The Anchor SENDfriendly Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure in the warm and nurturing environment. They happily arrive and quickly settle into the routine of the day. Children develop strong and affectionate bonds with the caring staff. This supports their emotional well-being and gives them a secure foundation for learning. Staff have high expectations for all children as they access a well-designed curriculum. They provide an inclusive environment where children's unique backgrounds and abilities are valued.

Children learn to be resilient and show great determination, even when they face challenges. For example, children persevere as they learn to use new equipment to aid their walking skills. Staff gently and calmly encourage their efforts and provide ongoing feedback and praise throughout each session. They provide praise when children succeed, helping to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children's communication is encouraged, as they enjoy a rich and varied language environment. Signing, pictorial clues and the responsive staff team provide opportunities for children to interact effectively.

Behaviour is good, as all children are listened to and understood. Staff support them to interact purposefully, encouraging them to think about others as they share each other's space. As a result, children develop an awareness and understanding of their emotions.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The managers and staff team clearly explain what they want children to learn. The ambitious curriculum is underpinned by a focus on developing language, social and independence skills and is designed to meet children's individual needs. Children use visual cues, the Picture Exchange Communication System and verbal language to express their wants and needs. Children's interests and previous experiences are considered in order to support their learning. This helps staff plan to support children's interests as well as to provide targeted challenges and support for each child.
• Staff speak with parents, carers and other agencies and carefully observe children's abilities from their first day. This helps them to identify and build on what each child knows and can do. A range of activities engage children in discovery and learning. Children investigate and immerse themselves in play. For example, children eagerly take turns and practise blowing bubbles, and pop them with support from staff.
• Children's communication and language skills develop well. Staff explain to children what is happening around them, including when they are engaged in activities. For example, staff introduce new vocabulary to children, such as
• 'squash' as children press and roll play dough. They support children to recognise key objects of reference so they can understand changes in routines.
• Staff know children well and interact with them in a purposeful way. Staff join children in the 'immersive' room to explore different smells and visual scenes, and in the music room to explore sounds as they play different instruments. However, at times, staff do not consistently enhance children's learning as they join them at their chosen activities. For instance, at a water activity, staff provide clear commentary on what children are doing but do not extend this by challenging them to understand why some items sink to the bottom of the tray more quickly than others. Therefore, the most able children are not challenged as well as they can be to enhance their learning further.
• The nursery fosters good relationships with parents and carers, providing support through the process of an educational healthcare plan pathway and signposting them to specific organisations that can help provide support and parenting ideas. Parents speak very highly of the nursery and about how their children have become extremely confident and have made amazing progress.
• Staff work exceptionally well with other agencies involved in the lives of the children. Any changes for the children are well planned and delivered. This includes excellent information-sharing when children first start at the nursery and when they eventually move on to school.
• The management and staff team are committed to reflecting on and evaluating what they do. Thorough induction and ongoing mentoring is complemented by regular reviews and staff meetings. Staff confirm that they feel listened to and very much supported as part of their 'work family'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to extend children's learning as they join them at their chosen activity or interest, particularly those children who are most able to be challenged further.