Little Clowns Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enter this welcoming environment happy and ready to learn. They come in excited and ready to investigate the wide range of activities available, which they explore with curiosity and interest.

Children benefit from meaningful interactions with staff which stimulate their learning and build on what they already know. For example, staff fill their hands up with shaving foam. They clap their hands together, making it go everywhere.

The babies giggle and laugh as they copy the actions. Children develop secure attachments with their key persons, who know them well. Staff give children lots of praise and reassurance..., which builds confidence and self-esteem.

Children play alongside each other. They share ideas and listen to each other with respect. For example, the children mix paint and water to make 'tea'.

They share ideas on what flavour and colour the tea should be and together decide on orange. Staff support children to manage any conflicts, such as sharing. For example, when children struggle to share the paint, staff remind children to be patient and to wait their turn.

Children learn how to manage risks and stay safe. For example, as they cut and grate limes staff closely monitor them and remind them to watch their fingers. Older children know how to recognise potential risks to themselves and others.

For example, children notice water on the floor and ask staff for a towel to clean it up 'before someone slips'.

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

The manager and her team believe there should be no limits to children's learning. Their curriculum is ambitious and builds on what children already know.

Staff use children's interests to plan exciting activities to support children to achieve their next steps. For example, toddlers learn to make their play dough. Staff use open-ended questions, such as, 'I wonder if this is too wet, or too dry.'

This allows children to test out their theories and ideas.Children benefit from a language-rich environment. Staff listen to younger children with interest and repeat words back using the correct pronunciation.

Older children learn new words each month. Once children understand the words and their meaning, staff extend their knowledge by supporting them to use these words in sentences. For example, while children make the colour 'orange', they discuss how the colour is more 'blood orange'.

Children use mathematical language and concepts in their play. The children use scales to weigh out food and tea. They use words such as 'more', 'less', 'big' and 'small'.

The children notice the needle move on the scales and ask the staff why. Staff explain to the children that the needle goes up in numbers the more you add, and that the less you add the number goes down.Parents praise the management team members for their continued help during the pandemic.

During this time, staff provided children with activities to support their learning. The manager kept parents up to date with changes to guidance and policies. Parents appreciate the support staff provide, such as when dealing with bereavement or planning for new additions to their family.

Staff speak highly of the management team. They have regular meetings with the deputy manager, where they reflect on the provision and practice. Staff attend training to further improve their skills and build on their knowledge.

For example, staff attend training on how to support children's mental health. This impacts on how staff handle children's emotions and enables them to understand the reason behind the behaviour.Children love to listen to books and stories.

Staff ask children to choose a favourite book, which becomes the focus of the week. The children act out stories and enjoy story-themed activities. For example, children use story cards to explore the different stages of the story to look at it in more detail.

They discuss what they see and discuss any things they have noticed in the story. This enables children to build literacy skills and gain an understanding of how a story is structured.Overall, children show a good attitude to learning.

Staff plan activities that spark curiosity and interest to support children to achieve their next stages of learning. However, staff miss opportunities to further support less confident children during group activities, specifically when other children in the group have high levels of confidence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The manager understands her responsibility to safeguard children. She is confident in procedures for reporting any concerns regarding children to her local authority. Staff show they can identify signs and symptoms of abuse.

They show an awareness of safeguarding issues in the community, such as female genital mutilation, the 'Prevent' duty and county lines. The staff know the procedure for reporting any allegations or concerns made against a member of staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: further support children with less confidence to participate in group activities.