The Lime Trees at Standstead Nursery and Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements From the moment children arrive, they benefit from the warm and friendly staff team. Staff welcome children in and ask how their day at school has been. As children independently place their belongings away safely, staff help children to remember the routine.

They remind children to have snack first, before they engage with the range of activities on offer. Children enjoy working together with friends. Staff provide resources that spark children's imaginations and encourage them to engage with one another.

Children gravitate to these items and begin creating a narrative in their play. For example, older children help each ...other piece together magnetic shapes, to make a time machine. Staff prompt the conversations children have.

This helps children to elaborate on the stories they come up with and add extra parts to their creations. Children are kind and caring. When their friends fall over, children hold out their hand to help them to get up and give them a hug.

This reflects the caring relationships that staff build with children. Staff show their care. Children eagerly bring their paintings and drawings to staff, who ask them to tell them about what they have created.

Staff offer high levels of praise and enthusiasm. This supports children to feel a sense of achievement and pride.

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

Staff get to know children well.

They gather information from parents when children start. Staff use children's interests to provide a range of activities. They value children's views and suggestions.

If children lack interest in the activities on offer, staff encourage them to come up with other ideas and help them choose from other resources. This helps all children to engage for long periods of time and have fun.Staff provide opportunities for children to gain skills towards independence.

For example, for snack, they place out plates of chopped fruit and vegetables for children to use spoons to serve themselves. Staff support younger children when needed. Staff remind children to wash their hands before they eat, which contributes to children's understanding of good hygiene practices.

Some children manage this independently, while others receive support and guidance from staff.Staff are tuned into children's play. Especially with younger children, staff skilfully respond and extend what children do.

For example, staff introduce children to grouping as they play with cars and trains. They line cars up next to the same colour. Children notice this and comment there are four orange and two red.

Additionally, staff comment on where the cars are positioned, for example if it is in front or behind the train. This supports children to gain an understanding of prepositions. Children practise this and move the vehicles around, to hear staff say where they are.

Staff support children's emotions effectively. They know each child well and quickly notice when children's emotions change. When younger children get frustrated as their building falls down, staff take a calm approach.

They reassure children that it is okay, and they can help them to re-build what they were making. Children respond positively, calm down and persist to put pieces together to make a building.Children comment on their favourite activities at the club.

They say they love playing with the dolls, pretending to have babies. They like the experiences outside with their friends. In addition, children enjoy the craft activities, particularly modelling clay and dough.

Staff support children to gain physical skills. Outside, staff model how to throw balls through hoops. Staff explain to children that if they bend their knees and throw the ball from between their legs, it will generate more power, to get the ball higher.

Children follow instructions and eagerly persist. Due to the constant enthusiasm from staff, children succeed and get the ball through the hoop for the first time.Staff are committed to creating and maintaining positive relationships with the school.

They understand and recognise when they need to share more information to support children and their families. Staff talk to children's teachers to establish strategies to meet children's individual needs, including where children have an emerging need, or special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff replicate these strategies within the club, to enable a consistent and collaborative approach for all children to understand what is expected.

Parents also recognise the support staff give and comment how beneficial this is for their children.

Safeguarding

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

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