Total Tots Ltd

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have very clear systems to identify children's needs early and respond with care. They gather meaningful information from families and use assessments, such as the progress check when children are aged between two and three years, a widely used speech and language toolkit and ongoing observations to build an accurate picture of each child's development. When children join with limited transition information, leaders work with parents and carers and other professionals to make sure that no child starts at a disadvantage.

Leaders and staff keep a close overview of children who may need extra help and review their progress regularly to check whether their approaches are working. Familiar routines and consistent language help children to feel secure and able to join in. When children need more focused support, leaders seek guidance from early years specialist teachers, speech and language therapists and other professionals. They make practical adjustments, such as offering quieter spaces, providing time with a familiar adult and adapting activities, so children can take part at their own pace. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular and targeted training on special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and the graduated approach, so they confidently assess, plan, do and review, support and understand their role in reducing barriers for children with SEND. Parents speak positively about this approach and say that staff share helpful strategies for home.

Leaders also maintain careful oversight of children who may require input from social care, ensuring that communication is clear and support remains steady. Furthermore, leaders and staff use additional funding thoughtfully. For example, they provide extra sessions or extra-curricular trips. In addition, they ensure that part-time children access the full early years experience by keeping learning opportunities available across the week and inviting them to key events. As a result, children with SEND and those who are disadvantaged take part fully in nursery life and make confident and meaningful progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have a secure and well-informed view of what children should learn. They ensure that the curriculum is coherently sequenced. Staff use this structure well, planning experiences that build securely on what children already know, while introducing new ideas at the right time. They adapt all teaching very thoughtfully, so all children, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, can participate successfully. This means children's learning across all areas of development is highly purposeful, well balanced and very closely matched to children's needs.

High-quality interactions promote children's communication very effectively. Staff support children to recognise similarities and differences, such as when using mirrors to identify how they are different from their friends. When children talk about helicopters and aeroplanes, staff draw on these interests to prompt meaningful discussion about their own experiences, including recalling a plane journey. These sustained interactions broaden children's understanding of the world and deepen their vocabulary.

Staff prioritise mathematics consistently across the day. Staff help children to compare the lengths of familiar objects, name and compare shapes during construction and use positional language, such as 'under', 'behind' and 'on top'. In sand and water play, children explore capacity and measure. Children develop secure early mathematical concepts and apply them confidently in play.

Staff place a strong emphasis on children's physical, personal, social and emotional development. Children develop their small muscles as they handle tools, turn pages or use utensils. They build positive relationships through turn-taking, cooperation and respectful play. Consequently, children are very well prepared for their next stage in learning, including school.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children make secure and sustained progress from their starting points in development. They build their knowledge and skills they need with growing confidence and use what they already know to explore new ideas. Children show curiosity in their learning, stay focused during activities and show resilience when tasks become more demanding. Their communication develops very effectively as they express their thoughts clearly, use new vocabulary with purpose and respond thoughtfully in conversations.

Children who need additional help make similarly secure progress because barriers to their learning are reduced quickly. This enables them to achieve well over time. Children's personal and social development is also very effective. They form positive relationships, work well with others and manage new or challenging situations with assurance. Children take pride in what they achieve and show the readiness, confidence and curiosity needed for the next stage of their learning.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders establish a very calm and orderly environment, where expectations for their behaviour are clear and consistently reinforced. Children behave very well. They understand the routines of the day, follow instructions promptly and take pride in meeting shared expectations. Younger children confidently explain simple rules, such as using their 'walking feet' indoors. They show that they can follow these without reminders. Older children demonstrate considerate behaviour, for example, by offering encouragement and practical help as their friends navigate the outdoor obstacle course.

Furthermore, children collaborate very effectively. They take turns, share resources willingly and contribute positively to routines, such as preparing tables for lunch or organising equipment together. Movement around the setting is calm, and children transition very smoothly between activities. Relationships between staff and children are extremely warm and respectful. Children approach adults confidently, greet visitors with ease and show that they feel safe and valued.

Leaders promote the importance of punctuality and attendance. Staff monitor arrivals closely and follow up promptly when children have not arrived by the agreed time. They ensure that they understand attendance patterns and provide support to families where needed. Staff take full account of children's ages, stages and individual needs when helping them meet expectations. They offer reassurance, adjust routines and provide targeted guidance, so all children, including those needing extra support, can participate very successfully. Consequently, children display consistently positive attitudes, self-control and behaviours.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Children are cared for in a nurturing and welcoming environment, where staff know them well and adapt routines to meet their individual needs. Strong, secure and responsive relationships between staff and children are evident, particularly for babies, whose key persons provide consistent care, comfort and reassurance. Staff gather information during settling-in sessions, which helps them to mirror home routines for sleep, feeding and comfort. This ensures that babies feel safe and form secure attachments with familiar adults. Sleep arrangements follow safer-sleep guidance, with regular checks carried out. Furthermore, staff ensure that babies who do not sleep are supported in calm and low-stimulation activities, so they continue to feel settled and secure.

Staff support transitions sensitively. Key persons play a central role in helping children manage change, using their close knowledge of each child to respond promptly and appropriately to emotional cues. Parents and carers describe these as thorough, gradual and shaped around each child's needs. They value being involved at every stage and feel this helps their children move confidently between rooms and settle quickly into new routines. Children show growing assurance as they adjust to changes in their day.

Children develop positive attitudes towards healthy living through relaxed and sociable mealtimes. Toddlers help to lay tables, and older children serve themselves and pour drinks. These routines help children to build independence and awareness of healthy choices. However, hygiene routines for the youngest children are developing but not yet fully consistent. While staff model good practice, staff do not consistently support babies to take part in simple habits, such as handwashing after intimate care. This is particularly important where toys are frequently mouthed and resources may need more regular cleaning. Leaders are working to embed consistent routines so that babies continue to feel emotionally secure in their care and develop early healthy habits, and the risk of infection spread is reduced.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and the areas that require further development. They use supervision sessions, focused discussions and targeted professional development. For example, leaders provide support to strengthen practice in engaging boys to maintain consistent expectations and improve staff's skills. Staff's wellbeing is considered carefully. Leaders provide practical and emotional support during challenging times and make thoughtful adjustments to staff's workload. These actions help sustain a positive and stable team environment.

Leaders make decisions that prioritise children's needs, including those who are disadvantaged or require additional support. Partnerships with external agencies are effective and ensure that advice and interventions are timely and well coordinated. Leaders also use attendance information well to identify patterns and work with families where support is needed.

However, the provider did not notify Ofsted of a recent significant change within the required timescale, which is a breach of the statutory requirements. Although this oversight did not affect children's safety or daily experiences, leaders addressed it promptly and strengthened internal processes to ensure that all notifiable changes are recognised and reported without delay. Despite this administrative lapse, leadership remains effective, and the setting continues to meet the expected standard.