Squirrel's Den Daycare

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive swift and generally well-targeted support. Leaders with oversight of SEND provision across the setting ensure that monitoring systems help to identify and reduce gaps in these children's development. This begins with detailed information gathered from parents and carers to establish clear starting points. Ongoing assessment is typically used to identify children who need extra support. Leaders and staff work in collaboration with parents and external professionals to implement targeted programmes and gather evidence for referrals, such as speech and language therapy.

Leaders, staff and parents regularly review the impact of interventions on children's outcomes for those with SEND, which are then adapted if needed. Tailored support includes individual and small group language sessions to promote children's focus, attention and communication skills. These personalised programmes are implemented using agreed strategies. However, sometimes next steps in individual education plans for children with SEND are too broad and not broken down into smaller, achievable targets. While targeted support is mostly effective, inconsistences in the quality of teaching and staff's understanding of the curriculum mean that children with SEND do not yet benefit consistently.

Additional funding is used effectively to enhance experiences for those children who receive it. For instance, external professionals deliver music and movement sessions, which particularly benefit children who may have fewer opportunities for physical play at home. Children engage enthusiastically and leaders, as well as staff recognise the positive impact of these sessions. Leaders and staff successfully build on this by incorporating similar activities into daily practice, such as using large gym balls to support children's self-regulation.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

The quality of teaching is variable across the setting and is more consistent in the baby room. Some staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how to deliver a well-sequenced curriculum, resulting in more effective outcomes for children. For example, staff in the baby room plan and adapt teaching precisely to meet babies' individual needs. However, leaders have not ensured the curriculum is sufficiently sequenced or communicated effectively so that all staff understand and implement it consistently to a high standard. As a result, some staff lack confidence to interact purposefully with children and build on their existing knowledge and skills. At times, staff focus on routine tasks without their interactions with children meaningful and enriching. For instance, during snack time, conversations are not always used effectively to extend children's knowledge and language appropriately.

Although leaders expect staff to plan activities across the curriculum based on their key children's interests, the intended learning is too broad. This leads to inconsistent interpretation and limits opportunities for children to make the best possible progress. Leaders do not yet observe practice rigorously or provide sufficiently precise, personalised feedback to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level. Consequently, professional development is not sharply focused or closely monitored to address individual needs of staff.

Nevertheless, leaders have identified the need to strengthen the teaching of mathematics. Staff provide daily opportunities for children to engage with mathematical concepts, and some deliver this effectively. For instance, during playdough activities, children create 'worms' of different lengths and are introduced to comparative language such as 'long', 'short', 'longer' and 'shorter'. Leaders' firm understanding of the local community also informs purposeful planning, including activities that promote oral health and healthy eating.

Achievement: Needs attention

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make appropriate progress overall. These children and younger ones in particular struggle at times when staff teach a large, mixed-age group with a wide range of abilities and needs. Leaders do not place sufficient emphasis on ensuring that high-quality teaching is consistently tailored to each child. For example, during morning circle time, when staff revisit rules and expectations, many children lose focus and become disengaged. On these occasions, staff do not adapt their approach effectively to maintain children's interest or meet their differing needs.

Despite this, most children generally make progress from their initial starting points across the curriculum areas, particularly those with SEND or barriers to their learning. This is supported by ongoing assessment processes overseen by leaders and the secure knowledge that key persons have of each of these children and their needs. For instance, children identified as requiring extra support with speech and language typically benefit from appropriate interventions and strategies delivered by leaders.

Overall, children are suitably prepared for their transition to school. They develop the ability to work with others, communicate their needs and grow in independence, particularly in managing their self-care skills. Leaders provide targeted support for children with SEND and their families, including planning multiple visits to prospective settings and accompanying families to help determine the suitability of specialist provision. This approach supports children's social and emotional development well, helping them to understand what to expect and to become familiar with their new environment and teachers.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Overall, children behave well. Leaders and staff create a generally positive and welcoming environment, with clear expectations for behaviour. When minor disputes arise, staff typically respond appropriately, offering simple explanations to help children understand how their actions impact others. However, there are occasions, such as whole-group morning circle time when rules and boundaries are shared to set the tone of day, where many children become disengaged and do not benefit from the important messages. Despite this, some older children implement strategies they have been previously taught, often without prompting, to support turn-taking and sharing. For instance, when they want a resource that another child is using, they use a sand timer, wait patiently, and then seek support from an adult when needed.

Staff act as positive role models and provide more consistent support for children who need additional help to manage their own behaviours. Extra funding has supported children to provide resources and calm, cosy spaces where children can relax and practise self-regulation techniques. With babies, skilled staff introduce language linked to emotions, for example through sharing picture books.

Children of all ages enjoy playing together, especially outdoors. Staff with a secure understanding of the curriculum are quick to identify quieter children and support them to develop their ideas. For instance, they encourage children to draw simple plans before creating models with construction toys, helping to share and extend their thinking.

Leaders work collaboratively with parents and carers to emphasise the importance of regular attendance and punctuality. This has a positive impact, ensuring children benefit from the full range of learning opportunities available.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Care routines and practices are generally effective, particularly in the baby room. Staff working with babies implement well-established routines and maintain high expectations for eating, sleeping and nappy changing. They encourage babies to feed themselves at snack time, which they do with increasing confidence. In addition, babies settle down to sleep with ease, demonstrating that they feel secure and familiar with daily routines. During nappy changing, staff interact with babies in a warm and sensitive manner, talking to them throughout and modelling appropriate language.

Leaders, staff, children and parents develop trusting relationships. For example, staff greet children warmly on arrival, and some children embrace them with hugs. In general, children are supported to express their emotions and begin to understand how their actions can affect others. Older children, especially, enjoy taking on roles such as the 'helper' for the day. They carry out these responsibilities with pride and happily share how this makes them feel valued. Children are encouraged to develop independence, for example by washing their hands before eating and after using the toilet.

Children benefit from opportunities to learn about healthy eating and the effects that food, exercise and hygiene practices have on their bodies. For instance, older children confidently explain that washing their hands with soap removes germs. Furthermore, children learn about themselves and others. Staff sensitively introduce different cultures and traditions, such as sharing their own experiences of Eid, as well as children's home cultures. They help children to develop a sense of belonging and an appreciation of similarities and differences between themselves and others.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders evaluate the quality of the provision offered. They speak confidently about the setting's strengths and the successful measures already implemented, such as developing stronger and more secure partnerships with parents and carers. While some areas for development have been identified, such as improving mathematics opportunities, action plans remain at an early stage and their impact is not yet fully embedded across the provision. In particular, leaders have not accurately identified key priorities related to the design of a more sequenced curriculum that is clearly understood by all staff, alongside the need to embed consistently high-quality teaching. Consequently, these areas have not been addressed with sufficient precision. This includes, not monitoring staff's individual practice rigorously enough or highlighting weaknesses in their knowledge and skills to inform a more tailored programme of professional development. Despite this, their previous training that focused on promoting children's positive behaviour, is showing steps in a positive direction. With this in mind, leaders demonstrate the capacity to secure further improvements going forwards.

Leaders have worked tirelessly to develop a secure understanding of the needs of the local community. They build trusting and respectful relationships with parents and carers, as well as external professionals with success. As a result, they give careful consideration to how best to meet the individual needs of children and families, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who face barriers to their learning. For example, promoting good oral hygiene and encouraging children to eat a varied, nutritious diet are given importance. In this way, leaders recognise their fundamental role in helping children develop lifelong healthy habits for the future.