Smiley Happy People

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff place a high priority on inclusion and put it at the heart of the nursery. They work exceptionally closely with families. This helps them to understand children's individual needs and life experiences. Leaders and staff identify children's needs at the earliest opportunity often before or as soon as children start with them. They view any barrier to learning, no matter how small, as important. Staff provide impactful and targeted support individual to each child. For example, they adapt visual timetables for children who need an alternative format that works for their specific needs. Staff implement grief interventions for children who have close family bereavements to support their emotional health and wellbeing.

Children benefit from a well-planned learning environment where every aspect has been thought about to encourage their progress and inclusion. Staff have high expectations of all children. They provide adaptations and resources so all children can participate fully in nursery experiences. For example, staff arrange furniture so children who are building their walking skills and strength can have items to steady themselves as they move around the room.

Leaders ensure that staff can confidently and effectively support children's individual needs, and staff are consistent in their approach. Staff take part in highly focused training and support from external and internal experts in special educational needs and/or disabilities. All professional development is planned to benefit the children who attend and better meet their needs. Leaders work closely with staff to create personalised progress plans for children. They consistently review these in a timely manner to ensure that children receive the support needed. Staff work with a range of outside agencies and parents and carers to make timely referrals. They work tirelessly to make sure that children and their families receive help, including those who are eligible for additional funding. Leaders strategically use funding, focusing on the development of children in the setting and at home to promote partnership working with parents and impactful progress. For instance, they buy books for children working on their communication and speech. Staff have the same copies at home and the nursery so children become familiar with the words and practise them regularly.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff are improving the curriculum that they offer children. They are focused on providing high-quality education with a clear and ambitious vision for all children. This is in the early stages for the toddler and baby age ranges but progressing positively. Staff typically provide experiences that build on children's prior knowledge, next steps and interests. This supports staff to create a purposeful and engaging curriculum that meets the individual needs of all children. Staff recap on children's previous knowledge, and what they have learned, to support new knowledge and skills. For example, they ask children what they have learned about dinosaurs and link this to other animals. Staff remind children how to hold items such as knives and forks and what they do to cut foods. As a result, children's skills and understanding progress over time.

Staff understand how children develop and the importance of children developing key skills in communication, emotions and physical development. Children learn new words and practise their speech through songs, joining in with stories and timely questioning from staff. They build appropriate physical skills. For instance, babies have opportunities to pull themselves up on objects, climb on soft-play equipment and use big-muscle movements, such as digging in sand. Older children build their balance and strength while standing on wheels and blocks outside. Staff consistently support children's kindness and understanding of the consequences of their actions on others to support personal skill development.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children typically progress across the early years curriculum from their starting points. Those children who face barriers to learning make secure progress and benefit from the individual support leaders and staff provide. Typically, children are prepared for the next stages in learning and development and future learning. For example, children build a love of stories and books. Children of all ages choose books to read and take them to staff so they can read to them. Older children enjoy simple counting games and experimenting with dinosaurs to see which ones are heavy and which are lighter. Children learn how to care for their own needs, such as taking themselves to the toilet and independently collecting their own items at mealtimes. Children extend their vocabulary during play when they learn from staff that bees like 'sap' and the names of some of the trees they can see. However, although overall children develop key skills for starting school, there are some occasional inconsistencies in expectations during carpet times for the oldest children. This means some quieter children do not have the opportunity to practise their communication skills and build their confidence to speak in group situations.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Overall, children behave well. Staff make it clear what children should do, although sometimes they do not expect older children to behave as they do at other times. For instance, in small-group situations, they ask children to allow others to speak and that they should sit still on their bottoms, and other times they do not. At these times, children do not display the normally high levels of consideration for others and the behaviours expected of them. That being said, staff provide targeted support for children who struggle to regulate their behaviour. They teach children how to share and take turns. For example, children play simple board games, which promotes their ability to wait their turn and pass on items, such as dice, to other children.

Staff use clear and consistent boundaries for children with barriers to their learning. They find strategies that work for each individual child. For example, children who struggle to follow rules or routines through the day have their own spot timers that count down to the times they need to stop. Staff also use visual cards for 'stop' and 'listen' to make it clear what the children need to do before continuing with further instructions and what is happening next. This reinforces the behaviours expected of children and means they access all the learning opportunities offered. Staff model the positive interactions they expect from children and develop secure relationships. As a result, children of all ages share their thoughts in a positive way. For instance, babies cuddle up to staff and communicate that they want some milk through simple words and sign language. Older children learn to 'use their words' if they are not happy with what someone is doing.

Leaders work with parents and carers to support them to understand the benefits of children attending the nursery. They make adaptations when there are barriers to attendance. For instance, leaders allow different start and pick-up times and vary children's hours. This ensures all children access the education that they are entitled to.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff promote healthy lifestyles. Children build a love of being active and playing in the fresh air. They have daily access to outdoor play and take part in exercises such as 'wake and shake' dancing and yoga. Children learn what happens to their bodies when they exercise and how to keep themselves healthy through exercise and healthy foods. Children learn to assess risks for themselves and keep themselves safe. For example, they know to be careful around wasps just in case they 'get stung'. Leaders and staff get to know children, their families and the local community well. They are able to put support in place and create a welcoming and inclusive environment. For example, leaders are aware of a lack of dentists in the area so they provide daily toothbrushing and oral health learning for the children. Parents and carers comment on the care and help that the leaders and staff provide and the impact on the wellbeing of not only their children but their family members as well.

An effective key-person system means staff develop secure relationships with children, which promotes children's confidence and happiness in the nursery. For example, babies go to staff for cuddles throughout the day for comfort and reassurance before quickly moving confidently around the setting and choosing what they want to do next. Overall, staff respond well to children's emotional needs. For instance, they use funding for children who struggle to regulate their emotions to buy games and resources that build children's understanding of their feelings and how to share their feelings positively. However, some routines times are not organised and adapted as well as other times to fully support children's emotions. For example, some children are too tired to benefit from the learning opportunities and nutritional foods in place at lunchtimes as they become overtired and upset.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are passionate and have a clear ambition to provide high-quality education and care for all children. They effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and ensure appropriate support is in place. Staff have positive relationships with parents and carers and understand the importance of this partnership work. Overall, leaders have an understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement. For instance, they identified that the outside areas required under cover areas. This means children can benefit from time in the fresh air in weather that normally would mean they had to be inside. Leaders identified some accurate areas for development and not others.

Leaders and staff are united in their pursuit to provide the best possible experiences and outcomes for children. They work together to identify training based on the needs of the children who attend. Staff are keen to access training and make professional progress. Leaders have started to create 'experts' in areas, such as supporting children with SEND, outdoor learning, music and art. This is already providing staff across the nursery and their sister settings with additional support and models for good practice. This impacts positively on children's engagement and progress.