Stepping Stones

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have a thorough oversight of children who need additional support. They ensure that children's needs are identified at the earliest opportunity, so that, they can implement strategies that help all children to make progress alongside their peers.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well supported by staff. They work with other professionals such as, occupational therapists to ensure that they are providing the right support for children. Staff adapt the environment to enable all children to access learning. For example, resources and furniture are carefully organised to support children who need extra help with their physical development. As a result, children make progress from their starting points through receiving targeted support to develop their muscle strength.

Funding is used appropriately to further reduce barriers to learning that children may face. Leaders use what they know about children to effectively plan how funding is used. For example, they purchase additional resources that compliment what staff do to help children with their independence around self-care. They provide additional support that helps children to regulate their emotions so that, they develop skills that help them to be prepared for school.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a sound oversight of the curriculum for all children. They ensure that most staff understand their role in helping children to learn. Across the setting, the curriculum is generally taught well. It is adapted to meet the needs of the children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. A small number of children are not consistently supported to develop their language and communication skills. Occasionally during focused group times quieter children are not as engaged as children who need additional support. Leaders have started to make improvements in this area. They support staff through additional training and development opportunities, that are starting to have an impact as children move through the setting.

There is a clear focus on supporting children to develop a love of books and stories. From an early age in the baby room, children enjoy listening to stories. Staff read with enthusiasm, pointing out key characters and naming them. They name animals and the sounds that they make. This engages children, who start to recall their favourite parts of the book as they turn the pages.

Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies enjoy spending time outdoors where the environment is organised so that, they can practise pulling themselves up or to push wheeled toys. They become confident walkers. Older children are supported to develop their small muscle skills as they use a wide range of utensils that become increasingly challenging. They knead dough and push small seeds into plant pots.

Mathematics is typically introduced into different aspects of play, as well as being a specific focus during small group time. Staff help children to learn to count, recognise shapes and learn positional language. They make progress in their mathematical development.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children demonstrate the skills that they have learned. They are confident and independent. They stop and listen outdoors, telling staff that they can hear vehicles or birds. They use tongs, large serving spoons and jugs at mealtimes to help themselves.

Children are kind to each other. They play together, testing out their ideas and come up with solutions to problems. They play co-operative games together, such as, throwing a ball back and forth and taking turns. They typically make steady progress in all areas of learning. In particular, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress in their personal, social and emotional development. All children are well prepared for school.

By the time children leave the setting they generally have effective communication skills. A very small number of children require additional attention to engage in learning opportunities that help them to even further develop their vocabulary.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other barriers to learning benefit from calming spaces where they receive support to regulate their own emotions. Staff label their feelings to help them to understand and feel calm. This helps children to feel safe and secure. They start to develop their independence and self-regulation skills.

Children learn important social skills. Staff are positive role models who help children to learn what is expected of them. They provide opportunities for children to practise sharing and to take turns. When children occasionally need additional support, staff ask thought provoking questions that help children to manage conflict. For example, they prompt children to consider how they can ask a friend to join in with a game or to have a turn with a toy.

Children develop their independence in many ways. From an early age, they are encouraged to have a go themselves at putting on their shoes or coats. Babies make choices about songs they want to sing next. Children serve themselves at mealtimes, skilfully pouring their own drinks and clearing away after themselves. Leaders promote and monitor attendance so that, all children benefit from their available sessions.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

All children develop warm and positive relationships with the nurturing staff. Babies and young children have their needs met, through sensitive care routines. Attention is given to safer sleep and eating practises. Sleep times are calm and help children to feel secure. Leaders work hard to provide information to families about healthy choices, when providing their own lunches. This is an ongoing area of focus that is seeing significant improvement.

Children participate in tooth brushing. While doing so, they learn about why they need to brush their teeth. They learn about healthy foods and that water hydrates them. Effective hygiene practises further support children to keep themselves healthy as they regularly wash their hands at key times and understand why.

Children are provided with an environment that engages them. Staff know them well and what interests them, so that, they enjoy play. They feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging. Children with barriers to learning benefit from calm and inviting spaces where they are supported by staff who are sensitive to their needs and support their mental wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders foster close, positive relationships with parents and other professionals. They use these relationships to drive improvements in the overall care and learning for all children. For example, they ensure that staff have targeted training to obtain the skills and knowledge that they need for children who have medical needs. There are close links with other schools and settings that children attend to support smooth transitions and ongoing development. Leaders have a through oversight of all of the children at the setting and what their key person is focusing on. This helps them to monitor and tackle any gaps in the curriculum or focus on small groups of children.

Leaders have a clear action plan. They recognise the small inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and support for children's language development. They are already taking steps to address this through regular coaching, supervision and monitoring. Leaders have recently revised risk assessment processes to enhance the safety of children when transporting them to and from school. Leaders have regular support from the nominated individual to help them to drive improvement.

Staff wellbeing is closely monitored. Leaders ensure that they have manageable workloads and that feel valued and supported.