The Old School Children's Centre Ltd

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders recognise the different needs of children and families in their community and have high expectations for children's learning and development. They use individual inclusion funding to increase adult support and improve ratios because they understand how high-quality interactions benefit all children, particularly those who face barriers to their learning.

Leaders have introduced clear assessment processes that help staff deepen their understanding of typical development, particularly in younger children, and identify when a child is not making expected progress. As these processes embed further, staff will confidently act quickly to help children overcome barriers to learning.

Leaders also work closely with a wide range of professionals and organisations. They ensure staff access tailored training that strengthens their knowledge and expertise. For example, leaders recently secured a grant that enabled a speech and language therapist to deliver training designed specifically for the needs of the staff and children in the setting.

In consultation with parents and other professionals, leaders use early years pupil premium and disability access funding to provide resources that promote shared learning at home, ensuring children receive consistent support both in the setting and at home.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the curriculum's quality and have improved planning and assessment systems since the last inspection. These changes, although not yet fully embedded, have had a positive impact on children's learning, and staff say that planning next steps is now easier.

The curriculum is clearly sequenced and offers children opportunities to develop skills across all 7 areas of learning. For example, staff in the Butterfly Room noticed children's interest in dinosaurs and planned an activity where children made their own fossils using salt dough. This supports physical development through strengthening hand muscles and promotes social skills such as turn-taking.

There is a focus on developing children's communication and language. Staff adapt their language to meet the needs of different ages and stages, helping children make good progress in understanding and using vocabulary.

Children's physical development is prioritised through access to well-resourced indoor and outdoor areas, and by using the local environment to extend learning about the community and wider world.

Leaders and staff successfully adapt the curriculum for children who face barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. This ensures all children can play and learn alongside their peers.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They build their knowledge step by step, drawing on what they already understand to make sense of new learning. Children who speak English as an additional language also develop their skills well and show increasing confidence in expressing themselves. At times, children's learning does not develop as deeply or broadly as it could because they are still becoming familiar with newer routines and expectations.

Throughout the day, children generally follow well-established routines with confidence. They develop a sense of belonging and enjoy exploring their community, such as visiting local shops, local farmland and playing fields. As they participate in these experiences, children strengthen their motor skills, coordination and physical confidence.

Children communicate clearly and take part in meaningful conversations with staff and their friends. They learn to recognise and express their feelings, build friendships and work together successfully. Their enthusiasm for learning and willingness to take part in activities prepare them well for the next stages of their education.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders have created a warm and positive environment. Children demonstrate kindness and respect for others, showing the impact of the setting's focus on nurturing positive relationships and building self-confidence. Staff take every opportunity to praise children for both their effort and achievement; this helps children to be resilient and motivated to learn.

Expectations for behaviour are high, and staff model positive interactions and encourage turn-taking and cooperative play. They take opportunities as they arise during children's play to actively teach these skills. For example, in the Ladybird Room, staff help children to take turns and think about moving safely as they use the slide.

Children generally follow the routines of the setting, and transitions between activities are well managed and usually calm. However, a more consistent approach to signing and the use of visual prompts, such as timers, would further support children in understanding expectations and transitions.

Leaders give a high priority to monitoring children's attendance. This demonstrates how they value the importance of attendance and how attending regularly benefits each child's learning and development. They work closely with parents to understand individual contexts and put plans in place to overcome any barriers to accessing education. Leaders have clear procedures in place with all parents for informing them of a child's absence.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Relationships across the setting are warm and respectful. Leaders pride themselves on creating a home-from-home environment that nurtures and celebrates individuality and prioritises emotional and physical wellbeing.

Leaders have designed highly flexible and robust settling-in procedures tailored to individual needs. Settling-in sessions are carefully planned, meaning trusting relationships between staff, children and families develop swiftly.

Staff strengthen relationships through highly effective key-person systems. They know their key children well and respond quickly to changing needs. Leaders further enhance this approach by introducing 'key family' groups, ensuring children's emotional wellbeing remains a consistent priority and that care and learning are tailored to each child.

Staff place a clear and cheerful focus on helping children become independent from an early age. They work closely with parents, celebrating each small step children take as they learn new skills. For example, staff gently encourage babies to feed themselves, offering plenty of praise. The babies beam with pride as they try new things and enjoy discovering what they can do.

Leaders understand current nutritional guidance and recognise how a healthy diet strengthens children's learning and wellbeing. They work closely with parents to identify practical changes that improve the quality of children's diets. This has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the food children choose and enjoy eating at lunchtime and builds healthy habits for the future.

Leaders also actively promote good oral health and use daily routines to teach children how to keep themselves safe.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders know their staff, children and families well. They have a secure understanding of the setting's context and how it serves the local community. They have an accurate assessment of the setting's strengths and areas for development. Improvements made since the last inspection to strengthen the teaching and learning for younger children have been effective, although they are not yet fully embedded.

Leaders have robust systems in place for staff wellbeing and staff comment positively about working in the setting. They are actively encouraged to engage in professional development opportunities that link both to their interests and the needs of children.

Leaders have high expectations for all children, particularly those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. These children are often at the heart of decision-making, and this ensures they succeed and thrive alongside their peers. However, routines could be further strengthened by the consistent use of total communication strategies.

Communication with parents is effective. Leaders have implemented systems for sharing information, which ensures that children's learning and development are prioritised and celebrated in the setting and at home. Parents comment positively about the nursery, reflecting the successful partnerships that have been built between children, their families and the whole nursery team.