Tots First Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Staff greet children enthusiastically and provide a welcoming and safe environment for them. Children arrive happy and settle well. Staff help children to develop positive relationships with one another.

They know children well and find out what their interests are. Staff help children to feel secure in their surroundings. This leads to children exploring eagerly around the setting and showing positive attitudes towards their learning.

Overall, leaders want children to achieve well, and they design a broad curriculum. However, there are some weaknesses in the quality of education. Not all activities meet children's indivi...dual learning needs, and not all are suitable for their age and stage of development.

There are some inconsistencies in how staff interact with children and help them to make good progress in their learning. This impacts on children's ability to concentrate and their learning is not always maximised. This hinders the progress that they make.

Staff provide children with clear and consistent reminders so that they learn right from wrong and what is expected of them. They support children with their social skills as they encourage them to share resources and take turns. This leads to children behaving well for their age.

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

The manager has a clear intent of what she wants children to learn. However, she does not always have good oversight of how well the staff team is working, to make sure that educational programmes are delivered effectively. For example, on occasion, weaker teaching is not swiftly addressed, and targeted support is not yet fully provided.

This negatively impacts on the quality of education.Staff read books and help children to re-enact the main events of well-known stories. Older children are exposed to conversational language during small-group times.

However, overall, the curriculum for communication and language is not implemented consistently well. At times, staff do not ensure that they use correct grammar while speaking to children. Additionally, children who communicate less are not supported by staff as much as possible.

This includes children with special educational needs and children who speak English as an additional language.Staff do not fully support children's physical health as they do not consistently implement robust hygiene procedures. For example, staff do not notice when a child coughs over play dough, which another child then puts in their mouth.

In addition, staff do not always ensure that children wash their hands directly before eating lunch.Children play outside daily. They enjoy running, climbing, using wheeled toys, and exploring water activities.

Staff provide opportunities for children to practise their mark-making and small-physical skills. Children join in with drawing and use tweezers to make colourful patterns out of the small items provided, such as wool balls.Staff assess children's development to help them to understand the children's capabilities.

They plan activities based on children's interests. However, staff do not always carefully consider what they want individual children to learn from activities. At times, staff intervene too much and rush children to achieve the end product of the activity.

This means that children are not always fully supported to build on what they already know and can do.Children take part in singing and dancing activities. However, the implementation of whole-group activities is not successful.

Sometimes, there is not enough space for each child to move freely. Some whole-group activities are lengthy and do not consider the children's individual needs. As a result, some children lose focus and become disinterested.

Staff support children to use good manners and be kind to one another. Older children begin to recognise and talk about their emotions and feelings. Staff monitor the level of noise during activities.

They understand the impact of high levels of noise on children's behaviour and learning.Parents speak positively about the setting. They say that their children are happy and staff are welcoming.

Parents feel that they have positive communication with the staff team, which helps with children's transition from home to the setting.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff know how to recognise indicators that a child may be at risk of harm.

They are aware of the correct procedures to follow if there is a concern about a child or an allegation made against a member of staff. All mobile phones are kept away from areas used by children. Staff carry out effective risk assessments of the areas and equipment used by children.

Staff are vigilant and supervise children at all times. Recruitment procedures ensure that required checks are completed on staff to check that they are suitable to work with children. Staff hold relevant first-aid qualifications.

This means that they have knowledge of what to do if a child has an accident or injury.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date provide targeted training, support, coaching and mentoring to help staff to improve their teaching skills and the quality of education to good or higher levels 29/11/2023 improve the monitoring of the curriculum implementation for communication and language and provide high-quality interactions for all children, particularly children with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language 29/11/2023 improve existing hygiene procedures to prevent the spread of infection and contamination and to consistently support children's good health.29/11/2023 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop clearer links between the intent and delivery of activities to shape these to the learning needs of each child help staff to plan and implement group times more effectively to meet children's needs and promote learning.