Squirrels Nursery

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand children's individual needs and provide support that helps them access learning and make progress. Staff adapt their interactions with children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, and the environment to help children participate confidently alongside their peers. For example, they use picture symbols and sign language to support children to communicate.

Leaders and staff are clear about how to identify emerging needs and work in partnership with parents and professionals to provide support and interventions for children as needed. Children with SEND and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are generally supported well through targeted strategies, such as small-group activities and personalised guidance during play. This enables them to participate and extend their learning and development with targeted support.

Leaders provide training for staff and continue to develop their oversight and monitoring of inclusive practice. They address barriers to learning, such as low attendance, swiftly. Additional funding that children are entitled to is used effectively, for example, to provide extra resources and enrichment opportunities, such as trips within the local community. Leaders monitor the impact of this funding carefully. This ensures that interventions are refined so that all children benefit fully from inclusive approaches.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have created an inclusive, sequenced curriculum. They provide a variety of activities that generally support children's, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, development across all areas of learning well, although staff are not fully supporting children to learn to make healthy food choices.

Staff provide babies with resources and the positive encouragement they need to learn to crawl, walk and climb. Older children play well together and help each other as they learn to climb and balance in the garden. All children enjoy taking part in daily 'music and movement' activities. This supports children to develop their physical skills. Staff focus on developing children's communication and language skills. They use a range of teaching strategies to develop children's vocabulary and help them become confident communicators. All children enjoy stories and develop a love of books. Staff model simple words during play and sing familiar nursery rhymes throughout the day. They support older children to discuss subjects and ask questions confidently during activities, such as about the world and recycling.

Mathematical language and knowledge are continually introduced through daily play. Children explore size, shape and capacity when filling containers and using different-sized measuring scoops. Staff support children of all ages to learn about numbers and colours. Older children are supported to recognise how quantities change when they weigh items.

Achievement: Expected standard

Babies and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, make steady progress from their starting points and typically develop the skills and knowledge they need for their next stage of learning. Children build early mathematical understanding through meaningful opportunities, such as filling and emptying water into containers and exploring how quantities change as they pour.

Babies and children show increasing confidence and resilience as they explore the environment. Babies are curious and enjoy engaging in sensory activities. Younger children show strength in their emotional development, as they care for and play with dolls, cuddling and comforting them. Older children show increasing concentration as they engage in activities for long periods of time, happily sharing resources and helping their friends. Children with SEND join small-group activities, developing their confidence and beginning to sustain interactions with others.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Leaders and staff support older children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, to know and understand their daily routine. For example, older children respectfully take part in morning group time, listening to staff and their friends. Furthermore, they know and understand routines for snack time, confidently sitting at the table, where they butter their crackers and enjoy group discussions. However, routines for younger children are inconsistent, especially at mealtimes. During these times, the room is sometimes chaotic and support from staff for younger children is inconsistent. For example, staff do not notice when children eat food that other children have dropped on the floor. This impacts children's wellbeing and does not support them to learn how to behave at mealtimes.

Staff teach children how to share and take turns, and children collaborate successfully during play. For example, younger children listen and patiently wait their turn when taking part in small-group activities. Older children play well together; they are thoughtful and kind to their friends. They discuss what they are doing and help their friends to learn new skills, such as how to cut potatoes in the mud kitchen. Staff praise children for showing kindness.

Leaders promote the importance of attendance and punctuality, and they support families to maintain regular routines.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Although staff generally keep children safe, they do not consistently follow safe eating procedures. For example, younger children are not always suitably supervised at mealtimes. At times, younger children eat food that is not theirs and wander around the room while eating. This does not consistently support children to develop safe eating habits and, at times, exposes them to unnecessary risks, including from allergens and choking.

Children learn about nutritious and less-nutritious foods through play. For example, they talk about salad as a healthy option when playing with salad leaves in the mud kitchen. Children learn about growing healthy food. However, leaders and staff do not consistently support children to learn about making healthy choices. For example, children are not always encouraged to eat healthy foods or drink water. This impacts negatively on children's welfare and wellbeing as it does not support children to consistently learn about being healthy.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, form warm, trusting relationships with staff. They seek out staff for comfort and cuddles as needed. Children learn to describe their feelings as they take part in activities where they talk about their emotions.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the setting's strengths and the aspects that require further improvement. They have a clear understanding of safe eating requirements and respond promptly to concerns in practice, while acknowledging that procedures for mealtime routines are not consistent across the setting. Leaders now recognise that mealtime routines for younger children, as well as healthy eating and drinking practices for all children are not secure. They understand that greater consistency in these areas across the setting is essential to improving children's welfare and wellbeing.

Partnership with parents is a priority for the setting. Leaders engage sensitively with parents to ensure that transitions into the setting, and on to school, support children's individual needs, especially children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those that face other barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. Leaders promote community engagement and use funding to support children to have a variety of experiences, such as day trips and trips on the bus.

Leaders consider staff's wellbeing and workload carefully when making decisions. They provide staff with regular supervision, and staff report that they feel well supported. Staff complete mandatory training, such as safeguarding and first aid. In addition, leaders provide staff with ongoing professional development opportunities to strengthen both practice and outcomes for children.