Woven Nursery

Inclusion: Needs attention

Staff and leaders are aware of children's individual needs, including those who speak English as an additional language, children with behaviour needs or those who have gaps in their development. However, some children who need extra support wander around. They do not always receive regular interactions from staff to help include them or support their learning. Staff use observation and assessment to help identify children's individual learning needs. They provide some strategies to help children who need extra support, such as a visual 'now and next' board for toddlers. However, the use of some strategies is not always consistent. Staff identify plans for putting in place more support, such as visual communication pictures in the pre-school room.

Most of the staff have recently been trained in the graduated approach. Staff understand their roles in identifying any gaps in children's development and progress. They know to share any concerns and gain advice from senior staff who have more experience or specialist training. Steps are being taken to seek support and guidance from outside professionals to help support children's individual needs. Although there are some weaknesses in the provision for children with additional needs, leaders have identified how they use additional funding to support their needs. For example, children take part in activities that help them to develop their vocabulary. This helps to close some gaps in children's development.

Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention

Overall, staff have an appropriate understanding of the curriculum, although this is not yet fully secure. They typically know their key children's individual learning needs and what support they need. However, staff do not provide consistent teaching and interactions to support all children's learning. Staff are beginning to implement strategies to support children with barriers to their learning. However, these are not yet embedded fully, such as the use of visual communication cards and timetables.

Some improvements to teaching are being made. For example, new staff in the pre-school are starting to establish routines and expectations for children. However, not all children benefit from consistent learning experiences, particularly in the baby room. Some children wander around and do not become engaged in activities. Sometimes they only have brief occasional interactions from staff. Nevertheless, there are times when younger children enjoy activities, including singing songs and rhymes together. At these times, staff support children's developing speech and vocabulary development appropriately. Staff do not fully consider the younger children's physical development, such as early walking skills. There is some equipment where children can pull themselves up to stand. However, babies cannot always easily practise their developing walking skills.

There are some resources and activities that some children engage with. For example, younger children enjoy water play and pre-school children have fun outdoors. Staff working in the pre-school room generally support children's learning well. They encourage children's mathematical knowledge, such as their recognition of numbers and quantities using Montessori resources. Staff encourage pre-school children's listening skills, such as when reading a story. Some children offer their thoughts, which helps them to express their understanding.

Achievement: Needs attention

Some children make appropriate progress and move forward from their starting points. However, not all children, particularly those with barriers to their learning, make the progress they are capable of. Children's needs are known by staff. However, children do not always receive the support they need. The learning environment for babies and younger toddlers is not fully considered. The placement of furniture does not encourage babies' early walking skills. The large open space does not consider younger children's emotional wellbeing fully, particularly for some new children who are unsettled.

Children do not always experience a consistently ambitious curriculum to ensure they gain secure skills and knowledge for their future learning. For example, pre-school children develop some independence, such as learning to manage their coats. However, they are not encouraged to put these away, and staff complete tasks for children that they may be able to do themselves. Nevertheless, babies, toddlers and pre-school children benefit from some activities that support their development. They enjoy books being read to them and singing songs and rhymes. This helps to support their communication and language skills.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Needs attention

Sometimes staff do not manage routines well. For example, younger children sit without meaningful interactions or activities for some time while waiting for lunch. Staff working in the pre-school room generally manage routines suitably. They gain the children's attention and provide clear simple instructions to them along with actions. This helps children to gain awareness of what they need to do, and some follow these recently introduced routines well. There are times when some children wander about and are not engaged consistently in play or activities.

Leaders encourage parents to support children's regular attendance and explain why this is important. Children who are used to attending settle well and are at ease in staff's care. Some new children are beginning to form positive attachments to their key person. Leaders do not fully consider the organisation of new children starting. As a result, there are sometimes a number of unsettled children together. Older children form friendships and enjoy play at activities together. Staff provide activities for pre-school-age children that support them to take turns and share.

Staff are aware of how to manage children's behaviour. They promote the 'golden rules', such as guiding younger children to use 'kind hands'. This helps to develop children's understanding of the behaviour expectations. Staff work with parents regarding children's behaviour needs and encourage a consistent approach between nursery and home. This promotes continuity in the approach to children's behaviour. Staff praise children for their achievements, which supports their confidence and self-esteem appropriately.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Needs attention

Staff are kind and well-meaning. They take steps to support children who are unsettled, such as by giving babies cuddles. However, at times, the baby room does not offer a calm environment. For example, staff sometimes play music loudly while there are upset crying children. This raises the noise levels further and does not promote children's sense of security and wellbeing. In addition, leaders have not considered how the space is organised for the youngest children. Although some areas are defined with mats and furniture, the space for the youngest children is large and open. This does not help all children to feel fully at ease. Nevertheless, staff follow the youngest children's own routines, such as for sleep times or bottle feeds. They know the children's individual comforters and ensure these are available to them.

Pre-school children enjoy listening to stories that help them to explore and start to become aware of their emotions. They begin to recognise potential risks, such as the wet tyres in the garden, and understand that they may slip on these.

Staff follow good hygiene routines. For instance, they wear protective gloves and aprons when changing nappies or serving food for children. Staff change children's nappies regularly, and these are monitored to ensure all children are regularly changed. Children wash their hands, including before they eat. They benefit from healthy meals. Children's dietary needs are known and understood by staff, who follow clear procedures in relation to these. Some staff support older children's awareness of how food supports their good health.

Leadership and governance: Needs attention

The provider has experienced staff turnover since registration. Recently, new staff have joined the staff team. Some new staff are well qualified and have relevant experience, particularly regarding supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders demonstrate awareness of the main strengths of the provision and practice along with areas to improve. They have very recently created an action plan to help improve the quality of care and education for children. Leaders work with other agencies when required to support children's and families' needs.

The provider's recruitment processes are generally suitably robust. They have identified, and are in the process of addressing, a gap in recruitment processes for overseas checks. They have implemented a risk assessment, which means any staff who have not completed all relevant suitability checks do not have unsupervised contact with children.

Staff typically feel supported in their well-being and workloads. They confirm that they have supervision meetings and complete training online and in-house. Some of the training is helping staff to start to reflect on children's individual needs more, such as recognising when there are gaps in development. However, not all staff have sufficient understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Sometimes, the provider does not fully identify where to target support for staff. This means that at times children's care and learning needs are not met as well as possible.