St Bernadettes Bees Pre School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders place a high priority on creating an inclusive environment where children thrive and feel safe. They work closely with children's parents and other professionals. This helps staff quickly identify any barriers to learning that children may face and make timely referrals to support their development.

Leaders have not considered how to consistently support children who speak English as an additional language. Although leaders plan regular intervention sessions to help children develop their vocabulary, and staff use some sign language with children, this is inconsistent.

Leaders work in partnership with local schools. They share information to help children have a smooth transition in readiness for their move to primary education. This two-way communication helps provide a consistent approach to children's learning and development. Leaders allocate any additional funding to support children's individual needs. For example, staff have attended relevant training to support and promote children's language and communication skills. This targeted approach helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress in their development.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have recently developed their ambitious curriculum, which focuses on the key skills to support children in readiness for school. They focus on children's communication, physical and social skills. Leaders use broad themes and follow the children's interests to help children meet their next steps in learning. Staff complete regular observations of children and use these to plan fun and inspiring activities that they typically adapt for children who may face barriers to their learning. For example, children develop their thinking skills as they transfer water from one tray to another using guttering. Staff are skilful at providing a narrative as children play, introducing mathematical concepts such as counting and weight.

Staff help children develop a love of songs and stories. They play rhyming games, and children dance to action songs. This generally helps children to develop their communication and language skills. However, sometimes, staff do not adapt activities to support children who speak English as an additional language. They use complex language that is too difficult for children to understand. This means that they lose focus and do not benefit from some of these learning opportunities.

Staff plan ample opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. They teach children how to keep themselves safe as they navigate the climbing frame. Children develop the muscles in their hands, as they use various tools to transfer water and sand. This helps children develop the skills they need for later learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are confident and happy and have secure relationships with peers. Children learn about their emotions as they use visual cards and say that they feel happy today. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities talk about their emotions and learn how other children feel. Children develop a love of books as they regularly choose their favourite stories. They are animated and recall familiar phrases to develop their communication and language skills. Children are generally independent. They know to wash their hands before mealtimes and mostly help tidy away their belongings when they have finished with their chosen play. Children run, jump, dance and climb, developing their physical skills effectively. Additionally, they develop their small hand muscles as they print with ink pads, ready for future writing. Overall, children are well prepared for their next stage of learning in readiness for school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and have created routines that children know well. Staff give children time to finish their activities before moving on to the next routine. Children listen to the tidy-up song and typically help clear away their belongings. Staff adapt their instructions to help support children who may face barriers to their learning. For instance, they use visual prompts. This helps children to take part in the daily routines of the pre-school. Children behave well and play alongside each other. Staff help children to develop relationships in small-group activities promoting turn-taking and listening. This helps children to build their early friendships.

Mostly, staff promote children's independence. Children choose activities from the well-planned environment according to their interests. This helps to promote children's engagement. However, staff are not yet consistent in promoting children's self-care skills, as they are too quick to help them. For example, some staff wipe children's noses and open their lunch containers, rather than teaching children to do this independently. This means some children do not get to build on their self-care skills.

Leaders work closely with parents from the start to ensure that they share their expectations of regular attendance. They monitor attendance patterns and work with families to support children's consistent routines. This further promotes a positive understanding of school expectations.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff get to know the children and families who attend the pre-school very well. Staff share daily feedback and find out about children's lives outside of the nursery. They use this information to adapt children's care routines and use their interests as much as possible in their play. This helps to provide continuity of care for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Leaders place a high priority on children's health. They have recently completed training to strengthen children's choices of healthy foods. They work in partnership with parents and have shared this information with them, providing ideas on how to give their children a healthy packed lunch. Leaders have developed children's knowledge of the importance of oral hygiene. They arrange for a local dentist to visit and have conversations with children about how to care for their teeth. Staff discuss with children the positive impact that food and drink has on their bodies, developing their interest and desire to make healthy choices.

Staff teach children how to stay safe in the sun during hot weather. They remind children to wear their sun hats and have regular drinks of water. This helps children to develop healthy habits for later life.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are highly ambitious and are able to identify the pre-school's strengths and areas for improvement. They are continuing to develop consistency in the implementation of the curriculum to ensure all children have access to high-quality education. Leaders identify staff's training needs to develop their knowledge and confidence in areas of practice. For example, they have focused on interventions to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff engage in targeted teaching that helps children with SEND make progress in their learning and development. For instance, staff use visual prompts to help children understand their emotions.

Leaders prioritise staff's wellbeing by providing staff with professional development opportunities that help them to develop their practice. They ensure that any staff who are training have additional time to complete coursework. Staff report that this helps them with their workload and enables them to succeed in their own learning opportunities. Staff say that regular supervision and staff meetings help them to reflect on their practice, improving outcomes for children.

Leaders have established positive relationships with parents. They work with parents to involve them in children's learning. They hold parents' evenings throughout the year to celebrate children's achievements and build partnerships with families. Staff work alongside external professionals to ensure that children have a joined-up approach to their learning. Parents say that they are grateful for the staff and the interventions they have put in place to support their children's development and for the ideas from the pre-school that have helped them to support their children's learning at home.