Sunshine Nursery School

Inclusion: Strong standard

Staff take a highly effective, proactive approach to inclusion by accurately identifying children's individual needs through close observation, detailed assessment and strong partnerships with families and professionals. They remove barriers swiftly through thoughtful adaptations and reasonable adjustments, such as redesigning room layouts for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff embed Makaton and British Sign Language across the setting and implement rigorous risk assessments so all children fully access routines and experiences.

Staff monitor progress closely using tracking tools and regular reviews. As a result, children make significant gains through targeted strategies agreed with parents and other agencies, ensuring development remains on track for all children. Leaders ensure staff training is purposeful and responsive, including training on autism and supporting children with hearing impairments. Staff work collaboratively with families and a wide range of external agencies to shape consistent, joined-up support. Therefore, children receive timely, impactful support that enables them to feel safe, included and confident. They engage fully in learning and make remarkable progress from their starting points.

Leaders use early years pupil premium and disability access funding effectively. They purchase targeted resources linked to children's interests, which results in improved engagement, sustained attention and accelerated progress for disadvantaged and vulnerable children, including those known to children's social care.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Practitioners demonstrate a confident understanding of the ambitious curriculum. Leaders take decisive action to secure continuous improvement across teaching and curriculum implementation. During ongoing refurbishment, they have prioritised stabilising curriculum delivery so children's learning remains consistent and uninterrupted. Staff work closely with other agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to embed the curriculum robustly. Staff reflect on practice and adapt provision as numbers and needs change, which ensures excellent coherence and progression for all children.

The curriculum is well sequenced. It builds clear progression from babies to pre-school and prepares children well for their next stage of learning. Practitioners use children's interests purposefully to deepen children's knowledge. For example, they extend an interest in insects into scientific exploration, storytelling and home-learning activities, which sustains children's engagement and strengthens understanding.

Practitioners consistently prioritise communication and language. They model rich vocabulary through stories, songs, rhymes and high-quality interactions. This practice is supported by approaches such as Makaton and British Sign Language. Mathematical learning is embedded naturally through routines and play, including counting, measuring and problem-solving, helping children apply skills meaningfully.

Staff place emphasis on physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children develop independence and confidence through daily routines, outdoor learning and forest school experiences. Practitioners know children exceedingly well and adapt teaching effectively for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Regular assessment and close partnership with parents ensure teaching builds precisely on children's starting points, enabling all children to feel included and safe and to make sustained progress.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children achieve remarkably well from their individual starting points. From babies through to pre-school, children make sustained progress. Children's development in communication and language is rapid. Babies and toddlers confidently use emerging vocabulary and gestures to express needs. Older children demonstrate increasingly complex language, confidently initiating conversations, explaining ideas and recalling experiences. For example, children discuss bird species and habitats during Royal Society for the Protection of Birds activities.

Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing barriers to learning or wellbeing achieve particularly well. For example, children who join the setting non-verbal and unsettled now communicate confidently using simple sentences, engage for sustained periods and demonstrate secure emotional attachments.

Children's physical, personal, social and emotional development is a notable strength. Children are calm, confident and highly engaged, showing resilience, independence and positive behaviour. They resolve conflicts independently and show kindness and respect towards others. Children confidently articulate their thoughts and worries. They practise dressing independently. As a result, children are well prepared for transitions to school and their next stages of learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Staff have created a calm, inclusive and highly positive environment where expectations for behaviour are clear, consistent and well understood. Staff model kindness, respect and clear boundaries, helping children feel safe, secure and confident. As a result, children behave very well, show high levels of engagement and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning from an early age. Nurturing relationships between practitioners and children underpin behaviour and emotional security. Staff know children extremely well and respond sensitively to individual needs, particularly for babies, new starters and those with additional needs. Children form wonderfully secure attachments and seek support confidently. For example, children benefit from visual cues, enabling them to regulate emotions and engage fully alongside peers.

Children learn to collaborate, share and resolve minor conflicts independently. Practitioners promote turn-taking, empathy and respect through group activities, storytelling and everyday interactions. Children show patience and kindness, adapt play to include others and sustain cooperative play, creating a harmonious learning environment.

Staff prioritise routines that build independence, resilience and school readiness. Children manage self-care tasks, serve themselves at mealtimes and move calmly between activities because routines are consistent and purposeful. Staff work closely with families to support behaviour, punctuality and attendance, particularly for disadvantaged children. Daily communication ensures high levels of consistency between home and the setting, leading to robust engagement.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Staff ensure highly effective care practices consistently meet children's individual needs. Practitioners know children exceedingly well and tailor routines, support strategies and experiences to reflect children's ages, development and personal circumstances. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely, targeted support. As a result, children feel emotionally secure, settle quickly and engage fully in learning alongside their peers.

Secure and responsive relationships are a significant strength. Key persons form wonderful attachments with babies and young children, responding sensitively to cues and offering reassurance and encouragement. For example, babies' individual sleep, feeding and weaning routines are followed precisely in partnership with parents. This continuity of care means children feel safe and settled. Consequently, children confidently explore their environment and seek support when needed.

Practitioners actively promote children's physical health, safety and wellbeing. Children benefit from nutritious meals, discussions about healthy choices and daily opportunities for active play indoors, outdoors and through forest school experiences. Staff teach children how to manage risks safely, such as climbing, which builds solid levels of confidence, coordination and resilience.

Emotional wellbeing is prioritised consistently. Practitioners model language for feelings, support conflict resolution and use visual supports, Makaton and adapted communication where needed. As a result, children recognise and manage emotions, show empathy towards others and demonstrate calm, positive behaviour.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders provide highly effective leadership and governance, placing children's learning, welfare and wellbeing at the centre of all decisions. They understand the setting's strengths and priorities, taking decisive action to improve provision, including managing ongoing refurbishment with minimal disruption. Continuity in routines, care and teaching ensures children remain safe, settled and emotionally secure.

Leaders prioritise the needs of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those facing barriers to learning. They provide specialist training, professional guidance and reasonable adjustments. This enables staff to meet individual needs and provide targeted support for children, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, hearing impairment or speech delay.

Staff benefit from purposeful professional development, including SEND, safeguarding and British Sign Language training, which they apply effectively to significantly improve children's communication, safety and inclusion. Leaders manage staff workloads and wellbeing thoughtfully, supporting staff through supervision meetings, clear communication and practical strategies. This sustains consistent high-quality care and education.

Leaders' partnership working with parents, health professionals and local agencies strengthens provision and supports transitions. Reflective practice ensures environmental improvements and resource planning meet children's evolving needs. For example, leaders have rearranged room layouts to ensure safe eating practices. As a result, children receive inclusive, highly impactful education and care that promotes excellent progress, confidence and wellbeing.