The Secret Garden Private Day Nursery (attenborough)

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders and staff generally understand their roles and responsibilities to offer tailored support to meet all children's emerging and changing needs. They use training they have received to help them to use their assessments of children's abilities and emerging needs promptly. For example, staff use specific communication and language assessments to ensure children are making expected progress. This enables them to know when to use the support and advice from outside agencies, such as speech and language therapists.

Staff work closely with parents to identify any barriers to learning when children first start and maintain an open dialogue, enabling them to address issues if they occur. They put effective support strategies in place to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress in their development. Leaders monitor and review the impact of support plans with staff and parents, to make the necessary adaptations that benefit children. Children who require additional help receive support from staff to engage them in their play and chosen activities. Leaders and staff work together to decide how best to use additional funding to target children's individual needs. For example, staff use their knowledge of children's interests to purchase additional resources to support children's transitions. This supports the children to settle in quickly and to play alongside and with others.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a broad and balanced curriculum, prioritising personal, social and emotional development, communication and language development and physical development. They offer a wide range of activities that reflect children's interests. This encourages children to explore and be curious about learning. Staff use their assessments of children's progress to identify appropriate next steps for children. They adapt their teaching and the strategies they use to provide tailored support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children typically benefit from meaningful experiences that promote their development and progress towards their next steps in learning. However, occasionally, some planned activities do not have a clear learning purpose. At these times, staff do not use their knowledge of what children need to learn next to ensure learning activities target specific skills and knowledge children need to develop. This impacts on the effectiveness of their teaching.

Staff support children's communication and language development as they model new vocabulary and narrate children's play. However, staff do not consistently provide children with opportunities to use new vocabulary they have heard. For example, staff model language in the water play, such as 'scoop' and 'pour', but do not provide time for children to repeat these words within their play.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children show positive attitudes to new learning and display resilience to keep trying. For example, they persevere as they try to get glue out of a pot so that they can stick flowers onto their picture. Generally, children access a curriculum that reflects their needs. They gain increasing independence in their self-care routines. For example, older toddlers feed themselves at lunchtime.

Children enjoy singing together and recall familiar rhymes. They are confident to make choices in group activities, such as what song to sing next. Babies become curious about, and show an interest in, other children. They babble and copy each other's play as they use their small muscles to hang bracelets on hooks.

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress and learn the skills and knowledge to support their future learning, including their move to the next room. For example, babies develop their mobility before moving to the toddler room.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children benefit from gradual and flexible settling-in sessions. Staff build relationships with each child and learn about their individual needs. They value the information parents and carers provide to help them learn about each child's likes and dislikes. Staff are sensitive and recognise the importance of giving children time to feel comfortable and secure. Children quickly feel settled and enjoy their time at the nursery. They form strong bonds with the warm and friendly staff team and smile as they see them. Leaders promote the importance of regular attendance, and as a result, children attend consistently, which supports their early education.

Staff are positive role models for children. They tailor their strategies and the support they provide to children so that it is age- and stage-appropriate. On the whole, children treat each other with respect and kindness, waiting their turn and sharing resources. Staff generally intervene to remind children about the behaviour that is expected at the setting. However, staff working with older toddlers sometimes allow children to become overexcited, and are less confident about reminding children about the impact of their behaviour on other children.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand the importance of positive and close relationships with babies and young children that support them to develop a sense of belonging and security. Staff have developed effective attachments to their key children. They demonstrate warm and approachable relationships through their interactions with children.

Care routines, such as nappy changes and sleep times, are sensitively managed and tailored to each child by their key person. Staff ask for consent before changing a child's nappy and are respectful of children's privacy and dignity.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from high expectations, and well-structured routines enable children to make choices for themselves. For example, staff encourage babies to explore the environment for themselves and choose what they would like to play with. Young toddlers are enabled to take risks in their play while staff provide support. For example, they confidently climb while staff are close at hand.

On the whole, children learn to recognise and express their feelings. Staff consistently talk to children about how they feel and use emotional language and stories to deepen understanding. For example, they read stories about different emotions and feelings to stimulate discussion with children.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate a clear commitment to providing high-quality education and care. Overall, they understand the setting's strengths and areas for improvement well, such as consistency in staff skills. Leaders value the staff team and provide training to understand their responsibilities and develop their skills. Generally, leaders provide effective support and coaching for staff for their professional development. For example, they work in the rooms alongside staff to model effective practice. Staff feel they are valued and supported in their work by leaders and comment on the high morale. They work supportively to help each other to ensure children are happy and secure. For example, staff effectively manage their lunch breaks so that children have a familiar adult when they go to sleep.

Leaders and staff work hard to develop secure partnerships with parents and share relevant information with other settings and professionals. Staff provide guidance to parents, ensuring that the nursery and home use consistent strategies to support children's learning and care needs. They adapt these strategies to ensure children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are happy, settled and well prepared for future learning.