Little Elms Daycare Lee

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children settle extremely well in this calm and supportive environment. Staff recognise the impact that COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions have had on children's personal, social and emotional development. As such, when children first start, they have their settling-in sessions on quieter days to spend quality time getting to know their key person.

Children have a wide range of opportunities to practise their independence skills and self-confidence. They make choices and explore activities, and persist to complete these themselves before asking staff for support. Children receive high levels of praise and reward for their achi...evements.

Children are confident and have a very positive attitude towards their learning.Children's behaviour is exemplary. They fully understand the rules and boundaries of the setting and consistently follow them.

Older children remind each other how to be safe in the garden. For example, they talk about making sure they look forward when running so they do not 'crash into someone'.Staff skilfully recognise when children require extra support.

They put in effective measures for this. For instance, staff successfully communicate with children who learn English as an additional language by using familiar words from home alongside English. All children benefit from warm interactions with staff and are becoming good communicators.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and managers have high expectations for what they want children to gain from their time at the setting. The manager's clear focus on developing staff's understanding of how to support children's personal, social and emotional needs is highly effective. He effectively role models behaviours and interactions with children to support his team in delivering the standard of care he expects.

The curriculum for children in the setting is ambitious. Staff have a clear understanding of what children already know and can do. In most cases, staff use this knowledge well to extend children's learning and challenge their thinking.

Staff pose increasingly complex problems to the oldest children to solve, as they prepare for school. For example, staff ask children, 'If we had 25 children and one more comes in, how many will we have now?' Children correctly respond '26'.Occasionally, staff working with younger pre-school and toddler-aged children focus too intently on a single aspect of the activities they provide.

For example, in outdoor construction activities, staff emphasise children's developing language of colours but do not help them to extend their imagination and development of small muscles.Children have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies demonstrate their coordination and balancing capabilities.

They climb steps, turn around and slide down equipment independently. Older children ride bikes and scooters with care. They skilfully avoid obstacles as they follow the track around the garden.

Staff implement clear daily routines across the setting. Pre-school children share their understanding of these by explaining when it is time to tidy up and why it is important to do this. They link this to their experiences at home and take pride in talking about how they tidy up their own room at home.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff engage well with the agencies that support them. They plan for children using the targets set and implement these well to help them progress.

For example, staff build on support children receive from speech and language therapy, with activities using repetition of key words and letter sounds to build on their speaking skills.Parents speak very highly of the setting. They value the support and guidance they receive from staff, particularly in helping them to understand how to potty train successfully.

Parents comment on the strong relationships between staff and their children and that they feel fully included in their children's learning and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and managers have created a positive safeguarding culture across the setting.

All staff are confident in recognising when children may be at risk of harm or exposed to radical and/or extremist views. There are clear reporting procedures for staff who may have concerns about children's safety and welfare, and all staff are aware of these. The manager has considered the local area and risks to children and their families.

For example, they are aware of risk related to criminal exploitation, such as county lines. The setting is appropriately risk assessed and staff promote children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe exceptionally well.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff's teaching to help them use their knowledge of younger children's development to provide them with more challenge to extend their learning.

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