Unity Stars

Inclusion: Needs attention

Staff have assessment processes in place, and they typically share children's progress well with parents. However, leaders are not monitoring staff's assessments robustly enough, to ensure that staff are consistently and accurately identifying potential gaps in children's learning and development. This can lead to delays in accessing vital support for those children needing it.

Strategies such as visual 'now and next' boards suggested by external professionals to reduce anxiety at times of transition, are not used effectively. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or those who face other barriers to their learning are not prepared well enough for changes in routines. As a result, children with SEND, or those who face other barriers to their learning, find it difficult to complete necessary tasks, such as washing their hands before eating. This can lead to frustration and overwhelms them, which can negatively affect their wellbeing and hinder their overall learning and development.

Leaders provide bespoke settling-in processes and gather information from parents to help assess children's needs before coming into the setting. Children with any medical needs or allergies are identified before children start. This means effective and appropriate care plans and procedures are put in place to meet the needs of individual children. This can help reduce the amount of time children are absent as their health needs are consistently met.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Staff use repetition of key words to support the early language development of babies and young children. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and staff's interactions throughout the nursery. Structured, group-story time for older children is poorly planned. For example, some children who face barriers to learning, such as speaking English as an additional language, are positioned to sit at the back of the group. This affects their opportunity to build confidence and ability to practise speaking in front of others and engage with peers.

Staff undertake regular assessments to check the progress children are making. They can explain children's next steps in learning and activities suitable to support these. However, at times, there is a lack of structured learning opportunities that match individual children's developmental needs. This means children's learning is often by chance.

Children enjoy a mixture of indoor and outdoor learning. All children make plenty of progress in their physical development. Toddlers love climbing over the indoor playground equipment. They are strengthening their core, legs and arm muscles necessary for walking, running and playing.

Staff model mathematical language well. Children's confidence in and use of mathematical vocabulary is evident. Children often use words such as 'more' and 'big and small' in their play.

Achievement: Needs attention

There are inconsistencies in the frequency of high-quality interactions between adults and children, to ensure that all children achieve their best outcomes across the 7 areas of learning. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or those who face other barriers to their learning are not provided with the right level of support swiftly enough. This means children are not always achieving the most amount of progress they are capable of in their communication and language. Children do, however, enjoy learning key words from a range of languages spoken by the children who attend the setting.

Children are generally learning the independence skills needed for their future learning and progression to their next stage of education. Children partake in daily routines with confidence, such as washing hands before eating. However, focused support is not always provided to ensure all children, including those with SEND or those who face other barriers to their learning, are becoming increasingly independent in achieving age-appropriate tasks.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Overall, leaders set appropriate expectations for children's behaviour and, typically, staff understand behaviour policies and procedures to follow at the nursery. However, leaders are not monitoring staff's practice diligently enough to ensure staff are implementing these appropriately and consistently well. For example, when children who find it difficult to regulate their behaviour stand on furniture, inconsistencies in staff's response to this undesirable behaviour sends mixed messages to children. Consequently, children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning, are not supported effectively enough to learn acceptable behaviours that ensure their wellbeing.

Staff work in partnership with parents. They gather in-depth information before children start, such as children's daily, sleeping and weaning routines. Familiar routines from home are created to ensure children make happy and seamless transitions to nursery. This immediately raises attendance levels as bespoke settling-in procedures meet the individual needs of children.

Staff are aware of improvements needed to help children establish daily routines more efficiently. Staff have established 'golden rules' to help children understand behaviours expected of them when attending nursery, such as 'walking feet' when visiting the bathroom to wash their hands before mealtimes. These have only recently been introduced, which means it is too soon to determine the impact of this work.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

On occasion, staff are not always noticing and removing potential hazards posed to children swiftly enough. This is particularly apparent at times of transition. For example, when children prepare to move outdoors to play, there is a lack of embedded and well-structured routines. New or less-experienced staff are not monitored closely enough to ensure they are continually following the daily risk assessments in place, to maintain and promote children's welfare and wellbeing during these times.

Children enjoy healthy meals that are nutritionally balanced. Staff sit with children at mealtimes, assuring their safety. Toddlers learn to eat safely when staff offer them small, manageable bites of food to reduce the risk of choking.

Generally, the key-person system and tailored settling-in processes help babies and young children to form secure attachments with staff. Children initiate cuddles with staff and confidently ask them for help when required. This shows the trusting and caring attachments they make with them.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning do not always have the same opportunities to develop good hygiene routines. For example, staff do not use visual prompts successfully, such as 'now and next' boards, to help them understand and learn to carry out self-care routines independently.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

Leaders have a broad understanding of the setting's strengths and areas for improvement. For example, leaders have faced many difficulties with recruitment since opening the nursery. They undoubtedly appreciate this has had an impact on establishing staff in their roles and to understand their responsibilities securely. However, there is not sufficient supervision of staff and monitoring of staff practice so that leaders can identify areas for staff development. This limits staff's ability to reflect on their ongoing practice. Some staff do not know how to make further improvements to support all children's outcomes. For example, staff do not demonstrate a sound understanding of how communication aids, such as 'visual now and next boards' work. Staff not using these accurately hinders the progress children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or those who face other barriers to their learning make.

Leaders are reflective on staff wellbeing and take action to ensure that staff feel valued and workload is manageable. Leaders avoid creating unnecessary burdens and provide all staff with time out to complete any mandatory training or personal development tasks. Parents appreciate the support they receive from leaders. They find the advice they receive to prepare older children for school and younger children for toilet training and safer eating helpful.