St Gregorys Child Care Trust

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders have created a culture where inclusion is embedded in daily practice. Children's needs are identified swiftly through close key-person knowledge, clear assessment systems and regular review meetings led by the special educational needs coordinator. Emerging concerns are acted on without delay. Staff implement a well-understood graduated approach, adapting teaching and routines through visual prompts, structured transitions, sensory informed environmental adjustments and targeted small-group support. These adaptations enable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to regulate, communicate and learn confidently alongside their peers.

Leaders work proactively with families and external professionals, including early years inclusion advisers and speech and language specialists. Advice is implemented promptly and reviewed carefully for impact. Progress for children receiving additional support is monitored rigorously and provision is refined systematically to secure sustained improvement in engagement and learning.

Early years pupil premium funding is allocated thoughtfully to reduce barriers linked to emotional resilience, language development and attendance. Leaders track the measurable difference this makes to children's confidence, participation and readiness for school. Leaders maintain oversight of all children to ensure that support is timely, coordinated and consistent. Children experience meaningful, sustained inclusion and access the full breadth of the curriculum.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have an ambitious and coherently sequenced curriculum that sets out clearly what children should know and be able to do across all areas of learning. Leaders work closely with the school to secure continuity of learning and smooth transition into Reception. They have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and review practice regularly, refining provision where needed. For example, they have strengthened the quality of adult interactions and adapted the environment to promote deeper engagement and sustained concentration.

Teaching is purposeful and responsive. Practitioners recognise that routines and planned experiences are valuable learning opportunities. Mathematical understanding is developed through carefully planned activities, such as counting forwards and backwards during singing sessions, measuring and comparing quantities during play dough activities and using mathematical language within child-initiated play. Communication and language are prioritised. Practitioners model precise vocabulary, revisit new words and use thoughtful questioning to extend children's thinking. Stories are brought to life in ways that develop recall, sequencing and comprehension, with children confidently joining in repeated refrains and linking ideas. Physical, personal, social and emotional development underpin the curriculum, with carefully planned outdoor provision and structured routines building coordination, resilience and self-regulation.

Practitioners use ongoing assessment confidently to check what children know and can do. They identify gaps swiftly and adapt teaching accordingly. Adjustments for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are embedded seamlessly, ensuring that every child accesses an equally ambitious curriculum.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make strong progress from their starting points and secure breadth and depth across all areas of learning. Communication and language develop particularly well. Children listen attentively, use newly introduced vocabulary accurately and engage in sustained conversations. They retell familiar stories with increasing detail, recall key events in sequence and link new learning to previous experiences. In mathematics, children confidently count within 10 while enthusiastically acting out number songs. They recognise numerals in meaningful contexts and apply number knowledge during practical problem-solving in play.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face other barriers to learning, make good progress from their individual starting points because practitioners have a secure understanding of each child's needs and adapt support sensitively. Children develop increasing confidence to communicate their needs, join group activities independently and sustain attention for longer periods. They build secure friendships with their peers and participate confidently in all aspects of learning.

Children sustain concentration during focused activities and move with increasing control and coordination during physical play. They manage routines independently and demonstrate growing resilience. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning due to the breadth of experiences and opportunities they access across the curriculum.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders have embedded highly effective and consistent routines across the day. Transitions are calm, purposeful and clearly understood by all children. When the bell sounds, children respond immediately, working together to tidy the environment before moving smoothly to snack or group time. These predictable routines help children manage change confidently and remain focused during learning.

Daily routines consistently promote independence and responsibility. For example, children independently collect their coats, dress themselves for outdoor play and line up in an orderly manner, demonstrating clear understanding of expectations. They follow established hygiene routines, such as handwashing, with minimal prompting. Practitioners reinforce expectations through calm modelling and specific praise, ensuring that behaviour remains positive and respectful.

Children demonstrate thoughtful behaviour towards one another. During play and group activities, they take turns without prompting, encourage their friends and respond positively to adult guidance. Expectations are applied consistently, and adaptations, such as visual supports, ensure that children remain part of group learning while maintaining high standards of behaviour.

Leaders monitor attendance closely and follow up promptly where concerns arise. Children develop secure habits, collaborate effectively and show consistently positive attitudes within a structured and respectful environment.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders consistently prioritise children's welfare and emotional wellbeing. Secure key-person relationships are central to practice. Practitioners demonstrate detailed knowledge of each child's background and family context, enabling care to be responsive and sensitive. Children show secure attachment to adults, confidently seeking reassurance when needed and returning quickly to play. Regular wellbeing check-ins strengthen continuity of care and ensure that children feel valued and understood.

Care routines are thoughtfully structured to promote healthy habits and self-care. At snack time, children learn about nutritious food choices, practise safe food preparation and develop good table manners within a calm, social environment. Clear hygiene procedures and vigilant supervision ensure that children's physical needs are met consistently. Daily access to outdoor play supports coordination and positive attitudes towards physical activity.

Practitioners actively support children to recognise and manage their emotions. Adults model calm responses and use visual prompts or quiet spaces when needed, helping children to regulate while maintaining inclusion and dignity. Adaptations for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are embedded sensitively, ensuring inclusive participation. Children develop resilience, emotional security and strong foundations for their ongoing wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a detailed and perceptive understanding of the setting's strengths and priorities. Stability in leadership has enabled them to sustain high expectations and refine practice continually. Systems for supervision, attendance and daily oversight are robust and securely embedded. Leaders maintain a live action plan that drives ongoing improvement, ensuring that children's best interests remain at the centre of decision-making.

Governance is secure and strategic. Leaders provide effective challenge and support to ensure that resources are deployed thoughtfully and that decisions benefit all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Funding is allocated carefully and reviewed for impact on children's engagement, confidence and development.

Professional development is precisely aligned to improvement priorities, including strengthening adult interactions and inclusive practice. Peer observations, reflective supervision and targeted training translate into consistent improvements in daily teaching. Leaders consider staff's workload carefully and foster a culture where reflection and feedback are routine. Parents speak highly of the provision, describing leaders as 'trustworthy' and expressing confidence in the care, communication and high standards maintained across the setting. Leadership is cohesive, reflective and firmly focused on securing high-quality experiences for every child.