The Little Sutton Club

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy, confident and motivated to learn. Children eagerly explore the interesting range of activities indoors and outdoors.

Staff are committed to developing children's communication and language skills. Children listen attentively to stories and have fun as they join in with songs and rhymes. They are encouraged to take home books from the library to help them develop a love of reading.

Children excitedly discover the different colours they can make as they mix paint together. They have access to a wide range of mark-making tools and resources. However, there are missed opportunities for older children to... make marks to explain their mathematical thinking.

Children enjoy playing in the outdoor area. They pretend to go on outings in the 'car' they have constructed with crates and logs. Children play with toy dinosaurs in a sensory environment they have created with herbs, stones and a variety of other natural materials.

In addition to the nursery's outdoor area, children like to visit the forest area in the school grounds. However, there is not always a clear purpose to using this area. Staff do not always plan precisely enough to fully extend children's learning and provide more challenging activities.

Children throughout the nursery are well behaved.

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

Managers and staff are passionate about meeting the needs of all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children's progress is closely monitored to ensure all children make good progress and learn key skills ready for their next stage in learning.

There are effective working relationships with other professionals to help children who require additional support.Children receive a gradual, well-organised transition into the nursery, involving their key person and parents. There is good sharing of information to help children settle into their new environment.

As a result, staff know the children well and they form strong relationships.Staff make frequent observations and assessments of children's learning. During regular staff meetings, they share individual children's next steps to help them support children in their play and during planned activities.

However, occasionally, staff do not plan activities precisely enough to support children's next steps in their learning or to further challenge the more-able children.Partnerships with parents are good. There are regular opportunities to share information about their children's learning and development.

For example, parents' evenings, open days and newsletters help to support effective communication. Parents' verbal and written comments praise the friendly, supportive and dedicated staff.The nursery shares good links with the on-site school.

For example, nursery children eat their cooked dinners in the school dining room. They have regular sessions, such as music and movement, in the school hall to support their physical development.Leaders monitor the quality of teaching through regular supervision of staff.

They effectively use these opportunities to identify training needs for staff to help them further develop their own knowledge and skills.Children are fully engaged in activities. They demonstrate high levels of concentration and resilience.

For example, children persevere in building boxes with construction materials to transport small characters, and work out how to make improvements if the box collapses.Staff encourage children's independence. For example, children help to prepare their own snack and put on their coats.

Effective hygiene practices are in place and children understand why they need to wash their hands. Children develop positive relationships with each other and learn to share and take turns when they are playing.Children enjoy a broad range of activities to support their mathematical development.

For example, they make patterns with shapes and proudly show the shapes they have accurately cut out with scissors. Children delight in finding different-sized sticks in the forest area and counting the leaves they have gathered. However, there are missed opportunities to teach children to link the marks they are recording with the number of objects counted.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There are robust recruitment and induction procedures in place to ensure staff's suitability to work with children. The manager ensures all staff receive training in safeguarding to help them to recognise possible signs and symptoms of abuse.

Staff are knowledgeable about the procedures to follow if they are concerned about the welfare of a child. Risk assessments and rigorous policies and procedures are followed to ensure that children can play in a safe and secure environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse information gained from observations and assessments to focus activities more precisely and challenge the more-able children provide more opportunities for children to make mathematical marks to support the development of their mathematical thinking.

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