Silverstone Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders identify children's emerging and developing needs with accuracy. They create an inclusive environment where children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to their learning, feel they belong. Staff adapt provision so all children can take part in ways that suit them. For example, when children are reluctant to join activities, practitioners bring learning into spaces where children feel more comfortable.

Leaders monitor the impact of any interventions and adapt them when needed. They use targeted activities, such as blowing bubbles to build social interactions, to meet individual children's needs. Staff use communication boards, visual aids and other tools to support children's understanding and language development. Leaders use additional funding to reduce barriers, including creating a calming area for children who need time to regulate their emotions. Staff work with parents to keep support at home and in the setting consistent.

Leaders work with external professionals and follow specialist advice to help ensure that all children's needs are met. Leaders have completed suitable training to support children with SEND. However, this expertise is not yet shared consistently across the staff team. Not all staff have a secure grasp of the strategies being used, which means adaptations are not always implemented with the same confidence or precision.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders plan a broad curriculum that supports all children to develop the knowledge and skills needed for starting school. Staff use the information they gather from parents alongside their own observations and assessments of children's achievements to establish accurate starting points and next steps.

Independent play is well organised. Children use real fruit, vegetables and safety knives to cut and explore, which builds confidence, language and independence. As a result, children engage well with the provision. Leaders and staff adapt activities for different ages and stages. However, some activities are not sequenced in a way that supports secure progression, such as recognising and writing capital letters.

Children enjoy books, retell familiar stories and choose stories for staff to read. Staff create a language-rich environment through talking, questioning and listening. For example, staff introduce new words during play, such as 'smooth' and 'squeeze' when exploring play dough. Staff sing songs with enthusiasm and actions. This holds children's attention as they join in. Staff teach emotional literacy through visual aids, mirrors and guided support.

Staff teach mathematical language through practical exploration, such as counting toy fish and measuring brick obstacle courses. Practice varies across rooms, and staff do not consistently enhance children's mathematical knowledge and skills to deepen children's learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children who have barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make steady progress from their starting points. They show interest in learning and stay motivated during activities.

Children's progress in their learning and development is evident across the setting. They grow in confidence when speaking to others, invite friends into their play and interact with staff and peers with increasing thoughtfulness. Children successfully express their ideas as they make dinosaur footprints with paint, developing positive communication and language skills. Children develop questioning and reasoning skills and build independence through daily routines, such as washing their hands, using pencils and scissors and pouring milk at snack time.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children behave well and show consideration for others. Staff build warm, trusting relationships and act as positive role models. They model turn taking, sharing and polite language. Children mirror this in their play, for example, by sharing play dough when they notice someone has less.

Leaders have procedures in place to monitor attendance. They help parents to understand the importance of how regular attendance and punctuality impacts their children's early education.

Staff adapt the environment to keep children interested, such as by adding paint and paper to the dinosaur play to spark curiosity. Leaders recognise the importance of familiar routines. Staff follow clear routines so that children know what to expect, including self registering on arrival. Children's transitions between rooms are well planned, with short visits and clear communication between key persons to help children feel secure.

Children understand the rules and boundaries of the setting. They explain how to stay safe, such as avoiding running on wet grass. When disagreements occur, staff guide children to solve problems, for example, by reminding them how to take turns when rolling balls down a pipe.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff place children's welfare and wellbeing at the centre of their practice. They know the children well and talk confidently about their personalities, interests and any barriers to learning. This knowledge helps them plan an environment that meets children's individual needs. For example, staff provide sensory experiences and calm spaces where children can rest or regulate. This helps children to feel safe, secure and ready to learn.

Children form secure relationships with their key person and seek comfort when they need reassurance. Staff support emotional regulation through resources such as a sensory tent, mirrors and communication cards. Praise and encouragement help build confidence as they use dinosaurs to create tracks. Children show their confidence by extending their learning, for example by painting their hands and comparing them to the dinosaur prints.

Children play well together and demonstrate positive attitudes. They invite others into their play and enjoy shared experiences. Daily outdoor play supports children's physical development. Children also begin to learn how to assess risks and learn how to make safe choices, such as noticing when equipment is wet or slippery.

Leaders ensure that hygiene routines meet children's individual needs. Children wash their hands before eating and after nappy changes. Toilet training is personalised, with staff working closely with parents to keep routines consistent. Staff also promote healthy eating and oral hygiene through opportunities to deepen children's understanding.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders work collaboratively to maintain a clear and consistent vision for the setting. Ongoing professional discussions and support help staff build confidence in delivering interventions that promote children's learning, development and wellbeing. Leaders provide a range of professional support for staff. They discuss staff assessment, special education needs and/or disabilities provision and risk assessments. Leaders monitor the impact of staff performance through peer observations and ongoing supervision.

As part of leadership development, leaders have strengthened their approach to staff wellbeing by giving staff access to professional support, if needed. Staff feel valued, and workload is manageable. Leaders have recently signed up to a new training provider. However, training is not yet targeted sharply enough to address individual staff needs to develop their skills and knowledge.

Safer recruitment procedures are in place. New staff complete a full induction and feel supported as they settle into their roles. Leaders check ongoing suitability through supervision and regular updates to required documentation, helping maintain a safe culture.