Circle Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

A highly disciplined, multi-professional team works seamlessly together to provide an exceptional curriculum of learning for children. Children benefit hugely from the support of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and specialist teachers to meet their diverse needs.

Staff are motivated by having high expectations and ambition for all children. Teaching is finely tuned, with each child's needs known and understood by their key person. This results in individualised teaching that encourages every child to meet their full potential.

Fast-paced teaching and well-planned activities stimulate chil...dren, ensuring they engage and absorb learning at a rate that suits them. Children delight in an extensive range of sensory experiences. They cover their arms in shaving foam, feel the trickle of sand between their fingers and pop bubbles that staff blow for them.

Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff support children to find ways to acknowledge and recognise their strong feelings, such as looking at photographs and pictures that show children's different emotions. As children become more able to express themselves, they learn to show how they are feeling.

Children know what to expect as staff show them a visual timetable. This successfully increases children's sense of security within the nursery.

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

Relationships with parents and families are extremely strong.

Many parents travel a significant distance for their children to attend the nursery. Parents say that they appreciate the incredible support the nursery provides. Staff are skilled in providing a whole-family approach to education, including operating a highly effective outreach service.

Expert partnership working provides children with continuity. Staff share their knowledge and expertise with other settings that children attend. This contributes towards providing children with continuity in their learning and prepares them extremely well for moving on to school.

Supervision for staff is supportive and encouraging. Time is set aside for staff to complete essential paperwork, while the senior team is committed to reducing the burden of paperwork on staff.Activities are designed to challenge children and introduce them to new experiences.

For example, children are invited to sit underneath an umbrella as staff lightly pour water onto it from a watering can. Children watch staff do this first, boosting their confidence before deciding if they would like to have turn.The majority of children start the nursery with limited or no speech.

By the time they leave the nursery, after experiencing superb teaching, children have developed the ability to communicate through speech or by signing or the use of symbols, enabling them to express themselves.Children play in the soft-play room where they test out their developing physical skills. They stretch, roll and move in ways that help them to explore the environment using their larger muscles.

Children wait in eager anticipation as a member of staff teasingly says, 'Ready, steady' before unfastening the lid of a pot and sending a toy snake spiralling into the air. Children shriek with delight and surprise at this and it captures their imagination and interest.Staff offer children praise and warmth, encouraging them to thrive in the nursery.

Children develop close bonds with their key person. Staff show them genuine care and affection, helping to build their resilience and self-esteem.Staff manage group times extremely well.

Children can engage at their own pace. They are given time to watch and observe if they are not ready to take part. This helps all children to learn about being part of group and getting along with others.

Staff encourage children to use some of their own self-soothing strategies. For example, when children find the noise of group singing too loud, they place their hands over their ears. Staff recognise this and praise children for being able to find ways to help themselves to feel more content.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The senior team uses an extensive induction for new staff and volunteers to ensure that they are suitable to fulfil their roles. Safeguarding is given high priority, with staff fully understanding factors that can make children more vulnerable to abuse.

Staff know how to report any concerns about children's welfare to the Local Safeguarding Children Board. Staff complete regular, relevant training to deepen their awareness of child protection issues. Comprehensive policies and procedures underpin the work of staff, who all demonstrate a deep awareness of their role in keeping children safe.