Your Co-Op Little Pioneers Nursery and Pre-School Seaham

Inclusion: Expected standard

Leaders support staff to identify concerns about children's development at the earliest opportunity. They work with parents to support them in the journey of understanding more about their child's development and in making referrals to other professionals when appropriate. Parent partnerships are effective in assisting staff to understand how to best support children's unique needs, and, as a result, children make progress and are helped to prepare for the next stage of their education. Leaders take action when needed to ensure that any barriers to learning are reduced. For example, training staff to have a deeper understanding of child development, including understanding and supporting challenging behaviour. Leaders take a very hands-on approach to monitoring the support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or barriers to their learning. As a result, they have a very deep understanding of the needs of these children and the progress they are making. Leaders ensure that staff receive training to help them understand how to implement the graduated approach and ensure that support is tailored to the individual needs of children. This includes working in partnership with external professionals to provide further training to support staff's continuous professional development.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Leaders closely monitor the quality of the curriculum and teaching in their setting, and, as a result, they have a clear understanding of the impact and areas in which improvement is needed. Leaders' oversight ensures that children have access to a broad curriculum, and they support staff in implementing this. Staff and leaders consider the individual contexts of children that attend to ensure that the teaching and environment support their individual needs.

There is a clear focus on supporting children's physical, personal social and emotional development. For instance, children benefit from fresh air and exercise in the adventurous outdoor space. Staff take time to build relationships with children and gain their trust, in order to then best support them developmentally across all areas of learning.

Staff pay close attention to children's progress and carefully plan for their next steps. They review these regularly and ensure that learning remains challenging for children. Children with barriers to learning are given the support they need to ensure that they also access a broad and balanced curriculum and make progress in their development.

There is some variety in the quality of teaching during interactions with children. At times, these interactions maximise learning opportunities for children, for example, during mealtimes. However, this is not yet the case for all adult-led activities, and there are occasions where staff are not yet adapting their teaching in the moment to respond to children's emergent thinking, curiosity and any misunderstandings.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children are developing skills and knowledge across the 7 areas of learning, and this helps to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. For instance, babies focus on carefully scooping toy ducks out of the water with large spoons, which helps to prepare them for self-feeding. Toddlers show independence at mealtimes, including key social skills, such as using good manners and sitting smartly at the table. Children in pre-school make full use of the activities on offer to make connections in their understanding, for instance, when learning about sea creatures and caring for the environment.

Children develop a love of reading and books as they listen with rapt attention to favourite stories being read aloud and are motivated to explore books independently.

Children show pride in their achievements, and they smile with happiness when staff openly praise them, for instance, when practising their speaking skills and when showing staff pictures that they are proud of. Children of all ages in the nursery learn to take pride in the nursery and help to tidy up, including using tools, such as the dustpan and brush.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

There are high expectations for children's behaviour in this nursery, and children respond to these enthusiastically, showing positive behaviours across the nursery. Children understand their daily routine, and, as a result, transitions throughout the day happen smoothly.

Leaders strategically address areas in which they identify further improvements are needed. For instance, following a particular focus on improving the mealtime experience for children, leaders and staff have been successful in ensuring that all mealtimes are an enjoyable, relaxed experience for children in all rooms across the nursery. Leaders also recognised that further training was required to support staff's understanding of child development and associated behaviours. As a result of further training and support, staff now have a greater understanding of how to respond and understand children's differing behavioural needs. This has resulted in effective practice regarding behaviour management. For instance, where staff identify situations where behaviour support is needed in children's play, this is conducted in a sensitive and thoughtful manner, resulting in successful play and learning outcomes.

The positive relationships between staff and children support all children's positive behaviour effectively, and staff are role models for the behaviour that is expected in the nursery. That being said, there is not yet a consistent approach to supporting children to develop a deeper understanding of their own self-care routines, such as nose wiping and the importance of privacy during nappy changes. Punctuality and attendance are promoted by staff and leaders, and, as a result, children have good attendance at this nursery.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

Policies and procedures are implemented across the nursery to ensure that children's welfare, mental health and wellbeing are supported. These are generally well understood, and where there have been instances where procedures have not been followed in line with nursery expectations, leaders have taken swift action to support staff in understanding and implementing policies as required.

Leaders have created a safe, welcoming space where children are able to play and explore at their own pace. Staff take time to get to know children well and pay close attention to their individual needs to ensure that they enjoy their time here. When children need comfort and reassurance, staff provide soothing words and cuddles, as well as identifying how to address any needs as required, such as helping them to nap. Parents also comment on the positive atmosphere, which has been created by leaders.

On the whole, hygiene practices ensure that the needs of babies and children are met appropriately. However, at times, hygiene needs are not responded to swiftly, such as attending to runny noses. Furthermore, leaders and staff have not fully considered how to best promote children's privacy during nappy changes. However, leaders have reflected on this during the inspection and have made plans to improve the nappy changing area to add greater privacy.

The nursery provides healthy food for children and provides opportunities for fresh air and exercise, and this supports children's good health and wellbeing

Mealtimes are used to support children's social skills, including their good manners. Children benefit from the praise that practitioners provide, and this further supports their happiness and wellbeing.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

The nursery has recently been through a period of instability, with a variety of changes to leadership and staffing. However, there is now a stable team in place, including effective leadership within the setting, and this has had a significant impact on ensuring strategic improvements within the nursery during the past year.

The manager has succeeded in identifying priority areas for development and in implementing a clear action plan, which has resulted in significant improvements across the nursery. This includes improvements to mealtimes and behaviour management, which are now particularly positive features of the nursery.

Leaders are reflective and use their ongoing evaluations to ensure that all decisions are made in the best interests of children, including those who have barriers to their learning, to ensure that children are able to thrive and are ready for the next stage in education when it comes.

Leaders are proactive in considering staff's wellbeing and workload. Staff are keen to provide a positive experience for children in this nursery and show enthusiasm for undertaking continuous professional development to further their knowledge and skills.

The inspection found that leaders had responded appropriately to weaknesses relating to policies, procedures and risk assessment in the setting and have undertaken improvements, including further training for staff, to ensure that policies and procedures are well understood and consistently followed.