The Enchanted Rose Garden Nursery and Pre-School

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders have a secure knowledge and commitment to their roles. They work together with practitioners to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and adapt their provision to meet their needs. The nursery works with other professionals, including the local authority and parents and carers, to implement support and advice. Families share that they are invited to regular meetings, where they receive detailed feedback, to help work collaboratively to meet their child's needs.

Practitioners understand their roles in supporting children with SEND. They access training relating to communication needs, such as Makaton, and specialised training in relation to autism within females, to further develop their knowledge to support children's development.

Practitioners use additional funding to create sensory spaces for children to help regulate their emotions. They also identify key times in the routine and provide children with the extra support they need to fully access the nursery routines. This means that children's needs are met and they make progress while attending the nursery.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear vision for children to be happy and enjoy their learning through their sequenced curriculum. The nursery has a emphasis on literacy and building children's enjoyment in stories, which build into all parts of the day. For example, practitioners and children act out well-known stories in the garden, while using key phrases.

Children enjoy a range of activities indoors and outdoors which encourage them to develop their physical skills while they play together and care for others. For example, children in the toddler room put plasters and bandages on baby dolls, pretending they are hurt. In the younger rooms, children take part in stretching activities and accessing the garden where they explore the natural environment.

Children develop their communication skills from a young age. For example, children aged under 2 years ask for help to tidy up and older children recognise the initials of their name through signs and sounds. Practitioners support children's early mathematical skills by sequencing their curriculum. Children in the baby rooms are exposed to number through songs, stories and simple number. Practitioners give older children simple mathematical problems to solve when playing in the mud kitchen and sharing sticks.

Achievement: Expected standard

At this nursery, children make expected progress as they grow through the nursery. Children in the youngest rooms learn to build attachments with key people. This supports them as they get older to be confident to express their own ideas and wants. For example, children in the younger rooms find practitioners for comfort when unfamiliar visitors enter the room. Older children express their thoughts, showing their confidence.

Children in the older rooms are getting ready for their next stage of learning. For example, children ask for what they would like at mealtimes and recognise the initials of their name through print. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from practitioners working alongside professionals and parents and carers to put in support plans to help them to reach their potential. As a result, children understand instructions, routines and express their wishes.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and practitioners teach children how to treat others with kindness and care. Children share resources and help each other while playing. Older children involve younger children in their play. They encourage them to join in during a hunt around the garden and help them while climbing over resources.

Practitioners are positive role models for children's behaviour. They support children throughout the day with positive praise and encouragement. Practitioners recognise when children are not themselves and act to support them to settle comfortably.

Leaders recognise children's attendance and work with parents to support their learning and punctuality. As a result of high levels of attendance, children show warm and trusting relationships with practitioners in all rooms. Practitioners know children well and support them to be confident. They use this knowledge, along with their ongoing assessments, to build on what children already know and can do to move their learning forward. For example, they plan an activity with mirrors to help children to begin to recognise themselves.

Practitioners teach children tools to help regulate their emotions. They invite younger children to be part of mindfulness activities and in the toddler room, children sit and name their emotions as part of a group time. This supports children to focus their attention and understand their feelings.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders create a safe and warm welcoming space at the nursery. This helps parents and carers to feel part of a community. Children are happy to play, learn and build social relationships indoors and outdoors. Children learn to understand hygiene routines from a young age. Practitioners explain to younger children that soap removes germs. They teach older children the correct handwashing techniques through modelling. Children learn to care for themselves through daily routines and to care for others, such as by taking care of their nursery's pet tortoise. This allows children to build empathy, compassion and a sense of responsibility.

Practitioners know children well. They focus on building secure relationships with children; they are familiar to children's needs. For example, practitioners use photos from home for children to settle or read their favourite storybook.

During mealtimes, there are periods where practitioners do not encourage children to build on their social skills. For example, practitioners do not consistently encourage children to use their manners or position themselves to enable more conversations. This does not support children to continue to build on their social skills.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders show a clear vision of what they would like children to learn and do. The nominated individual shows a distinct passion for literacy, which reflects and filters into all aspects of the nursery. For example, all children access stories throughout the day and ask practitioners to read to them from the youngest ages.

Leaders understand the setting and their families. Parents and carers share that leaders are open and easy to talk to. They are confident they will receive support or have their questions answered. Leaders are supportive to practitioners and are thoughtful to their wellbeing. Practitioners report they feel valued and supported during with an open-door policy and extra time out to complete their qualifications.

Leaders identify areas of development for the nursery, such as a gap in training for the team. They have implemented training days and an online platform for practitioners to receive relevant training to the age groups they work with. Leaders implement supervision sessions and peer observations to help to develop practitioners' practice and knowledge. Although, at times, the feedback is not always detailed enough to ensure that practitioners know how to continually develop their current practice and skills.