Tudor House Day Nursery @ Langho

Inclusion: Expected standard

Children experience an inclusive and welcoming environment. Leaders and staff value and support their uniqueness and backgrounds. Staff take time to learn about the families they serve. Close and ongoing partnerships with parents and carers ensure that information is shared effectively. This helps parents to play an active and meaningful role in their children's learning journey. Parents praise the communication from staff. They state they feel reassured to have regular and pertinent updates about their children for each session they attend.

Staff who are responsible for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those facing barriers to learning are passionate about providing children with varied experiences. For example, they use early years pupil premium funding and disability allowance funding strategically, in order to enhance provision effectively to allow children to progress. Leaders' knowledge and understanding of how best to use external professional support is evident. This builds trust and a shared understanding with families.

Staff typically use observations and assessments well to monitor the progress children make and to identify any gaps in their learning. When gaps in learning are identified, key staff adapt the curriculum to suit individual needs. They share information with staff at other settings that children attend, or will attend, which helps to provide continuity in the approach to children's care and learning and supports children to make smooth transitions.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders design a broad and balanced curriculum that is responsive to children's interests and that promotes their independence. All staff generally understand this well. For example, children manage age-appropriate tasks independently, such as using knives to cut their meals. Staff typically use assessments of what each child already knows and can do to support their learning effectively. However, staff do not consistently extend children's learning. This means children do not make further progress where in-the-moment adaptations could be made to extend and challenge current understanding.

Staff's knowledge of children allows them to plan from an understanding of what children already know and can do. Staff use high-quality communication and language to expose children to a varied vocabulary. For example, in a small group, babies listen to 'squeeze', 'splash' and 'drip' during water play. Overall, teaching is effective and staff engage well with children. Staff create next steps in learning for children, and share these with parents and carers. This ensures children, including those facing barriers to learning, make steady progress.

Staff position themselves well to enable support for children and to engage them in play. They use small focus groups with their key children to maintain strength of interactions during their play. Staff ask thought-provoking questions to support children's knowledge and understanding. For example, while reading a story, staff ask children who they think the characters described might be. Children use the information and listen to sounds to make suggestions.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children, including those facing barriers to learning, show clear focus and positive attitudes to learning. They are polite and treat one another with respect and kindness. Children build close relationships with their peers and with staff. For example, they work together and share play dough to make pretend ice creams with cones and sprinkles. Children use their manners, confidently saying, 'more please' and 'ta' during snack. Children learn to share and take turns to build emotional resilience and empathy, with careful guidance from staff who have high expectations.

Children typically make steady progress and achieve well across all areas of learning. From the earliest stages, children benefit from a focus on personal, social and emotional development. This is reflected in well-established routines that support children's early independence. Children benefit from learning that builds on what they already know and can do. For example, children's physical development is well promoted. Older children build strength, coordination and confidence through a range of targeted indoor and outdoor activities. Babies receive encouragement with early walking and respond positively to staff's praise and encouragement.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Positive and nurturing relationships ensure children follow routines that are rooted in high expectations. Staff are positive role models. As a result, children behave well and have a clear sense of belonging. For instance, children warmly include new adults in their play. Children typically have positive attitudes to their learning and, with the ongoing support and expectations of staff, they show high levels of perseverance. Staff understand and consider children's uniqueness. In general, they make reasonable adaptations in order to maintain expectations of behaviour that reflect the children's ages and stages of development. Staff promptly deal with any disputes. The clear boundaries set by staff offer a fair and nurturing response which children are receptive to.

Children are independent in their sleep routines, which is fostered by secure relationships and careful monitoring by staff. For example, children find their own bed by looking at the photos, lay down and happily settle down to sleep.

Leaders have embedded a highly positive environment where children thrive and feel secure. Children are excited to attend, and leaders are proactive and quick to identify non-attendance. They act swiftly in collaboration with parents and carers to support them as needed. This proactive approach supports families and children, including those who face barriers to learning, to establish a solid foundation for regular attendance as they move on to school.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Staff promote hygiene routines. They encourage children to wash their hands and faces at mealtimes, in order to begin to manage aspects of self-care, supporting their independence. This creates a solid foundation of adopting healthy habits. Staff vigilantly ensure children's dietary requirements are closely followed, while ensuring a nutritional and balanced diet. Staff understand the importance of ensuring children are closely supervised to keep them safe. For example, staff sit with children while they eat and talk to them about their meal, with children discussing how milk makes their teeth strong. Staff in the baby room have secure knowledge and understanding of safe-sleeping guidance. They are confident with procedures to ensure children remain safe, such as placing babies on their backs and ensuring they are checked regularly. Staff typically adapt routines effectively, to meet children's individual needs and align them with home, which is acknowledged and praised by families.

Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. They build highly trusting relationships and regularly ask children how they are feeling. For instance, children who are upset promptly receive the support and care they need to recognise and manage their emotions. As a result, children are emotionally secure, confident and settled. Leaders and staff ensure that each child, including those facing barriers to their learning, feels safe, valued and supported, reinforcing children's deep sense of belonging.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders are committed to providing an inclusive and nurturing environment where children's care, learning and development is prioritised. Leaders demonstrate a reflective approach to continuous improvement. They evaluate the setting's practices and implement initiatives that support improvement through ongoing development. For example, leaders have exciting plans underway for developing the outdoor area to further support children's learning.

Leaders cultivate collaboration among staff, parents and carers and professionals within the wider team through open communication. Staff report that they feel well supported and valued by leaders. Professional development opportunities are focused on raising the quality of care and individual practice. Leaders acknowledge that continued efforts to support staff to deepen and extend opportunities for learning in the moment are needed, to ensure consistency of teaching. This, in turn, will positively impact outcomes for all children. Parents and carers hold the setting in high regard and feel well supported by leaders. Leaders have a clear approach to supporting children with barriers to their learning. For example, effective use of funding enables rich opportunities and experiences for children who most need it, and supports them to close gaps in their learning.

Leaders make positive links within the local area. They reach out to local schools to support transition for those children who are reaching the end of their journey with them, to ensure they have the best possible start to school. They take regular trips into the community, both walking and on the train, to visit the park, library and shops. Leaders show a willingness and commitment to improvement in their own practice to secure excellent outcomes for children in their care.