McMillan Early Childhood Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children are happy and safe at this family friendly school. They are supported to become confident learners.

Children arrive at school eager to learn.

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and achievement. Working relationships between children and staff are very positive.

Activities in the Nursery inspire and encourage children to play, investigate and explore. For example, two-year-old children were keen to develop their balancing skills on the outdoor apparatus. Typically, children learn well.

Children are respectful and kind to each other. Staff deal with any minor disagreements among children quickly. Children learn t...he difference between right and wrong.

Leaders provide a wide range of events and visits to complement the curriculum and broaden children's experiences. They have benefited from visits to an aquarium and local shops. Children enjoyed opportunities to watch butterflies grow.

Children learn about their community and how to make a positive contribution to society. They fundraise for charities and participate in many faith celebrations. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the care and education their children receive.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have focused on developing the curriculum for all children. They have identified the important steps in each area of learning. Leaders have provided a broad, ambitious, and exciting curriculum.

They take account of children's different stages of development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) build new knowledge securely.

Typically, staff have strong subject knowledge.

They identify and check children's misconceptions well. Sometimes, teaching does not build on the small steps of learning that children need to take. This limits opportunities to extend children's learning further.

Leaders are ambitious for children with SEND. Adults seek to understand each child's needs at the earliest opportunity. They build effective relationships with families, even before children start at the Nursery.

Staff work closely with external partners and specialists, including parents.

Children's communication and language skills are a priority for staff. Staff make sure that they speak clearly using language that the children understand.

Throughout the day, staff immerse children in singing, stories, and rhymes. Children use props to retell stories, for example developing a fire station during role play. Staff assess children's vocabulary and language development regularly.

They skilfully use this information to target support to children that need extra help. Children develop strong spoken language skills over time, including those with SEND.Leaders and staff help children to settle quickly.

The warm and welcoming school environment helps children to learn the routines required. Children work positively in adult-led activities, and during their own self-initiated play. They behave well and follow instructions from staff.

They play well alongside their friends and learn to share and take turns. Children learn to take on challenges, unfamiliar situations and meeting new people. Staff nurture children's growing independence.

For example, they encourage children to help to pack away apparatus and clear up the sand playing equipment.

Staff encourage children to eat healthy foods and learn how to use cutlery at lunchtime. The curriculum offers many opportunities to learn about the community and the world.

Children have opportunities to discover cultural festivals throughout the year. They travel on different forms of transport on school visits. Staff enable children to learn about the living world around them, such as 'a bug's life'.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They said that leaders consider their well-being and workload. Governors are dedicated to their roles and are very well informed about the school.

They hold leaders to account and support them to bring about improvements. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The recent changes to the curriculum are not fully implemented. On occasion, teaching does not extend children's learning so that they learn securely across the breadth of the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff implement the curriculum as intended so that children achieve consistently well across all areas of learning.

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