Clowns Early Years Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy when they arrive and eager to take part in the activities that staff offer them.

Staff are warm and nurturing as they comfort babies who are new, supporting their emotional well-being. Children cuddle with staff for reassurance, showing they feel safe and secure in their care. Toddlers sit on the carpet at group time and show high levels of concentration.

They sing songs with staff as they greet their peers, helping to support their social skills. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They offer children lots of praise and encouragement.

For example, children are encouraged t...o say please and thank you. They learn to share and take turns when staff ask them to choose toys out of a music box. This support helps to build their confidence and self-esteem.

Children enjoy spending time outdoors in the fresh air. Staff encourage them to take and manage risks in their play when they climb and navigate an assault course they make. Children show good balancing skills when they jump off crates.

Staff supervise younger babies as they develop their core strength and begin to crawl and pull themselves up to a standing position, holding onto low-level furniture. Staff support older babies to safely navigate small stairs as they climb to use a slide, showing pride as they slide down independently. This contributes to increasing their physical skills and independence.

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

Staff complete observations and assessments of children's development. These help them to identify what children need to learn next. When staff want children to develop the small muscles in their hands, they model how to use tools to roll out play dough.

Children copy staff and make patterns in the dough, using leaves they collect.Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. For instance, they sing songs with children and introduce them to descriptive words when they read stories, such as 'slithery snake'.

This helps to build on children's vocabulary. However, staff do not always support children to take turns in conversations. Sometimes, this limits children's communication.

Staff promote all children's independence skills well. Pre-school children show good levels of independence as they use the toilet themselves and wash their hands. Staff encourage and help young children to use cutlery at mealtimes.

Staff support children to behave well. Staff are positive role models. They talk to children about playing nicely with their friends and taking turns.

They give children gentle reminders about the nursery's 'golden rules'. Children understand these and confidently explain to visitors that these include walking inside, tidying away, sharing and having a try. Children show their understanding of these as they work together to tidy away toys they have been playing with.

Staff support children to develop their self-care skills well. For example, staff teach children the steps to wipe and blow their noses. Children independently collect tissues, blow their own noses, place them in the bin and wash their hands afterwards.

Babies persevere when they use spoons as they develop the skill of feeding themselves.Staff support children's understanding of eating healthily. For example, they talk to children about the nutritious food and snacks they eat.

Children explain that their favourite vegetables are broccoli and cauliflower.Staff ensure children have daily opportunities to exercise, both indoors and outdoors. However, when children play outdoors, staff do not always engage children in meaningful learning.

This results in some children not engaging in activities and not making the most progress they are capable of.The small, established staff team work well together. Staff receive regular supervision to identify areas for their development.

They have access to a variety of professional development opportunities to support them in their roles. For example, staff extend their knowledge of how to promote children's safety when they sleep.Parents comment that staff provide a welcoming environment and are supportive.

Staff build positive relationships with parents. They keep them informed about children's day-to-day care and progress in their development. However, staff do not provide parents with ideas about how they can continue to support children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help staff to build on their interactions with all children outdoors to support their learning strengthen staff's knowledge of how to support children to take turns in conversations develop home learning opportunities to allow parents to support their children's learning at home.