The Wooden Horse At St. Hildas

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders promote a culture of inclusion in which every child's individuality is recognised, valued and nurtured. They have effective processes to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at an early stage, ensuring that children receive timely and well-planned support. Staff skilfully use a graduated approach to assess, plan, do and review support for children with additional needs. Individual plans are focused, clear and consistently implemented by skilled staff, enabling children to make secure and meaningful progress. Staff work closely with leaders and external agencies to access specialist expertise and funding, including occupational therapists, the local area SEND team and deaf advisers. As a result, support strategies are personalised and closely matched to each child's strengths and needs, contributing to provision that is tailored effectively to individual children.

Parents engage confidently as partners in their children's learning through purposeful communication with staff. They consistently praise the quality of support offered to both children and families. Leaders use additional funding strategically to reduce gaps in learning and improve outcomes for all children. Targeted one-to-one support is provided when required, and enriching experiences, such as community visits and visits from the fire service, broaden children's opportunities. In addition, leaders have invested additional funding in a nurture provision that offers children with SEND consistent, targeted interventions each day.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Leaders do not yet demonstrate a secure understanding of the quality of the curriculum or teaching. They do not consistently evaluate practice, and current systems do not ensure that all staff understand children's next steps in learning. This means teaching is not always adapted to build on what children already know and can do. Leaders have clear plans to strengthen staff's understanding of children's next steps. They are beginning to make strategic decisions to improve consistency and impact across the curriculum.

The curriculum is structured to provide broad and balanced learning opportunities that support children's overall development. Staff prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development and physical development as strong foundations for future learning. Children access daily outdoor play, where they run, climb and balance, developing confidence and coordination. The setting keeps rabbits, and children help to care for them. This supports responsibility and empathy. Staff support children's mathematical development through purposeful, everyday experiences. For example, children build towers with bricks and are encouraged to extend them by adding more blocks. Staff support children to identify numbers, count dots and match these to the number of bricks used, strengthening early number skills and understanding.

Staff use assessment to identify children's starting points and monitor progress over time. Parents contribute to this process, and next steps are shared to support learning at home. Staff adapt their teaching and learning experiences to meet the needs of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care. They use targeted strategies, reasonable adjustments and additional support to reduce barriers to learning and promote inclusion.

Achievement: Needs attention

Overall, children make steady progress from their starting points across the curriculum. However, staff do not always have a secure understanding of children's next steps in learning. This means interactions are not always closely matched to children's individual needs or stages of development. As a result, some children are not supported to move their learning forward, which limits their progress. Despite this, children show curiosity, confidence and independence as they explore ideas and solve problems. Communication and language development is strengthened through regular, focused interventions. For example, children name visual cues, practise new vocabulary and pronounce words accurately. Children enjoy frequent opportunities to share stories and sing songs. Consequently, many children communicate their ideas clearly and engage in meaningful conversations.

Disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to social care make secure progress from their starting points. Leaders work with parents and professionals to reduce barriers to children's learning. These children develop the skills they need for their next stage of learning and eventual move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Warm, nurturing relationships between staff and children help children understand and meet these expectations. Leaders have established a positive environment with clear expectations for behaviour. Staff apply behaviour-related expectations, which helps children feel secure and confident. Children are supported to share resources and resolve minor disagreements with staff guidance. Staff consider children's ages, stages of development and individual circumstances when supporting them to meet expectations. Where needed, reasonable adjustments are made for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children are provided with walking aids, and staff are supported to use hearing aid receivers to support children's communication. As a result, children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and increasing confidence in social situations.

Leaders promote a culture of kindness, care and respect across the setting. Children learn alongside their peers and develop friendships through established routines and experiences. Leaders emphasise the importance of punctuality and regular attendance, working closely with families to support consistent engagement. Clear routines help children feel secure and confident in daily activities. For example, they help to tidy away resources and line up to wash their hands before dinner. Staff reinforce positive behaviour through praise and modelling respectful interactions. This approach supports children to develop self-regulation, resilience and independence.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff create an environment in which children feel emotionally safe and secure. They know children and their families well. Staff adapt care and support to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing, ensuring that all children receive tailored support. Secure and responsive relationships are established through a key-person system. Babies and young children seek comfort from familiar adults and show strong attachments, which supports their emotional security.

Children are supported to develop an understanding of physical development, personal safety, health and wellbeing. Staff promote healthy choices through daily routines, discussions and role modelling. Children access daily outdoor play for fresh air and exercise. They learn about hygiene through regular handwashing and personal care routines. The setting's cook provides children with home-made healthy meals and snacks each day. Staff support children to recognise, express and manage their emotions through calm interactions and sensitive responses.

Sleeping, feeding and weaning routines are carefully adapted to meet children's individual needs. Staff work closely with parents to ensure continuity of care and respond to dietary requirements, allergies and preferences. As a result, children feel safe, settled and supported, enabling them to make positive progress in their development.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Overall, leaders are reflective and evaluate the provision. The recent introduction of room learning walks helps leaders identify strengths and areas for development. Staff complete self-reflections to review their practice. However, leaders recognise that staff support is not yet used effectively to drive improvement. Supervisions do not provide sufficiently targeted guidance or training. As a result, staff do not always have clear targets to improve their practice. Staff attend mandatory training, such as paediatric first aid, and some staff complete additional training in special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, professional development is not linked to improvements in teaching quality. Leaders plan to introduce whole-staff training days, and an online training platform has been introduced recently. However, these initiatives are not yet fully embedded in practice.

There have been significant changes in leadership, with new leaders recently taking responsibility for the setting. Since taking over, leaders have implemented improvements to strengthen provision. For instance, they have used additional funding to create a dedicated space for children with SEND. Leaders have also improved the setting environment for children.

Leaders make informed and timely decisions that place children's needs at the centre of practice. They prioritise inclusion and take purposeful action to reduce barriers to learning, particularly for disadvantaged children, those with SEND and those known to children's social care. For example, leaders work closely with parents and external professionals to secure targeted support that meets children's individual needs. Leaders also consider the impact of their decisions on staff capacity and wellbeing, recognising that stable and supported staff are essential to high-quality care and learning. Staff report that they feel valued, listened to and supported, which contributes to a positive and consistent learning environment for children.