Stables Daycare

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders create an inclusive culture where children's individual needs are identified early and understood well. Staff gather information from families, their observations and external professionals to build a clear picture of each child's starting points. This helps them to recognise when children may need additional help or face barriers to their learning or wellbeing.

Leaders take thoughtful action to reduce these barriers. They make reasonable adjustments so that all children can take part in activities, such as adapting routines and using visual cues and real objects to support children's understanding. Staff ensure that children who need extra reassurance feel safe and confident. They understand these adaptations and apply them with care.

While staff support children's communication well overall, targeted language strategies are not yet used consistently across the provision. This means some children do not always get the focused language support they need to develop their language skills.

Leaders monitor children's progress closely and review support regularly to check that it is making a difference. They work in partnership with families and external agencies to shape children's support and ensure that help is timely and effective. Staff have received training that strengthens their understanding of inclusive practice and how to support children who need additional help. Leaders use additional funding, including early years pupil premium, to enhance resources and experiences that benefit disadvantaged children.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of their curriculum and areas they are continuing to develop. They have strengthened staff's knowledge of what they want children to learn and why. This is particularly so in the older rooms, where staff confidently explain how activities build on children's previous experiences. Leaders recognise that this level of confidence is not yet consistent across all rooms.

The curriculum meets the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. It reflects the setting's emphasis on exploration, independence and learning through play. Staff support children's language development with increasing purpose. For example, during water play, staff introduce new vocabulary such as 'submerged'. They encourage children to explore cause and effect, deepening their understanding through purposeful conversation. In some rooms, staff weave mathematical language naturally into children's play. Leaders recognise that the purposeful use of language and vocabulary, including strategies to support children who face barriers to communication, is not yet fully embedded across the setting. As a result, some children do not always benefit from the focused language input that would help to develop their language skills securely.

Staff prioritise children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Babies experience an environment rich in sensory experiences that supports their early communication and secure relationships. For example, they take part in jelly play and explore textured materials freely, developing early coordination as they reach, grasp and explore objects. Older children benefit from outdoor learning that promotes confidence and independence. They explore the mud area, mixing water, sticks and leaves, and ride bicycles, developing balance and coordination. Staff adapt teaching appropriately for children who need additional help. They make reasonable adjustments so that all children can take part in activities. Staff use assessment to check what children know and can do. They use this information to plan experiences that match children's different starting points and stages of development.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make steady progress from their starting points as they move through the curriculum. They develop increasing confidence in communication and language, particularly where staff use purposeful vocabulary and model conversations during their play. Babies respond to familiar words, gestures and songs, while older children begin to use new language to describe their ideas and actions. For example, older children use mathematical language confidently during a problem-solving activity. They show how they are beginning to apply early number ideas in their play.

Children who face barriers to learning, including those who need additional help or who are disadvantaged, also make progress because staff adapt activities and provide reassurance, so they can take part alongside their peers. These adjustments help children to build the foundations they need for later learning. However, where language strategies are not used consistently, children do not yet fully embed their communication and language skills across the setting. Overall, children develop the knowledge and skills that prepare them for their next stage of development, including school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have created a positive and welcoming environment. Their expectations for behaviour are clear and understood by staff and children. Staff model calm and respectful interactions. This helps children to feel secure and ready to learn. Warm and nurturing relationships are evident across the setting. Staff respond sensitively to children's cues and offer reassurance when needed.

Children are supported to learn how to collaborate and get along with others. For example, during outdoor mud and water play, staff remind children of the setting's expectations. Staff ask questions, such as, 'What do we do if we do not like it?' and model the Makaton sign for 'stop'. Children respond by saying, 'We stop.' This shows that respectful behaviour and consent are well embedded. Staff encourage turn-taking, sharing and simple language or using gestures to express their needs.

Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance and punctuality through ongoing communication with families. They work with parents and carers to establish consistent routines, particularly for children who may need additional support to settle or manage transitions. Leaders recognise that approaches to promoting children's independence are not yet fully consistent across the setting.

Staff consider children's age, stage of development and individual circumstances when helping them to meet expectations. They provide clear explanations, gentle reminders and additional reassurance. This helps all children to participate successfully and develop positive attitudes to their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff provide effective care that meets children's individual needs. Staff know children well and adapt routines sensitively, offering comfort, reassurance and encouragement when needed. Responsive relationships help children to feel secure and confident. Babies benefit from close and nurturing interactions with familiar staff, who respond promptly to their cues.

Children are supported to recognise and talk about their feelings. Staff use calm and supportive interactions to help children to manage their emotions. They use simple resources, such as stories and mirrors, to help children identify how they are feeling. These approaches promote children's sense of emotional wellbeing.

Children learn about their physical development, personal safety and health through everyday routines and play. Staff generally encourage children's growing independence. They support children to learn to feed themselves or manage simple self-care tasks, while ensuring that children feel supported and safe.

Care routines, including sleeping and feeding, are flexible and responsive to each child's needs. Staff work closely with parents and carers to maintain familiar patterns and ensure consistency between home and the setting. These thoughtful and individualised approaches help all children, including those who may face additional barriers, to feel settled, cared for and ready to learn.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to providing a warm and nurturing environment, where children feel safe and supported. They have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and are reflective about areas that need further development. Since the last inspection, leaders have taken steps to strengthen staff's understanding of what they want children to learn. This is beginning to support more consistent practice across rooms. However, the quality of teaching remains variable. Not all staff are fully confident in their understanding of the curriculum or how children's learning develops over time.

Leaders make decisions that prioritise children's wellbeing and learning, including those who may face additional barriers. However, they do not ensure that some children who need extra support with communication and language consistently receive targeted strategies to help them make the best progress.

Leaders are visible in practice and know children and staff well. Staff report feeling well supported. Leaders are mindful of staff's workload when making decisions. Professional development is purposeful and linked to the needs of the setting. This helps staff to build their confidence and skills over time. Leaders have also taken action to strengthen the use of the outdoor environment to extend children's learning, following previous recommendations. They review their practice to ensure that the setting meets statutory requirements and provides a positive experience for all children.