South Hills Nursery Corsham

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff know the community they serve well. They gather detailed information when children first join the nursery. This helps them to gain a clear understanding of each child's individual circumstances, experiences and family background, including whether they are known to children's social care, or have any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders use the information they gather to respond swiftly to the barriers some children encounter. For instance, they work with other professionals, use different communication strategies and target funding to meet the needs of the children it is intended for.

Leaders work closely with professionals to ensure that they are sensitive to the needs of children. They adapt activities to reflect the diversity of children's home lives and cultures in the setting, which helps children feel included. Staff take time to learn some important words in the languages children speak at home so they can use them with children, helping children to feel included and further supporting their understanding and engagement.

Leaders ensure they work closely with parents to create targeted support plans for children facing barriers, including those with SEND. Overall, staff have high expectations for children's learning. However, at times, staff do not recognise the barriers that some shy and less-confident children face, and that they may require more support to engage in learning opportunities.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders plan a curriculum that is broad and varied. They intend for all children to have opportunities to gain knowledge, skills and experiences across all seven areas of learning, to help them to make good progress from their starting points and to prepare them effectively for the next stage in their education. Leaders and staff focus on helping children become independent and confident, and on supporting them to develop good communication and language skills. For instance, staff model language, ask children questions, and join in their imaginative play where they introduce new words. Staff working with younger children read stories to them throughout the day and use their interest in songs to build on their vocabulary.

Overall, leaders and staff know children well, they observe and assess their progress closely, and most interactions are warm and supportive. Staff use what they know about children, children's individual needs and their previous experiences to engage them in their learning and play. They adapt activities to include all children's needs. However, some staff need further support to recognise and engage less-confident children, and to build on and extend some children's learning further.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make suitable progress from their starting points, including those with barriers to learning. Children throughout the nursery are emotionally secure, form secure attachments with the staff who care for them and display confidence in building relationships with their peers.

Children learn to be independent from a young age. Babies learn to feed themselves and drink from open cups with confidence. Older children learn to prepare and serve their own food and confidently carry their plates to their place at the table. Children throughout the nursery gain a love of literacy. They learn to focus and pay attention as they listen intently when staff read to them.

Children learn basic mathematics as they play. They learn to count resources, explore shapes, and confidently sort toys by colour. However, inconsistencies in staff interactions mean that some children do not receive the highest-quality learning opportunities, which limits the progress they make.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a calm, nurturing environment where children thrive within well-established routines and clear boundaries. Staff are highly effective in helping children to understand and regulate their emotions. For instance, as they read with older children, they discuss the characters' feelings and consider the reasons behind them, while younger children learn to identify and express emotions through carefully planned experiences and age-appropriate resources. This helps children recognise how they feel and understand and respect the feelings of others.

There is a harmonious, respectful culture throughout the nursery, where children are kind and considerate towards staff and peers. Children demonstrate very positive attitudes towards learning. They listen and follow instructions, play cooperatively and patiently wait for their turn during games. Staff use visual strategies to help children to know when the routine is changing, so they can prepare themselves to move on.

Leaders understand the importance of children attending nursery, and they actively promote attendance. They use robust procedures to monitor children's attendance, working in partnership with parents to understand why children are absent, and closely monitoring attendance to keep children safe.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. They implement effective routines, policies and procedures, and they closely monitor children's welfare. For instance, they gather key information about children's varying needs and their personal circumstances to help them be inclusive and welcoming to all.

Leaders implement highly effective key-person systems that help children form secure, trusting relationships. Staff are attentive to children's needs, and children have secure attachments to their key person, demonstrating that they feel safe and cared for. Leaders have used funding to provide children with additional staff at a higher ratio, to support them when they have struggled emotionally due to changes in their home lives.

Staff help children develop healthy habits by using routines that encourage them to learn about health. For instance, as children prepare their snacks and eat, staff share pictures showing what a healthy meal should contain. This sparks conversations between staff and children about a healthy diet and helps children learn what is good for their bodies. Children confidently talk about the foods they enjoy as they eat healthy snacks and meals provided for them. Furthermore, staff support children in learning about good oral health, building on children's understanding of keeping themselves safe and healthy.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders understand the needs of children and their families and use this information effectively to target support. They provide an inclusive environment where children and families feel welcome and part of the nursery community. Leaders prioritise developing secure partnerships with parents and carers, and helping children to feel safe and secure in the nursery. Parents and carers say that they value the welcoming leadership and staff team. They reflect positively on the communication they receive and how well staff use information to help their children to feel valued. Parents and carers say they are well informed about their children's experiences and progress. Leaders provide support and advice on issues such as toilet training and settling in.

Overall, leaders understand their strengths and priorities for improvement. They take action to improve the quality of provision. For instance, they have recently been developing additional safeguarding guidance for staff. Leaders constantly reflect on how they can develop further. For instance, they are developing the garden for younger children to enhance their experiences.

Leaders encourage and support staff to achieve qualifications, in order to further build their knowledge and skills. However, leaders need to provide some staff with additional support to ensure that their interactions with children are of a consistently high standard, to help them engage less-confident children, and to support them in further extending children's learning. Staff speak positively about leaders and the support they receive for their wellbeing.