Woodward Nursery

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a highly inclusive culture where all children feel a nurturing sense of belonging and make strong, sustained progress from their starting points. Staff identify children's individual needs swiftly through ongoing observation, robust assessment and close partnership with families. As a result, emerging needs, including special educational needs and/or disabilities and communication delay, are acted on early.

Staff reduce barriers to learning through well-planned adaptations and targeted support. Children access the same experiences as their peers, with staff implementing strategies such as repetition, modelling, visual communication cues and a consistent key-person approach to support understanding and participation. Staff ensure coordinated input from external professionals, alongside consistent routines and structured support, enabling children to develop confidence, communication and engagement.

Progress is monitored regularly through ongoing assessment and shared review with parents and professionals. Leaders evaluate impact carefully and demonstrate a clear understanding of how additional funding would be used to further support children's needs. Staff benefit from ongoing guidance and demonstrate confidence in meeting children's needs, resulting in an inclusive environment where all children are supported to participate and make strong progress.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders plan the curriculum to build on what children already know and can do, with activities supporting their ongoing development. Teaching is typically effective. Staff use their knowledge of each child to ensure learning is meaningful and engaging. They adapt the provision to meet individual needs, reflecting children's developmental stages and how they learn best. This supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make progress from their starting points.

Leaders and staff promote children's communication and language through regular stories, songs and play. Staff use simple language, repetition and modelling to support understanding. During story sessions, staff use props, gestures and expressive interactions to engage children and help them begin to connect words with meaning. Children respond through sounds, actions and increasing participation, showing developing confidence in communication.

Leaders ensure that mathematical language is woven into everyday play and interactions, encouraging children to explore quantity and early mathematical concepts. Children join in with counting and hear mathematical language during activities, supporting their understanding of number and quantity.

Leaders ensure that children access outdoor spaces where they move freely and explore a range of equipment, supporting their physical development. Children also take part in activities such as play dough, where they squeeze, roll and shape materials, helping to strengthen the small muscles in their hands. Staff encourage children to take turns and play alongside others, supporting early social development.

Overall, teaching supports children to remain engaged and develop key skills across areas of learning.

Achievement: Expected standard

All children make progress in developing skills that prepare them for the next stage of their learning. Babies and young children build their gross motor skills as they move and explore freely indoors and outdoors, gaining strength and coordination through everyday play.

Children also develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they take part in a range of play experiences that support their developing control.

Children remain engaged and focused during activities. They benefit from the attentive support of staff and a range of purposeful and well-planned experiences. This fosters children's curiosity and helps them develop a positive attitude towards learning. Children develop their language and communication skills through joining in with stories and songs and engaging in back-and-forth interactions with staff.

Through careful adaptations to the provision, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive support to access the same opportunities and encouragement to achieve their full potential.

Overall, children begin to develop independence skills and learn to manage aspects of their self-care. However, the organisation of some care routines, including mealtimes, does not consistently support calm interactions or provide children with enough opportunities to develop early independence skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Children form positive attachments with staff, which supports their personal, social and emotional development and sense of belonging. Leaders and staff provide a welcoming environment, and children are generally settled. Daily routines are established, and children respond to staff's guidance, beginning to understand expectations and what happens next.

Children's behaviour is generally positive. They learn to share, take turns and play alongside others. Leaders support staff to use simple language, reassurance and consistent approaches to help children feel secure and support their understanding of expectations. Staff adapt their approach for children who may need additional support to understand routines and expectations. Leaders monitor children's attendance and work with families to address any barriers, supporting children's regular attendance and engagement.

Leaders support staff to use consistent routines, reminders and preparation for transitions to help children understand what is happening next and begin to follow the flow of the day.

However, the organisation of shared spaces and parts of the day does not consistently promote a calm and orderly environment. For example, movement between rooms during key times interrupts children's focus and leads to distraction. As a result, children are not consistently able to remain settled or sustain their engagement.

Overall, children behave positively and are developing an understanding of expectations, although the organisation of the day does not yet consistently support sustained engagement.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a warm and welcoming environment where children feel safe and secure. As a result, children are happy and settled. Staff show care and kindness, taking time to build positive relationships with children. This supports children to develop a strong sense of belonging.

Leaders ensure that staff support children's health and wellbeing through established care routines. They follow appropriate procedures for nappy changing, sleep and supervision, helping to keep children safe. Staff have a secure understanding of safe sleeping practice and carry out regular checks on sleeping children. Staff adapt care practices and routines to support children with additional needs and those who may face barriers to their learning, helping all children feel safe, included and well supported.

Children are provided with healthy and nutritious meals. Staff support children during mealtimes and ensure food is prepared in line with children's individual needs. Children are supported to wash their hands before eating, helping them to develop an understanding of hygiene routines. Staff also promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, children are introduced to oral health through stories and discussions, helping them to become familiar with tooth brushing routines.

However, opportunities to promote children's independence are not yet consistently embedded within daily care routines. For example, during mealtimes, staff often complete tasks for children rather than supporting them to begin to try for themselves. As a result, children do not consistently have opportunities to develop early self-care skills.

Overall, children's care and wellbeing needs are met within a safe and nurturing environment, although opportunities to further promote independence are not yet fully embedded.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of many of the setting's strengths and areas for development. However, they have not yet fully identified how the organisation of daily routines impacts on children's ability to remain consistently settled and engaged throughout the day.

Leaders place an emphasis on ensuring that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive support to make progress from their starting points. They develop effective partnerships with parents and take a collaborative approach. Parents comment that they receive regular feedback and value the guidance shared to support their children's learning at home, which helps promote continuity in children's development.

Staff report that they feel supported by leaders, who prioritise their wellbeing. Leaders know staff's strengths and provide guidance to help them develop their practice. They identify training needs and support staff to improve their knowledge and skills. Leaders encourage open communication and reflection, which helps staff consider how their interactions and organisation of the day impact on children's experiences.

Leaders are reflective and demonstrate a commitment to improving the quality of the provision. However, systems to evaluate the organisation of routines and shared spaces are not yet fully effective in consistently promoting calm and well-managed parts of the day for children.