beans as they observe how big they have grown. However, on some occasions, staff do not always recognise when some children would benefit from further interaction to build on their knowledge and skills and maximise their engagement during play. Despite this, children typically demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, as they are generally well supported to explore a range of well-thought-out play experiences and activities.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children, including those who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, are generally well supported to make steady progress in their development from their starting points. Children of all ages build on their communication and language skills. For instance, babies learn new sounds and first words as they join in with familiar songs. Young children begin to broaden their range of vocabulary, learning new words as they explore, such as 'poke', 'squish' and 'roll'. Older children develop confidence to hold purposeful back-and-forth conversations. Children particularly enjoy regular access to the outdoors where they develop their core muscle skills through climbing and balancing, and they demonstrate enjoyment in manoeuvring their whole bodies. In addition, children develop their dexterity and hand-eye coordination through a range of experiences, such as manipulating play dough, turning pages in books and using real tools.

Children develop positive social skills as they form early friendships and work together to solve problems. Right from an early age, children begin to learn mathematical concepts and language as they are exposed to numbers and language in everyday routines and activities. Children comment on what is smaller, how heavy things are and use numbers in their own play. Children gain new knowledge and skills and are suitably prepared for their next stage of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high but appropriate expectations for children's behaviour. Staff model and guide children, such as supporting them to take turns and understand their own emotions. Staff are quick to identify children who need some extra support to understand their growing feelings. This enables them to put clear strategies in place that are implemented fairly and consistently.

There are effective key-person arrangements in place that support children to build close attachments. Staff are kind, nurturing and positive role models to children. As a result, children grow in confidence and persist even when things are difficult. For instance, children struggle to put gardening gloves on. Staff show them what to do, providing encouragement to wiggle their fingers into each finger space. Children keep trying until they achieve and celebrate with staff. Children develop a positive 'can-do' attitude. Overall, staff support children's engagement in a range of activities that typically supports their positive attitudes to learning.

Children benefit from daily routines that are well organised. All children are supported to develop healthy habits within these routines, such as washing their hands in preparation for mealtimes. Staff actively promote early independence that is woven through all age groups. Babies confidently access their own water throughout the day, and older children confidently self-serve their own meals and pour their own drinks. Children's attendance is positively promoted, so that children benefit from all aspects of nursery life, including sustaining familiarity in the daily routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

All staff recognise that children need to feel safe and secure to learn, achieve and thrive. As such, staff work hard to foster warm, nurturing and responsive relationships with all children. Staff know their key children very well. Those working with babies know their individual routines, such as their sleep routines and bespoke weaning stages. This promotes consistency between home and nursery. Staff work closely with parents, including of those children who face various barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This ensures that all children's routines and emotional needs are well supported through their time at the nursery. As a result, children develop secure attachments with staff who value their wellbeing.

Staff teach children how to be safe. For example, as children prepare to use real hammers, staff talk to children about the importance of not waving the hammers around. They explain the need for protective wear, such as gloves and safety glasses. Staff talk to children about why this is important and the consequences. This enables children to learn how to keep themselves and others safe. In addition, children are supported to develop healthy habits through regular exercise, healthy meals and positive hygiene routines.

Staff's positive role modelling is reflected in children's ability to work together. For instance, older children independently design and create their own obstacle course. They seek each other out for help to carry large parts and listen to each other's thoughts and ideas. Children develop positive and inclusive social skills.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are reflective and understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders have taken action to address breaches of the requirements. They have taken steps to ensure the security of the nursery is always maintained. Risk assessments have been revised, in particular regard to the outdoor provision, to ensure that all risks are identified and steps are taken to eliminate them. Leaders have addressed weaknesses in staff communication to ensure this is always effective and fully promotes children's safety. Collectively, these actions have enabled leaders to ensure all children remain safe, accounted for, well supervised and unable to leave the outdoor provision. On the whole, leaders identify their strengths and priorities for continuous improvement, such as supporting staff to raise the consistency in the quality of teaching and interactions that children receive, which is not yet established, but an ongoing focus.

Leaders work closely with their staff team. They ensure staff receive effective supervision sessions to support their wellbeing and continued professional development. Staff have opportunities to access ongoing training to support their roles, such as baby massage and refresher training in behaviour management. The staff team report that leaders are supportive and approachable, fostering a positive team culture. Leaders understand the importance of parental partnership and work hard to establish trusting relationships, including offering support, guidance and a safe space to talk. Parents report positively on the care and learning their children receive, particularly valuing the attentive and friendly staff team.