Stepping Stones Nursery Pembury Ltd

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff develop inclusive practice to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), children who speak English as an additional language and those who face other barriers to their learning. They understand the importance of swift and effective interventions to help all children unlock their potential. This means that children with SEND are given well-targeted teaching and routines. Leaders and staff work with other professionals and seek advice on teaching strategies to best support the learning styles and needs of the children. For example, staff create routines that help children feel settled and calm.

Children make progress from their starting points. This progress is regularly reviewed by leaders to assess the effectiveness of teaching, and all information is shared with parents. Children are relaxed with staff, and they demonstrate confidence in accessing the activities and resources. Although staff are aware of how children respond in the setting, they are not always as precisely informed about the progress children make at home. This means they do not always have a full picture of a child's development overall, such as sleep patterns and speech and language skills.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have worked alongside staff to improve teaching since their last inspection. Staff are aware of what children need to learn and they devise a suitable curriculum. Staff have made substantial improvements in their understanding of how to sequence the curriculum to build on what children already know and can do. They use their assessments of children's learning more effectively to plan suitable activities and to help children make progress from their starting points. Staff are yet to fully embed their teaching skills and interactions to consistently recognise when to extend learning during play, which means opportunities to build on children's thinking outside of planned activities are sometimes missed.

Staff build children's vocabulary, speech and language skills when they introduce new words in songs and stories. Children sing with gusto and confidently take turns to individually sing to the group. Where children need additional support, staff use intervention programmes to develop children's key communication skills. This builds children's confidence and understanding. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language in the setting but do not find out from parents and carers about their language abilities at home. This means they do not build a full picture of children's communication skills.

Staff build opportunities to support children's growing mathematical awareness during activities. For example, when children dig for buried treasure in the sand, they count, make comparisons and sort attributes. Staff use positional language, such as 'up' and 'down', when children paint the shed. Children understand number when they count each other or sing number rhymes.

Leaders and staff value children's creativity and they design an environment that encourages imaginative play. For instance, children role play as they make a river in the dry earth or work out how to send water down a chute. Staff teach explicit physical skills, such as learning how to hit a ball with a tennis racquet or how to kick a football. This provides children with new skills and a chance to practise and master what they can already do.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, confidently access the activities they enjoy and resources. They explore freely and make choices about how they approach activities. For example, children notice what happens when they add water to the play dough when they create a new texture to investigate. They delight in seeing what happens when colours are mixed and notice when 2 colours make a new colour. Children extend this when they demonstrate their prior learning and talk about how they can create a rainbow.

Children happily engage in imaginative play and enjoy sensory experiences, such as digging in the mud and playing in the sand and water. They naturally experiment to see what happens when they combine textures and materials. They enjoy the sensation of water on their bodies or the breeze that comes through the trees and take time to acknowledge these sensations with staff. Children develop independence and self-confidence in their abilities. This provides them with skills they will need when they move to the next stage in their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide children with simple rules and routines to help them feel safe and self-assured. This provides a solid framework from which children feel confident to explore. Staff have positive expectations for children's behaviour, which are generally taught well. There are times when staff step in to help children understand boundaries. However, they do not give children explanations as to why their behaviour might be inappropriate. For example, when staff ask children to share, this is not consistently supported with clear explanations or by staff modelling expectations. This occasionally leads to children feeling overwhelmed by their feelings and emotions.

Staff form close bonds with all children. They understand what children need to help them feel comfortable and ready to play. They understand how to adapt routines, such as mealtimes, so that all children can learn, including those who find it more challenging. Staff encourage children to focus their attention when they read stories or engage them at circle time. They help children understand the importance of kindness and children readily say 'please' and 'thank you' to one another without prompting. This helps children play cooperatively with one another, such as when they play bat and ball or take turns choosing a song to sing.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff ensure all children's wellbeing is a high priority. They place importance on providing children with the resources and support they need to help them settle and feel valued. They encourage all children to become independent in meeting their own needs and adapt their expectations appropriately for those who find this more difficult. For example, staff support children who need more help during mealtimes. Staff stress the importance of healthy habits, such as washing hands and eating nutritious foods. They provide space for children to enjoy daily exercise, indoors and outdoors. Staff help children learn how to take care of themselves. For instance, they regularly call children to gather for a drink and explain the importance of keeping hydrated in hot weather.

Leaders implement a key-person system that is effective in helping all children feel a sense of belonging. Where needed, they ensure that children have one-to-one support to fully access a broad curriculum and range of experiences. This provides children with a reassuring and suitable environment where staff understand their needs, interests and fascinations. Children play together well. They have formed close friendships and develop games that they sustain over a long period. For example, children help one another find items buried in the sand by congratulating one another and setting each other challenges.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have worked hard to improve teaching since their last inspection. They took steps to improve training and their monitoring of staff practice. Staff are confident in delivering a broad curriculum. Leaders recognise where they are in this journey of improvement and continue to plan additional training and support for all staff to help develop and embed consistent teaching strategies. Leaders ensure all staff are happy and that their workload is manageable. They provide an open-door culture where staff are confident in expressing their views to support the development and success of the setting.

Leaders engage with parents and carers to understand what they need and to create a place where they feel welcome and engaged in their children's learning. They are not always rigorous in collating some information from parents around children's development and attainment at home. For example, when children speak English as an additional language, they do not routinely ask parents to help them assess the progress children make in their speaking skills and understanding. Leaders support parents in understanding the importance of children's regular attendance in the setting, creating positive routines for children when they go to school.

Leaders are effective in making use of additional funding to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning. They ensure timely programmes of support and interventions are put in place to help all children make progress from their starting points.