Sunny Skies Academy

Inclusion: Exceptional

Tremendous thought and dedication has gone into this nursery to ensure it is fully inclusive. Leaders' actions, passion for their work and dedication have a transformational impact on the lives of children at the nursery. Leaders have developed their own assessment tool to support them to identify any additional support needs at the earliest opportunity. This helps to ensure support is put in place early.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who face other barriers to their learning, are extremely well supported. Knowledgeable staff who are passionate abut their work ensure children's individual needs are consistently met. Children learn about difference and diversity and show respect and acceptance of one another.

Thorough transition procedures ensure that key information is shared before children start at the setting. Those with oversight of SEND meet with parents to build a picture of the child, and further training is accessed as required and disseminated through the staff team. This ensures children are very well supported from the start. Ongoing observation and assessment practices ensure early identification of any emerging needs and enable leaders to act swiftly to take action.

Additional funding is used effectively to provide children with specialist support. For example, funding supports lower ratios and additional staff training. The early years pupil premium is used highly effectively to support children it is intended for. Staff use a range of communication methods with children, including Makaton. This is consistently embedded in each of the rooms. This supports all children with their communication and language, especially those children who are non-verbal or pre-verbal.

Leaders are beginning to share their success, expertise and experience in the local early years community. They have done this by inviting other professionals into the setting. This means they are not only having a transformational impact on children and families in their setting, but they are also beginning to have a positive impact on children and families in the local area.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders reflect on the individual needs of children, with expertise, to develop a highly inclusive curriculum that inspires. Leaders ensure that staff are well equipped to deliver the curriculum through consistently high-quality teaching. They prioritise professional development, enabling staff to attend quality training that deepens their understanding of the educational programmes they teach. As a result, children make significant progress from their starting points.

Teaching across the nursery is consistently successful. All staff are knowledgeable about what they want children to learn. This is based on children's next steps in learning and builds on what they already know. They provide stimulating learning experiences that develop children's engagement, motivation and thinking skills. For example, children in the pre-school room learn about quantity through play with 'treasure' in sand. Staff teach them strategies to count with accuracy and challenge them through thoughtful questioning. In their play, children practise these skills and begin to think critically. They say, 'I am taller' with delight when measuring and comparing their heights. Communication and language development is prioritised and is especially well taught. Staff model spoken language, alongside other communication methods such as visual prompts or signing. This consistency helps children to make excellent progress from their starting points.

The curriculum is purposefully designed to consider the individual children who attend the nursery. Activities are thoughtfully adapted to ensure all children can take part.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning, such as school. They learn a range of lifelong skills. Children learn the importance of washing their hands and do this independently. Children proudly become the 'snack helper' and help staff to set the tables. Children develop their understanding of number and early mathematical concepts. Young children learn early counting skills as they build towers. Older children learn more complex skills, such as recognising numbers and matching them to the same amounts. This helps to embed early core mathematical skills.

Children learn about difference and diversity through their daily experiences and discussions from staff. They learn that some children may be allergic to some foods and are taught to ensure they do not share foods. Additionally, they learn about other languages. They enjoy songs led by an external singer. Children are becoming highly confident communicators and are learning to communicate in a range of ways. In the pre-school classroom, children play together and build narratives as they do. They make suggestions about what happens next and negotiate, taking account of what each other says to ensure everyone's ideas are included. When playing with small-world toys, children excitedly explain that their characters 'are going on holiday in a flying car'.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers to learning make exceptionally positive progress.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children's behaviour is consistently well managed across the setting. Leaders prioritise positive relationships with families and children. This is embedded through a well-established key-person approach. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance. They work closely with parents and go above and beyond their role to ensure children are able to attend their planned sessions. This helps to establish routines as children prepare for school and ensure children are accessing their full entitlement.

Leaders and staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They model values that help to support children, such as kindness and respect to others. Children display high levels of respect for their peers. Skilled staff calmly respond to any incidents of unwanted behaviour. Effective strategies are consistently embedded in a way that is appropriate for the age and stage of development of individual children. For example, at times, they redirect children's attention to ensure they draw on paper rather than on unwanted areas.

Staff have worked particularly hard to embed the nursery routine. This has, at times, been challenging as the nursery has expanded. They have supported children to understand new routines and to build on their listening skills. This has helped children to build on their attention skills, and, as a result, they show high levels of engagement and become deeply immersed in their learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders ensure that policies and procedures are consistently embedded across the nursery to ensure children's safety and overall wellbeing. Careful consideration is given to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff consistently consider individual children's routines. For example, they are receptive to when babies require milk and their individual sleep patterns. Staff have formed positive relationships with babies. They snuggle into staff as they enjoy their bottle of milk. Staff ensure children are safe while they are sleeping, including monitoring the room temperature and regularly checking sleeping children.

Through detailed discussions with parents when children first start, leaders recognise some children's limited experiences when they begin at the setting. They work with parents, in a non-judgemental way, to support and guide them. For example, they work with parents with ideas of how they can reduce children's screen time. Staff teach children about aspects of self-care. They learn to wash their hands independently and take part in tooth brushing. This helps children to learn about oral hygiene.

Staff across the nursery use a calm and consistent approach to behaviour management. Children are taught strategies to help them manage conflict and how to recognise and respond to their emotions. For example, staff sensitively encourage turn-taking on bikes in the toddler garden, teaching children to share.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders have an in-depth knowledge of the children and families that attend their setting and fully understand the community that they serve. Staff are very well supported. They express high levels of wellbeing. Leaders are mindful of the challenges that staff face in their day-to-day role. They provide a highly effective induction process for new staff and ongoing mentoring. Staff have access to high-quality and effective training

Leaders are highly reflective. They evaluate the provision and are proactive in making changes where required. Leaders have exceptionally high expectations and a clear vision for delivering high-quality education and care for all children. Prior to their expansion, they have carefully considered the needs of children and how they can ensure their individual needs are met when creating new designated spaces. Leaders continue to reflect and have a detailed development plan. For example, they have further plans in place to develop the baby room garden.

Leaders are passionate about providing young people with opportunities for employment. They have worked with local colleges and specialist provision to support young people to gain vital work experience. Apprentices are very well supported by in-house mentors. Leaders inspire and support staff to support them further with their careers.

Leaders and staff have formed positive and highly effective relationships with parents and families. Leaders provide parents with guidance, for example on how to support their understanding of screen time and how this could impact on children's learning and development. Respectful relationships enable staff to have regular, open conversations with families and identify when they need further support.

Staff work effectively with other professionals. For example, they share progress checks at age 2 with health visitors. This helps to promote a joined-up approach and further helps to identify any concerns at the earliest possible stage.