Yellow Wellies

Inclusion: Strong standard

Leaders and staff create a deeply inclusive culture where every child is valued and understood as an individual. Staff know children exceptionally well and identify emerging needs swiftly through daily professional discussions. These regular conversations enable staff to raise concerns immediately, agree strategies and put support in place without delay. Leaders routinely ask staff about any concerns they have, ensuring children receive timely, tailored support. Leaders act quickly when needs are identified and work closely with parents and external services, including the hearing impairment team, portage and preschool support and health visitors, maintaining strong professional relationships. Advice from professionals directly shapes practice. Leaders make effective use of external professionals to deliver targeted training, and staff engage confidently, applying strategies consistently across the setting.

Leaders use their own 'road to achievement' document to effectively track children's progress over time and demonstrate impact clearly. This enables leaders and staff to break learning into small, achievable steps and adjust targets quickly so they meet each child's individual needs. Parents are kept fully informed and involved in reviewing targets and contributing to next steps. This detailed tracking provides strong evidence when leaders seek further professional support and clearly shows each child's journey.

Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard

Leaders have designed a clear, broad and well-sequenced curriculum that builds carefully on what children know. Staff articulate clearly what children are learning and how this supports future learning, including communication, physical development, early mathematics and early literacy skills. They understand the curriculum well and use ongoing observation, in the moment planning and regular professional discussion to shape learning experiences.

Teaching is calm, purposeful and highly responsive. Young children show that they are deeply engaged in their learning. They listen attentively to familiar stories. Staff support children to explore a range of fruit like the character eats in the story. Children are encouraged to use cutlery independently to cut the fruit. This helps to extend children's physical development, building on previous skills. Staff model key vocabulary effectively, naming and describing fruit and responding to children's actions and interests. Staff are skilled at using visual prompts, modelling, using gesture and simplifying language to support communication and inclusion. Staff plan rich opportunities for imaginative play, allowing children to communicate confidently with one another. Leaders and staff understand the children extremely well and work together to continuously adapt teaching so that all children remain challenged, supported and successful. As a result, children are confident, independent, curious learners who develop a love of learning.

Achievement: Strong standard

Children are confident, curious and highly engaged learners who benefit from warm, nurturing and attentive relationships with staff. Children settle quickly into the setting because the atmosphere is calm, positive and supportive. They show high levels of involvement, sustained concentration and a clear eagerness to learn. Children's communication develops remarkably well. They develop rich language skills and demonstrate increasing vocabulary. Children are encouraged to participate in thoughtful and encouraging conversations throughout the day. Children's individuality and achievements are celebrated effectively. This helps to ensure that children who are disadvantaged, or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, or who may face other barriers to their learning and/or well-being also achieve strongly. Children are encouraged to take part fully as adaptations are made for all children's individual learning needs. This ensures children are ready for the next stage in their learning and eventual move to school.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Strong standard

Children behave extremely well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. This is underpinned by warm, respectful relationships and consistently calm, attentive care from staff, who act as strong role models. Staff use frequent praise, gentle reminders and clear expectations to support children's behaviour. As a result, children are kind, considerate and respectful towards one another. For example, in the outdoor area, children willingly share their newly crafted kites with their friends, demonstrating empathy and cooperation. Staff support children to understand why rules are important and help them to manage their behaviour positively, ensuring high expectations for all children. Routines are well established and support children to feel secure and confident. Children know what to expect and respond promptly to familiar cues. They transition smoothly between activities and demonstrate independence within daily routines. For example, children wash their hands independently before snack times. Staff are responsive to children's needs and follow their lead sensitively. For example, children who did not wish to take part in snack were supported to move on calmly, ensuring routines remain flexible and child-centred. Staff remain engaged with children across the environment throughout the session, maintaining high levels of supervision, interaction and support.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Strong standard

Leaders place children's welfare and wellbeing at the heart of practice and create a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment where children feel secure, valued and ready to learn. Staff build close, trusting relationships with children and support them sensitively throughout the day. Children form secure attachments with their key person and feel equally confident approaching other familiar adults for comfort, reassurance or support. Staff are highly attentive to children's individual needs and respond with warmth and sensitivity. For example, staff support children to move seats during mealtimes so they are included in social conversations. This thoughtful response ensured the child felt listened to and valued. Throughout the setting, interactions between staff and children, and between the children themselves, are positive and respectful. Staff consistently encourage kindness and consideration, and children demonstrate care for one another in their play and interactions. Overall, children's physical health, emotional wellbeing and independence are promoted exceptionally well. As a result, children are happy and confident and thrive in a nurturing environment where their individual needs are met consistently.

Leadership and governance: Strong standard

Leaders provide highly effective leadership and governance and set high expectations for both children and staff. They work collaboratively as a reflective and ambitious team and have a strong understanding of how children learn and develop. Leaders evaluate the quality of provision rigorously, identifying strengths and areas for development with precision. Leaders invest heavily in staff development. Training is thorough, well targeted and carefully aligned to identified needs, including ongoing professional development to strengthen practice in inclusion and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures staff continue to develop the skills and knowledge required to meet the needs of all children.

Leaders place a high priority on staff wellbeing and professional growth. Staff report that they enjoy working at the setting and feel well supported through regular observations, effective supervisions and ongoing coaching. Leaders also ensure that inclusion is central to decision making. They set high expectations for all children and remove barriers to learning through targeted support and strong partnership working with families. Parents speak very highly of leaders and staff and describe the support provided as going 'above and beyond'.