Station Road Preschool

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders are highly effective at ensuring all children benefit greatly from a deeply rooted culture of inclusion, where staff get to know children very well and thoughtfully adapt the provision to meet their needs successfully. For example, staff use relevant objects as points of reference to help children at earlier stages of language development understand what is happening next. Highly knowledgeable and capable leaders support an equally passionate staff team who identify barriers to children's learning promptly and work closely with families and external professionals to establish appropriate support. As a result, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other barriers to learning are fully included and participate confidently alongside their peers.

Leaders make it a priority to understand individual family experiences, backgrounds and cultures. These are positively reflected in the resources and books available, ensuring children have equal opportunities to see their lives and wider communities represented. For example, children use photographs of global landmarks, such as the 'Burj Khalifa' as inspiration when building in the construction area. Such experiences help children feel valued, develop respect for differences and participate fully in the life of the setting.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who face other barriers to development benefit from targeted support that responds sensitively to their individual circumstances. Leaders work extremely closely with parents and carers, social care and other agencies to make flexible arrangements that maintain children's relationships, attendance and emotional security. Consequently, all children, regardless of their individual circumstances or starting points, make rapid progress and are supported to achieve their full potential.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders create a progressive and ambitious curriculum that reflects the distinguishing needs of the local community they serve. They ensure that staff fully understand the evolving curriculum and build securely on individual children's existing knowledge, skills and interests. Leaders ensure staff develop a comprehensive understanding of children's individual needs, interests and starting points. Staff then use these details to plan meaningful learning opportunities, such as, embedding conversations and activities related to good oral health. Teaching is consistent, with experienced staff skilfully building on children's knowledge, introducing rich vocabulary in meaningful contexts and encouraging children to make purposeful connections across all areas of learning.

There is a clear focus on communication and language, as well as personal, social and emotional development. Planned opportunities enable children to develop independence, self-regulation and positive attitudes to learning. High-quality interactions consistently extend children's thinking and deepen their learning. Staff show genuine curiosity about children's ideas and respond effectively to their evolving interests and understanding.

Staff use their accurate knowledge from assessments and observations to adapt their teaching in the moment. They build on children's ideas, provide opportunities for them to solve problems and encourage them to apply what they know. For example, during water and sand play, staff support children to develop scientific vocabulary and mathematical thinking as they count, make predictions, investigate and reach conclusions. Leaders and staff explicitly teach individual children the skills they need to progress to the next stage of learning. They adapt activities, interactions and the environment effectively to reduce barriers to learning. This includes using additional funding to provide enriching experiences that some children may not otherwise have had, such as opportunities to participate in local community events.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make impressive progress from their initial starting points, developing the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for future learning. New children settle with ease and make rapid progress from where they started in such a short time. All children, including those with barriers to learning are very well prepared for next stage in education.

Children develop particularly well in their communication and language, independence, social skills, and physical development. Older children confidently use language to express their ideas and freely explore independently and with others. Toddlers learn new vocabulary and develop social skills as they respond to familiar songs, wait for their turn on the balance beams and engage in imaginative play with staff. All children delight in regular opportunities for outdoor play. For example, they demonstrate great core strength and aiming skills as they roll car tyres back and forth with staff. Children apply their growing mathematical knowledge meaningfully throughout the day, including when counting, comparing and problem solving at snack times.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and others who face barriers to learning, receive consistent and attentive support alongside ongoing adaptations. This enables them to access and benefit fully from the experiences on offer. Children show perseverance and determination as they overcome challenges and achieve to their full potential. Consequently, children flourish and make purposeful connections across their learning, which deepens their knowledge, skills and understanding.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders embed a harmonious and respectful culture where learning and care is prioritised. Children's behaviour is impeccable, and they demonstrate highly motivated attitudes to learning. Staff build secure attachments, act as good role models and provide clear, consistent expectations and boundaries, helping children understand how to treat others with empathy and care. This inclusive approach ensures that children who face barriers to learning, as well as those new to the setting, feel secure and supported to participate fully.

Leaders ensure staff respond quickly and effectively to help children manage their feelings and behaviour. Staff use calm approaches and explicitly teach children strategies to regulate their emotions, cooperate with others and resolve difficulties before they escalate. As a result, children develop impressive social skills through collaborative play and shared experiences. They learn to listen to others, negotiate and work together successfully.

Children develop high levels of confidence, independence and sustained engagement. They readily choose activities that reflect their interests, while staff respond to children's ideas with enthusiasm, further motivating them to take part. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities confidently recognise and correctly name the titles of books related to different types of vehicles and find the same.

Leaders proactively promote regular attendance and maintain robust procedures to monitor children's attendance and follow up concerns where necessary. Additional funding for children from disadvantaged backgrounds is used strategically, for example, to provide extra sessions, ensuring that all children have regular access to enriching experiences and can make the most of their time at the setting.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place a firm emphasis on promoting children's welfare and wellbeing. From the outset, children experience warm, nurturing and responsive relationships with staff, giving them a true sense of belonging and helping them feel safe, secure and valued. Children arrive happily, including those new to the setting, who readily wave goodbye to their parents and carers. They engage enthusiastically in their chosen activities. Leaders and staff take time to understand children's home experiences, individual needs and abilities from the start. As a result, they develop a secure knowledge of every child and use this understanding to expertly adapt interactions, routines and activities, enabling all children to participate fully and continue to thrive.

Leaders ensure staff respond calmly and sensitively help children manage their emotions and behaviour. Staff consistently model kindness and empathy and show genuine interest in what children say and do. Consequently, children settle with ease and develop positive relationships, including those who experience barriers to their development.

Leaders work extremely closely with parents, maintaining highly effective two-way communication through a range of approaches, including daily handovers, termly meetings and an online application. For instance, leaders promote healthy lifestyles by working with parents to encourage healthy packed lunches and establish home routines that support children's wellbeing, including positive sleep arrangements and good oral hygiene practices. In addition, children who were initially reluctant to eat a variety of fruits at home, now do so with ease due to eating them at the setting. Parents recognise the highly effective connections staff form with them and their children. They report that their children feel safe and included and quickly develop confidence, social skills and communication skills after starting at the setting. This shared way of working ensures consistency in children's care and supports them to flourish and develop positive habits that contribute to their long-term wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear, purposeful vision, alongside an accurate understanding of the provision's strengths and areas for development. Effective monitoring, evaluation and reflective practice provide leaders with a secure oversight of the needs of the local community and quality of the provision. Leaders act decisively to drive improvement, responding promptly to updated guidance and implementing changes that further enhance children's experiences, safety and wellbeing.

Knowledgeable leaders promote a deeply embedded culture of inclusion and continuous improvement. Robust systems identify children's vulnerabilities, monitor attendance and facilitate effective partnership working with external professionals. This ensures children and their families receive the most appropriate support. Leaders ensure staff adapt the provision effectively to meet all children's individual needs, reducing barriers to learning and development so that they continually thrive. They monitor these processes closely, ensuring that staff confidently understand and can articulate children's progress, individual needs and next steps in development.

Leaders highly value and invest in their staff team. Regular supervision, team meetings, safeguarding discussions and mandatory training ensure staff maintain and continually enhance their professional knowledge. Leaders provide personalised professional development that builds on staff's strengths and addresses identified areas for further development. This includes purposeful coaching and mentoring that strengthens already high-quality practice and enables staff to develop their professional skills and careers further.