Clowns Childrens Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff warmly welcome children into the safe and stimulating setting. Children enter with confidence, quickly settle, and find their favourite activities.

Staff help children to explore the outdoor area. Children develop their large-muscle skills as they propel themselves forwards on trikes and clamber up tyres. Children practise their skills further as they take it in turns to bat balls that staff carefully throw.

Staff support children as they begin to develop their mark-making skills. Children use their small muscles to create meaningful pictures. Staff help children to name objects in their picture, and children pro...udly describe what they have drawn.

Children use their senses to explore as they scoop up sand and push it into moulds. Staff talk to them about how the sand feels between their fingers. They encourage younger children to explore a variety of textures using their senses.

They provide children with tractors to push through oats and hay. Children use their small hand muscles to push the tractors through, creating marks and patterns as they play.Children sit together in harmony as staff help them to develop their listening skills while reading a story.

Children use their recall and observation skills as they point out familiar characters in the book and remember what happens in the story. Children use imaginative play in the role-play kitchen. They select food items, confidently naming them as they exclaim, 'Here's your dinner'.

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

The manager is passionate and has a clear vision of the nursery's strengths and where improvements could be made. They are reflective and knowledgeable in their approach. Staff well-being is given high regard.

Staff say that they feel the management team respects and appreciates their contributions, and they enjoy working at the nursery.The manager and staff create a programme of learning that is ambitious and relevant to the children at nursery. However, the programme for mathematics is not as well planned as it could be.

For example, staff do not always build on children's existing knowledge of number and shapes during both spontaneous play and adult-directed activities.Children's behaviour is generally good. They listen to instructions and are reminded about the nursery's 'golden rules', which staff have helped the children create.

However, when unwanted behaviour is observed, staff do not always teach children how their actions may harm or affect others.The manager recognises when children require additional support. They work closely with outside agencies and swiftly ensure that early intervention is sought where needed.

The manager uses additional funding to help the children at nursery to progress well from their starting points.Children enjoy the nutritious, home-cooked meals and snacks that the nursery cook provides. The manager and staff work closely with parents to support children's health.

For example, the manager uses training she has completed to provide information and support on oral care to families and children. Staff support children as they brush and care for their teeth at nursery.Parents are highly complimentary about the 'supportive and professional' staff team.

They say that the team provides daily information about what their children are learning, and the staff team encourages parents to help children learn at home. Parents comment that the manager supports families well and that the nursery feels like an 'extended family'.The arrangements to support children as they transition to school are smooth.

The manager and her staff liaise with the schools and facilitate regular visits from teachers to the setting. Children become familiar with teachers from the local school, as the teachers visit and read stories to them. Parents acknowledge the nursery team's efforts in ensuring that children gain confidence and independence as they prepare for school.

The management team ensures that regular training and practical staff meetings support staff's knowledge of early years education. For example, staff complete training to support them in developing children's communication and language skills. They build children's vocabulary effectively as they speak, allowing time for children to think about and process questions.

Children are making good progress in this area.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The experienced manager ensures that staff receive regular training to support their knowledge on how to protect children in their care. Staff are confident in their knowledge of how to spot signs and symptoms that could indicate abuse. This includes exposure to extremist views, keeping children safe from exploitation, and female genital mutilation.

Staff understand the procedures in place for recording and reporting any concerns they may have, including managing allegations. The environment is safe and is risk assessed daily to help manage any potential hazards.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support children to explore and deepen their knowledge of mathematical concepts during their play support children to understand how their behaviour affects others and help them to manage their own feelings and behaviour.