St Thomas Children’s Centre CIO

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled. They enter the provision excited to seek out their friends. Children are safe and secure and are quick to engage in activities.

They show good independence and an ability to take care of their own needs. For example, they serve themselves food and drink with minimum support. Children enjoy the responsibility of looking after the pre-school guinea pigs.

They handle and feed them and make sure they receive good care. Children behave well and show consideration towards others. Staff support children to manage their own feelings and emotions.

They are consistent in encouraging frien...dly attitudes such as sharing and taking turns during activities.The environment is interesting and challenging. Staff know children well and have high expectations for their good progress.

They plan an exciting range of learning opportunities to stimulate children's interests. For example, they use toy sacks to raise children's curiosity and intrigue. Children show delight and surprise as they make a 'lucky dip' into the sack.

They take out a toy or an object and staff link this to singing nursery rhymes and songs. This supports children's language skills well.Managers and staff make regular improvements to the setting.

They have added to the range of resources and natural materials to further develop children's play experiences. Indoors, this includes wooden building blocks and a workbench. Outdoors, there are new water play facilities and an extended construction area.

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

The committee, managers and leaders have a shared vision for ongoing improvements in the provision. This helps to establish good-quality care and learning. Children make good progress.

Managers and staff make regular observations of what children know and can do well. They use this information to plan what children need to learn next. Staff prepare children well for school.

They provide many opportunities to support children's early literacy and mathematical skills.Staff are well qualified and work with enthusiasm as a team. They support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well.

Strong partnerships with outside agencies help to ensure children receive timely support. Precise and individual care plans cover all aspects of learning and development.Children enjoy taking part in a variety of activities and experiences.

They persevere with tasks and sustain their interest for extended periods of time. Children are curious and eager to explore. For example, they show an interest in emergency vehicles.

Staff arranged for the fire brigade to visit. Children learned about the equipment used and the role of the firefighters. Outside, staff support children to develop their physical skills.

Children develop their confidence to play on the climbing frame, bikes and ride-on toys.Children listen to instructions and pay attention. Staff praise them for their good behaviour as they sit well and show they are ready to learn.

This prepares them well for their next steps and their eventual move on to school. However, on occasions, some groups are too large. This limits children from learning as much as possible from the session.

Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents are very happy with the service provided. They describe staff as friendly and approachable.

Parents receive regular summaries of children's progress and achievements. Staff supply them with ideas on how they can support learning at home. This helps the continuity of learning.

Communication between staff and children is warm and expressive. Staff listen to what children have to say. They promote language skills well through stories, rhymes and activities.

Children show great delight in music sessions. They bang their drums with enthusiasm and clap their hands to the rhythm of the music. Staff model new words and encourage children to describe what they are doing.

They extend their sentences and introduce new vocabulary. However, sometimes, staff do not give children enough time to respond to the questions asked of them.Managers raise the quality of teaching through strong supervision processes.

This leads to regular feedback on observations of staff performance. Additional funding is used well to give children the extra support they need. Staff workloads are managed effectively.

They have time away from children to prepare resources and complete learning records. Staff have good opportunities to attend courses. This helps to build on their existing skills and knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are deployed well to help ensure that children are fully supervised at all times. They have a very clear understanding of the signs that lead to possible child abuse.

Staff know what action they must take to keep children safe. They regularly update their training to support their safeguarding knowledge, which includes training around wider safeguarding concerns. This helps to promote children's safety and well-being.

Regular checks of the environment are undertaken to help ensure that it is a safe place for children to play. Children are reminded of the importance of considering their own and each other's safety, especially when playing outdoors.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of large-group times to maximise learning opportunities for all children give children more time and opportunity to think and answer questions.

Also at this postcode