Sky High Achievers Stalybridge

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff are inspiring and celebrate the individuality of each child within their welcoming setting. The holistic support for families is superb. Staff work closely with parents and carers to identify any gaps in children's learning from the outset. This ensures children feel safe and enables staff to plan effectively, so that all children make excellent progress from their starting points. Parents confirm that their children's individual needs are met effectively. Leaders and practitioners work closely with parents and external professionals to plan and provide targeted support. For example, staff use communication boards consistently to enhance children's communication and language development. They implement recommendations provided by professionals swiftly.

Staff benefit from high quality, ongoing training that strengthens their understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This results in consistently inclusive practice for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff confidently identify barriers to learning and take swift action to address these. Leaders regularly monitor children's progress and review the effectiveness of support, adapting provision to meet children's changing needs. Additional funding is used effectively to support individual children and help close gaps in learning. For example, they provide resources that promote children's physical and social development. Consequently, children with SEND make strong progress and access all areas of the curriculum.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Staff implement a highly inclusive and ambitious curriculum. They carefully consider the key skills they intend children to learn. Staff are skilled in adapting these key skills according to each child's stage of learning. Leaders regularly evaluate the quality of the curriculum and teaching, using monitoring activities to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This enables them to make informed decisions that continually enhance children's learning experiences. Staff have a strong understanding of the individual needs of children and those who face additional barriers to learning. Teaching is adapted through the use of visual prompts, objects of reference and tailored support to ensure all children can access the curriculum and achieve well from their starting points.

Staff use ongoing assessment effectively to check what children know and can do. This information is used to tailor the curriculum, ensuring that learning builds precisely on children's individual starting points, needs and stages of development. Leaders prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development and physical development, recognising these as essential foundations that support children's confidence, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Staff place a strong emphasis on developing communication and language at this setting. They use every opportunity to model new words. For example, when babies are supported through sensory experiences, such as dough play. Staff introduce simple actions alongside single words, including 'sprinkle' and 'squeeze'. These repeated, purposeful interactions help babies to embed new learning and support consistently good progress in their development. Staff support children's early mathematical development. For example, younger children explore numbers through familiar rhymes and older children join in with counting games. This helps children develop their counting and number skills.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those known to children's social care achieve incredibly well. This is due to the effective adaptations made by staff. For example, children confidently use visual prompts to communicate and develop their understanding of the routines. They develop a rich vocabulary and listen attentively. Children are confident communicators, who express their own ideas. They join in enthusiastically with number rhymes and develop secure foundations in early mathematics.

Children develop physical skills from an early age. They strengthen the small muscles in their hands and develop coordination and control. For example, younger children explore mark making using brushes and thread spaghetti into cylinders. Older children use tweezers to retrieve objects from dough and take part in scooping and pouring activities in the water. Children develop the physical skills needed for effective mark making, supporting their early writing and preparing them well for the next stage of learning, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have high expectations for behaviour. Staff carefully consider each child's age, stage of development and individual needs, helping them to cooperate during daily routines. They are excellent role models and secure nurturing relationships with children. They consistently demonstrate kind behaviour and establish clear, well understood routines. As a result, children have a strong understanding of expectations. For example, children respond promptly to instructions from staff during tidy-up time. This contributes to a calm, harmonious environment and a shared sense of responsibility.

Staff support children to develop positive relationships from an early age. Children show excellent levels of consideration towards their friends. For example, during outdoor play, younger children engage in ball games together, showing patience and skill as they wait to kick the ball to one another. Children are respectful towards their friends. They share, take turns and resolve conflicts independently. In addition, staff help children to become caring members of the wider community. Children take part in kindness walks, where they demonstrate thoughtfulness by offering flowers to members of the local community. These experiences help children to understand the importance of kindness and consideration for others beyond the setting.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on working with families to ensure regular attendance and punctuality. This supports children to engage consistently in their learning and make sustained progress over time.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a home-from-home atmosphere where children are eager to play, learn and build positive relationships. Staff support children to recognise and express their emotions, offering reassurance and guidance to help them manage feelings. For example, staff support children to develop resilience through activities, such as yoga. These opportunities help children to develop core strength and self-regulation.

Secure and nurturing relationships between key persons and children form the foundation of the setting's approach. Babies and children show high levels of trust and comfort. They seek reassurance and guidance from familiar adults. For example, children cuddle their key person as they explore jigsaws together. These strong attachments help children to settle quickly, explore with confidence and promotes their emotional wellbeing.

Children are supported to develop healthy lifestyles through embedded routines. Daily access to outdoor learning enables children to explore the natural environment, develop their physical skills and enjoy fresh air and exercise. In addition, staff provide children with healthy and nutritious meals. Routines such as sleeping, weaning and feeding are carefully tailored to reflect each child's stage of development, ensuring their comfort and continuity between home and the setting. Staff work closely with parents to understand individual preferences and care needs, enabling them to adapt routines sensitively so that children feel well supported. Staff typically teach children about following hygiene routines, for example washing hands after blowing noses. However, this is not yet consistent.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders are passionate and this shines through the setting. They place a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, providing support for them personally, professionally and their workload. This results in a committed team, who feel valued and take pride in what they do. Leaders demonstrate an understanding of the setting's context. Decisions are made in the best interests of children, particularly those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care.

Leaders provide staff with a wide range of professional development opportunities to enhance their own knowledge and understanding. This commitment to professional growth directly enhances the quality of care, teaching and learning for all children. For example, practitioners have recently attended training on supporting children's communication and language. This training has strengthened communication and language practice across the setting for all children and has made a positive impact on the progress that all children make.

Parent and carer partnerships are a strength of this setting. They explain how staff are invested in supporting each child to reach their full potential. Secure and trusting relationships are formed and parents feel the communication is effective. For example, leaders keep parents up to date with their child's development and next steps in learning. This helps to maintain continuity in children's learning.