Voyage @ Flash Ley

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have embedded an inclusive culture across the setting. They are highly knowledgeable and build secure relationships with families. Staff identify children's needs swiftly and work consistently to remove barriers, ensuring children and families receive the support they need.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those facing other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing, receive exceptional support. Close partnerships with parents, the on-site school and professionals, such as speech and language therapists, enable children to access personalised provision. Staff make thoughtful adjustments, offer quiet spaces, deliver targeted language interventions and provide fine motor activities. Timely referrals and staff training on the graduated approach further ensure children's needs are met.

Leaders and staff carefully consider how to use additional funding to benefit each child. For example, they provide enhanced 'wow experiences', such as visits from the animal man and opportunities to watch chicks hatch. Children also visit the school library and explore the local community, helping them broaden their knowledge beyond their everyday environment.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across all 7 areas of learning. Staff understand this curriculum and use children's interests and information from parents to plan effectively. Through ongoing observation, staff identify next steps for learning and development. The children benefit from a tailored approach that supports their age and stage of development.

Communication and language are a key focus. Staff model language, comment as children play and introduce new vocabulary, such as squeeze, splat and stretch during play dough activities. They also introduce concepts like 'under' and 'behind'. However, staff do not always extend children's ideas through, for example, open-ended questions to support their understanding even further.

Children are developing a love of books. They independently select books and engage in story time. Babies and younger children enjoy singing songs and rhymes. For example, 'Round and Round the Garden' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and joining in with smiles and actions. This contributes to children's developing communication and language skills.

Leaders and staff prioritise children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are supported to manage their feelings, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are developing strength and coordination through mark making with chalk and paint, crawling through tunnels, climbing slides and enjoying outdoor play. Building towers with bricks and using balance bikes help children develop balance and physical confidence.

Achievement: Expected standard

Generally, all children are developing age-appropriate knowledge and skills across all 7 areas of learning and development. Children have learned new vocabulary, such as full and empty. Babies babble with enjoyment, and toddlers use new words in their play. Children enjoy stories, songs and rhymes, and talk about pictures in books. As a result, all children are becoming confident communicators.

All children typically demonstrate a readiness for their next stage of learning and development. Babies and children show curiosity, confidence and increasing independence. They follow routines, work well with their friends and manage tasks, such as toileting, handwashing and feeding themselves. However, staff do not always focus their teaching and interactions consistently enough to help babies and children make even more progress in their learning and development.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Leaders and staff have created a calm, harmonious environment with clear and consistent expectations for behaviour. Routines are well embedded, and staff model kindness with a gentle, calm approach. They encourage children to try new things. For example, offering support and praise as children use balance bikes. This helps children feel proud and eager to learn. Babies and children enjoy playing with friends, sharing, taking turns and helping to tidy up. Staff manage behaviour sensitively and understand each child's individual needs extremely well. Consistent strategies across the setting help children manage their feelings, make positive choices and learn how to get along with others.

Children benefit from nurturing and trusting relationships with their key persons. They feel motivated and excited to learn as staff provide frequent praise. Babies and children seek cuddles and reassurance, which strengthen their emotional wellbeing and security.

Attendance is rigorously monitored. Leaders promote punctuality and regular attendance to help families establish excellent habits that support children's learning.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders and staff consistently prioritise children's welfare and wellbeing. They have a sharp focus on strengthening policies, procedures and practice. Staff fully understand children's individual needs. This includes those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged children and those children facing other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

Care practices are respectful, consistent and well embedded. Sleeping, feeding and toileting practices are adapted to meet all children's needs. Secure, responsive relationships support children's emotional wellbeing. Children are encouraged to develop independence through, for example, handwashing, accessing drinking water and wiping their own noses.

Mealtimes are enriching social experiences. Children form warm friendships and babies and older children are supervised extremely well. Babies are encouraged to feed themselves, while older children independently serve their own fruit and drinks. Children enjoy healthy, nutritious snacks and meals, such as oranges, bananas and cheese and potato pie with peas. They comment on flavours, saying the orange tastes sour and link their learning to familiar stories, like 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'.

Staff promote physical development effectively. Children enjoy fresh air outdoors and learn about the importance of being active. Babies and children are supported to recognise and express their emotions, while older children talk about their feelings and use stories to help them understand and manage them.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Since the last inspection, leaders and those responsible for governance have taken clear steps to drive significant improvement. They are passionate and committed to giving all children, including disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those facing other barriers, the best start to their education. Collaboration with the on-site school has contributed to improving practice.

Leaders have an understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. Typically, they use ongoing evaluation and feedback to improve practice. When concerns about children's learning arise, leaders act quickly. They work closely with staff, other professionals and external agencies to ensure children receive the right support. Staff feel supported by leaders. Regular supervision helps staff to reflect on their practice and identify any further support needed. While leaders have identified and planned for professional development, it has not yet had a maximum impact on staff practice.

Communication with parents is effective. Parents value the support offered and the progress their children have made, in particular with speech and language. They also appreciate the personalised settling-in routines that help children adjust quickly.

Transitions to and from the nursery are well managed. Leaders and staff share information effectively, work closely with the school nursery and welcome visits from teachers to ensure continuity of care. This helps to prepare children for their next stage of education.