St Helens Playgroup

Inclusion: Expected standard

Every child receives the care they need within an inclusive environment. Staff effectively seek and value parental views from the start. Staff effectively consider this information alongside regular assessments of children's progress, to offer learning opportunities to support children's next steps in learning. This ensures all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, make the best possible progress from their starting points. Any early interventions, such as speech and language support, are actioned straight away. This includes listening to views from any external professionals already working with the child. This collaborative approach means children are receiving the right support at the right time, so they are fully prepared for progressing to school.

Staff typically support children's communication and language skills very well. They use Makaton and visual supports to help all children understand and express themselves. This impacts greatly on children's ability to understand and prepare for transitions smoothly, such as getting ready to play outside or prepare for snack time. Where children need assessments, this is organised to ensure educational plans are in place and any extra funding is accessed before children start school. This makes a significant contribution to help individual children achieve their best possible outcomes, beyond their time at nursery.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders are dedicated to ensuring there is a high ratio of qualified staff to children. This means staff know the children extremely well. The curriculum is successfully built on children's interests, and seasonal topics. Children are enthusiastic to join in, and they typically make plenty of progress in all areas of learning and development.

Leaders sensitively identify gaps in children's life experiences and provide enriching experiences such as theatre trips. Leaders organise enhanced staff ratios for trips. This ensures all children including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities can attend.

Staff role model clear pronunciation and add vocabulary to discussions, to build on what children already know. For example, children enjoy discussions and activities that spark curiosity about the environment and the importance of protecting it. Staff verbally introduce new words, such as, 'Earth' and 'recycling', to help children develop new language and vocabulary. However, staff do not always make full use of available visual word prompts to enhance children's recall and consolidation of new words. Consequently, children's potential learning outcomes are reduced, particularly for those with barriers to learning, such as speaking English as an additional language, or for more able learners.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children often demonstrate their motivation to learn and achieve. For instance, when attempting to copy and write their name, they persevere until they accomplish it.

Learning experiences, such as circle times and small communication-group activities, support children's attention and listening skills. This helps children focus better and maximise their learning and development and prepare them for school.

Children have the space within a supportive environment to practise new skills they have learned and approach new tasks in their own way. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), create role-play scenarios around their love of babies. They show how they are developing confidence and independence to lead their own learning, as they set up resources and engage in imaginary play.

All children, including those with SEND are achieving well from their starting points. Children are making significant progress in their communication and language development. Children show confidence in using mathematical vocabulary when counting numbers they see in their environments.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations to help children establish daily routines and develop positive behaviours and attitudes to learning. Leaders generally communicate this vision well to staff. For example, staff understand the importance of providing visual prompts. They introduce 'now and next' boards, to help children understand and manage daily routines, such as handwashing. This means all children, particularly those speaking English as an additional language, are becoming increasingly independent in attending to their personal care needs.

Children develop caring attachments to staff with an extremely effective key-person system. Tailored settling-in processes, help children develop routines and positive habits. For example, staff adapt environments and resources to meet the individual needs and interests of children. This promotes children's punctuality and attendance at the playgroup. It also promotes positive attitudes to learning as they look forward to playing an exploring with familiar and fun activities they love.

Staff quickly address incidents of unacceptable behaviour to ensure children's wellbeing. However, occasionally, there are inconsistencies in staff practice to fully promote positive behaviours expected from children. For example, at times when children raise their voices to talk over their peers, staff do not always remind them that it is polite to wait their turn to speak. This can reduce children's progress to fully understand the needs of others and learn to regulate their emotions effectively.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff get to know children and their families in advance of starting. This helps them identify and plan support to help children maintain good health and wellbeing. For example, children take part in daily tooth brushing. This helps to improve the oral health of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children are becoming increasingly competent as staff model fun brushing techniques, making the process enjoyable and easy to follow.

Staff interactions are typically positive and responsive, fostering a calm environment with clear expectations through consistent praise and gentle guidance. Children benefit from lots of physical exercise outdoors.

Children are learning to make healthy food choices as staff provide healthy snacks. Mealtimes are very sociable and organised. Staff typically promote children's good manners and social skills. However, occasionally, when children forget to say, 'Please' and 'thank you', staff do not consistently promote these manners to help them fully understand polite behaviours expected of them.

Children learn to risk access environments as staff remind them of safety procedures, such as reminding them that only one child is allowed on the trampoline at one time. Staff encourage outdoor play to promote children's self-regulation skills.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have made the required improvements since the last inspection. They have provided Ofsted with the necessary information about all committee members so that the required suitability checks can be completed. Additionally, leaders have created robust recruitment policies and procedures that are being meticulously followed. This shows leaders dedication to maintain children's ongoing safety and wellbeing.

Leaders describe the benefit of outdoor play in promoting children's self-regulation. When children are overwhelmed at drop offs, leaders express that children may manage their emotions and feelings more effectively, if outdoor play was offered earlier by staff. This demonstrates how leaders are reflecting on staff practice and identifying areas for improvement. Leaders explain imminent plans to provide more detailed observations of staff practice, including specific feedback, to raise teaching quality to an even higher level.

Staff report excellent wellbeing and express how training builds their confidence to deliver high-quality care and education.

Parent partnership is of paramount importance. Parents compliment the ongoing and excellent communication they receive from staff, including regular assessments about their children's progress. They report how this helps them to further support their children's learning and development at home. This contributes to improve the outcomes for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.