St Andrews Pre School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have processes in place that help them to work with parents to accurately identify children with barriers to their learning and wellbeing. This includes disadvantaged children. Leaders understand the barriers that these children may experience and consider these when planning the curriculum. They work collaboratively with experts in child development to assess children's learning and create plans for individual children. This means that they can work towards meaningful goals. Leaders have a clear understanding of how to secure support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in preparation for school.

Leaders seek guidance from experts to understand how to help children with barriers to their wellbeing to manage their feelings. Staff typically support children well to feel calm when they become upset. However, they are less consistent in anticipating the specific triggers that lead to these emotional challenges. For example, when children with barriers to their wellbeing may need additional support to share space with other children. As a result, staff do not consistently implement preventative strategies to avoid children becoming emotional. This limits their ability to make a sustained difference to all how children manage their emotions.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

The teaching of all staff at the nursery is highly effective. Staff skilfully support children to learn language through expert interactions. For example, they are highly responsive to the different developmental stages of individual children. This helps them to adapt their teaching to allow children to learn key vocabulary that helps them to learn. As a result, all children express themselves with confidence. This includes children with gaps in their learning. Staff consistently use strategies for individual children that help them to understand and access learning with other children. The inclusive environment staff create helps all children to reach their milestones. Staff utilise every part of the day as an opportunity for teaching. For example, they support children to learn independent skills as they go to the toilet, wash their hands and feed themselves. Staff have consistently high expectations of every child at the setting.

Leaders have a clear vision for a fun and enriching curriculum that promotes experiences of all children, including those with barriers to their learning and wellbeing. They train staff consistently to react to children's emerging thinking in the moment. For example, by extending children's thinking thorough mathematical challenges. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel excited to short shapes and colours as they learn to order numbers and count. This enables children with barriers to their learning to gain confidence as they learn to understand what numbers mean and use them in their play. The curriculum supports all children to gain the knowledge and skills they need in preparation for school.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children enjoy being physically active at the pre-school. For example, they learn how to balance on different means in the garden as they develop physical strength. Children benefit from the gentle encouragement of staff as they try hard, even when they experience setbacks. They gain the hand eye coordination needed to be able to hold a pencil and make marks. This is because staff give children lots of equipment to explore these skills.

Children enjoy speaking to staff and one another. Children with special educational needs are given tools that help them to express themselves. This helps children feel confident as they make friends and build relationships with staff. Children gain self-care skills that help them to work towards increasing independence. They typically learn to make healthy choices about food, rest and exercise. Children enjoy singing songs and reading stories with staff. This helps them to develop an enjoyment of stories that helps them to prepare for school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders monitor closely the attendance of all children. They use this information to plan support for families that reduces barriers to children accessing education now and in the future. Leaders work closely with external partners to understand the experiences of children with barriers to their learning. They use this guidance to adapt the environment to consider how all children learn. For example, they create quiet areas of the pre-school for children during focussed learning. This helps staff to teach children the focus and attention skills they need to learn. Leaders use funding for disadvantaged children to channel their interests and help motivate them to learn. For example, by providing toys that ignite children's interest in art. Children learn creative skills as they express themselves with confidence.

Staff create clear routines that help all children to typically understand the structure of the day. For example, they create clear transitions that help children to understand when they will move from one activity to the next. Staff consider the wellbeing of younger children, including their home routines to promote their feelings of security. All children typically behave well. They develop positive attitudes to learning in preparation for school.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create an environment where staff collaborate to support children's wellbeing. They build warm and trusting relationships with children and their families which makes children feel safe and happy. Staff plan opportunities for every child to play outside in the fresh air. When children prefer to stay indoors, they give them gentle encouragement to play outdoors. This means that children can enjoy play in the fresh air which supports their physical health.

Staff provide children with guidance on how to complete self care tasks that keep them safe. For example, they teach children to wash their hands before eating and after messy activities. Staff implement policies such as supervising children well. This supports children's welfare and keeps them safe.

Overall, children at the pre-school engage in healthy habits that promote their physical health. For example, they spend extended time practising physical skills that promote their strength, balance and coordination. Typically, staff create routines which give children healthy messages about nutrition. However, opportunities to motivate children to eat healthily are not yet fully embedded. For example, children's lunchboxes are not consistently healthy. This incudes for disadvantaged children. As a result, children are not able to make consistently healthy choices around food.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders focus on supporting staff wellbeing. They create an environment where all staff can come to them with challenges and concerns. Leaders plan opportunities for staff to develop their knowledge and skills through key training. As a result, staff feel confident to carry out their roles and are keen to take on more responsibilities. Staff enjoy working at the nursery and feel valued. Leaders take action to ensure that policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and adapted to keep children safe. For example, they have recently strengthened their procedures for supervising children and ensuring the site is secure. Leaders ensure that staff understanding of their policies are what this means in practice are fully embedded. This promotes the welfare and safety of all children.

Leaders take decisions in the best interests of all children, including disadvantaged children. They work with parents and other professionals, such as health visitors, to promote the wellbeing of children and give guidance and support to families. Leaders identify children who may be eligible for funding and ensure that they receive this. They effectively plan how to use this to make a difference to disadvantaged children and those who face barriers to their learning and wellbeing. Leaders engage effectively with the community. They share information with parents about children's learning that helps them to extend this at home. The guidance leaders give parents typically makes a positive difference to children's experiences at the pre-school and beyond.