Spring Leiston

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have created a deep culture of inclusion and have a clear understanding of the needs of their community. They identify children's needs quickly through baseline assessments, observations and close work with parents and carers. Leaders recognise high levels of communication and language needs among children and have adapted their curriculum accordingly.

Children benefit from knowledgeable and proactive leaders. Leaders have implemented a clear approach towards identifying needs. Interventions are well planned, tracked and reviewed, and leaders monitor their impact. Children benefit from targeted support, including communication strategies, visual tools and structured interventions. This enables them to make progress from their starting points.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully included in the setting. For example, children who initially demonstrated unsafe behaviours or limited communication begin to follow routines, engage in activities and interact with others more positively. This is because of consistent support and intervention.

Leaders make effective use of additional funding, targeting areas such as children's communication, emotional development and mathematics. Close working with external professionals, including therapists and family support services, strengthens outcomes for children. However, staffing challenges have reduced leaders' capacity at times to complete all aspects of the role, including parent meetings and timely referrals. In addition, parents are not consistently involved in reviewing and shaping plans, which limits the effectiveness of a fully holistic approach. Leaders have recognised this and taken action to strengthen staffing structures, to allow additional time to support these processes.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum that reflects the specific needs of their children and community. They have moved away from a generic curriculum to one that prioritises children's communication, emotional development, independence and real-life experiences, such as cooking and outdoor play. The curriculum is carefully sequenced across rooms. For example, children benefit from well-organised visual timetables throughout the setting. These start with a 'now and next' board with babies using 2 visual cues. They progress to 3 visual cues for young children and up to 5 cues for pre-school children who also decide the order.

Teaching is generally effective. Most staff demonstrate effective interactions, modelling language, asking questions and extending children's thinking. They check children's understanding and adapt their approach accordingly. Children respond positively, engaging deeply in activities and showing enjoyment in their learning. Staff use assessment appropriately to identify children's needs and inform planning. Staff understand children's starting points and use everyday interactions to build on what children know and can do.

However, there is some inconsistency in the quality of teaching across the setting. While most staff provide purposeful interactions, some are less confident in extending children's learning, particularly outdoors or during less-structured times. This reduces opportunities for all children to benefit equally from high-quality teaching. Leaders acknowledge this and have plans to adapt and build on their outdoor provision alongside training and mentoring staff through supervision sessions.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points, particularly in their communication, independence and social skills. They develop confidence in expressing themselves and engaging in activities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make meaningful progress due to targeted interventions and consistent support. For example, children who initially had limited awareness of safety or communication needs show improved engagement, follow routines and begin to communicate using appropriate strategies.

Children generally develop the skills they need for their next stage of learning. They become increasingly independent in self-care routines and show growing resilience in managing activities and transitions. Children have made particular progress in their mathematics due to a highly focused mathematics curriculum. Young children confidently use and recognise numbers within activities. For example, they recognise and follow quantities on recipe cards. Children enjoy well-planned and engaging indoor activities. However, they do not benefit from the same level of quality and purposeful learning opportunities in the outdoor environment.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children behave well overall and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They are engaged in activities, show curiosity and are keen to share their achievements. Staff promote kindness and respect consistently. Children reflect this in their interactions with one another.

Routines are increasingly well embedded and help children understand what is expected of them. Staff use visual timetables and 'now and next' boards to support children to manage transitions and feel secure. These approaches are beginning to have a positive impact on children's behaviour.

Children are beginning to develop the skills needed to collaborate and take turns. Staff use small-group activities and visual supports to build on children's turn-taking skills. However, staff do not fully embed these activities and strategies across all rooms. This remains an area of development, particularly in rooms for older children. As a result, some children struggle with impulse control and sharing. Leaders have identified this accurately and are implementing targeted strategies, such as structured activities and routines to continue on progress already made.

Leaders monitor children's attendance carefully. They take appropriate action where concerns arise, working with families and external services to improve consistency.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff support children's welfare through warm, responsive relationships and thoughtful care routines. Staff understand the importance of supporting children's emotional wellbeing. They provide reassurance and guidance as needed. Children learn about healthy lifestyles through practical experiences, such as cooking and discussions about food. Hygiene practices are well embedded. Children understand the importance of routines, such as handwashing.

Care practices generally meet children's needs effectively. Children feel respected and well cared for. For example, staff members support children who are new to toileting by reading stories and using familiar items from home; this means children feel comfortable. Children have opportunities for physical activity, but the outdoor environment does not yet provide consistently rich or purposeful experiences. Staff interactions outdoors are also less effective than indoors, limiting opportunities for children's learning and development. Leaders have identified this as a priority area to develop and have already taken steps to enhance their provision.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of their setting and have made significant changes to improve provision. They have developed a curriculum tailored to their children and introduced more structured routines to support behaviour and learning. Leaders promote a positive culture where staff feel valued and supported. Staff benefit from training, supervision sessions and peer observations. Leaders use monitoring effectively to identify areas for improvement, such as staff interactions and behaviour management, and take appropriate action.

Staff state they have a manageable workload and feel well supported and included in decision-making through their collaborative staff pledge. Staff members feel listened to and state leaders take steps to support them when needed. Staffing challenges have had an impact on the consistency of provision. Leaders have responded by recruiting additional staff and restructuring roles to allow more time for leadership responsibilities. This includes support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Leaders engage well with parents and carers and the wider community, including through partnerships with the children's centre. Support for families is a strength, including practical help and encouragement to engage in the community. Leaders demonstrate a clear commitment to further developing their parent communication to strengthen partnerships. They actively seek feedback from advisers and use this to inform ongoing development. This includes plans to improve the outdoor environment and strengthen teaching consistency across the setting.