Sunny Brow Playschool

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff know children's needs well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to their learning. They work in conjunction with families and professionals to provide appropriate strategies to support children's individual needs. Staff regularly review children's progress and undertake regular observations and assessments to ensure children's plans are updated and shared. This allows staff to identify any emerging gaps in learning, and as a result, children make good progress from their starting points. Staff share strategies with parents to provide a consistent approach at home and in the nursery. For example, staff encourage children to use their communication skills to speak about everyday activities they may do at home, using pictures to support this, and share these activity ideas with parents.

Leaders and staff put strategies in place to support all children's learning and development. For example, they have implemented a listening and attention scheme, which has helped to develop children's communication skills. Leaders and staff work closely with speech and language therapists, health visitors and the specialist teacher. Staff are vigilant, identifying children's needs quickly, which allows for early help to be identified and secured. They ensure children receive the support needed and provide opportunities and experiences to support all children's learning and development. For example, they recognise when children are struggling with their emotions and provide resources, such as books, to support them.

Leaders understand how to use additional funding to reduce barriers to learning. For example, they provide extra sessions for children when needed. This means children are able to attend more and benefit from the learning provided.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the curriculum and what they want to teach children. They take action to ensure that all children can access the curriculum, which allows children to learn from different experiences and helps prepare them for the next stage in their learning. The curriculum is typically taught well across all areas of learning and development. Staff plan for children's interests and next steps where children develop their knowledge and skills and build on prior learning. For example, children observe sunflowers, create their own paintings and use vocabulary, alongside staff, such as petals and roots.

Leaders and staff teach children emerging mathematical concepts. However, this is not always consistent as not all staff recognise emerging learning opportunities as they interact with children. Occasionally, some staff are not confident in their teaching, and this means that teaching is not consistently of a high quality. Staff promote children's love of books. They provide activities that link to children's favourite stories in the setting and at home, and children confidently seek out staff and other children to share their favourite books with.

There is a focus on babies' and children's personal, social and emotional development, and children confidently explore the nursery and make friends. Children sing the 'hello' song together, ensuring that all children are welcomed into the nursery. This includes the youngest children, who use some words and sing along with the older children. Children's physical skills are a priority. Staff provide resources to support children's physical skills and adapt activities to meet the needs of all children. For example, children can access different resources such as large crates, planks and different mark-making resources. This helps them to strengthen the muscles in their legs, arms and hands.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make progress in their learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They develop knowledge across the 7 areas of learning and are developing essential skills for the future. Children make good progress in their communication and language. They communicate with staff and other children about the activities they are completing and use their communication skills to ask for help. For example, as children write letters and use stamps, they skilfully ask for help to put their letter into an envelope.

Children gain a secure foundation in their physical and personal, social and emotional skills. Children thrive and are suitably prepared for their next stage of learning. Babies and children enjoy exploring and are naturally inquisitive. For example, young children become excited and talk about what they can see, hear and smell.

Older children use their physical skills to negotiate the outdoor area. They run confidently and are encouraged to use their arm muscles to pour water. Staff give younger children opportunities to use equipment to pull themselves up and develop their walking skills. Children show increasingly high levels of concentration and a 'can-do' attitude during the activities provided. They show perseverance and resilience. For example, they fasten buttons on a doll's clothing and keep on trying when attempting to put on their own socks.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have embedded clear expectations and a respectful culture. Staff are excellent role models for the children and teach them the importance of kindness, care and respect. As a result, children consistently display positive behaviour. Leaders embed highly impactful routines. For example, children enthusiastically ask for the tidy-up song. They know how to tidy away the resources and where these resources go. Staff give praise and encouragement throughout, and as a result children feel proud of their achievements.

Children develop consistently positive attitudes to their learning. They access activities and resources with confidence. They seek out staff and other children to share their learning. For example, children write letters to their friends and post these in the local postbox. They invite each other to splash in puddles, which they do excitedly as they explore the rain together. Staff actively listen to children and are considerate of their needs and age and stage of development. For example, staff follow younger children's routines from home and encourage children to join in group time activities when they feel ready to do so. Children build warm, trusting relationships with their key person and other staff members. As a result, children feel secure and settle quickly.

Leaders promote the importance of attendance with families; they are proactive to ensure children attend the nursery and any barriers are identified and addressed. As a result, there is a significant improvement to children's attendance, which has a positive impact on their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

There is a real sense of belonging in the nursery. Leaders ensure children's welfare and wellbeing are consistently prioritised, and they are highly responsive to the needs of individual children and families. Leaders gather information from parents before the children start, such as sleep times and intolerances, and morning handovers from parents are explicitly shared with all staff. This means children's needs are met daily, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. Leaders create a safe, welcoming environment where children excitedly access a range of activities, both indoors and outdoors, with confidence.

Children settle quickly and develop secure attachments with their key person. Staff have ample knowledge of children's next steps and interests, using these to plan activities and provide resources to promote learning. For example, staff use natural materials in the outdoor area to make a pirate ship linked to the children's interest in sea animals. As a result, children develop social, imaginative and communication skills, along with developing their physical skills as they 'walk the plank'.

Children show independence when following the embedded and well-structured routines of the setting, for example washing their hands and finding their drinking cups. They show increasing control in their self-care skills, such as putting on their own coat and independently getting changed after playing outside. Leaders and staff teach children about healthy choices and diet. For example, children grow their own vegetables, which they then feed to the nursery pets, and discuss healthy eating at mealtimes and at home. Staff share with parents healthy lunch box ideas and signpost parents to local cooking classes to promote healthy eating at home. As a result, children consistently develop long-lasting healthy habits. Children have regular opportunities to rest, and mealtimes are used to develop social skills, where all children, including the youngest, sit together and engage in conversations about their likes and the food they are eating.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a sound understanding of the nursery and the local community. They actively identify priorities for improvement and how to make these improvements. For example, leaders have exciting plans for the outdoor area. This is to ensure that children of all ages can access the outdoor area, along with promoting road safety for the children who walk to the nursery. Leaders and the staff team work well together and are enthusiastic about the care and education they provide for children.

Leaders undertake regular meetings with staff, which equips staff to carry out their roles successfully. Leaders ensure that staff receive a range of professional opportunities that reflect children's needs, and staff learn from specialists who work alongside them. For example, staff attend meetings with other agencies, and leaders ensure any training they have undertaken is shared with the team. As a result, staff typically support the children in their learning and development and implement any strategies shared from other agencies successfully.

Leaders have developed an induction and recruitment procedure that ensures staff working with children are suitable. This includes mandatory training, such as first aid and safeguarding. Leaders ensure staff feel valued, and staff learn from each other as they observe each other's practice, reflecting together and implementing new skills in their own practice.

Partnerships with parents are effective. Leaders work with other professionals and parents to identify children's needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning. They encourage regular two-way communication with parents, which results in parents feeling well informed about their children's learning. Parents speak very highly of leaders and staff and truly value the collaborative approach to support their children.