Tommy Thumbs at Cledford

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive in this warm and welcoming environment.

They form strong relationships with the staff, who are responsive to their needs. Staff instinctively further children's learning by responding to their interests. For example, they provide magnifying glasses to support children as they hunt for a spider.

Children access a wealth of activities designed to enhance their learning. For example, they observe the changes to a pine cone when it is in water. Children plant seeds and grow their own fruit and vegetables, which they pick and use for snacks.

This provides them with knowledge of the world, and an und...erstanding of where food comes from.Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children understand the importance of good manners and learn about rules and boundaries.

Staff build effective partnerships with parents from the beginning. They work together to identify children's starting points. Home-learning activities support parents in extending their child's development at home, which helps children make the best start to their education.

Children use pictures, stories and songs to talk about how they are feeling, and why they are feeling that way. They make suggestions about how to cheer up their friends if they feel sad, such as making silly faces, that helps them to develop an understanding of feelings and empathy.

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

The provider ensures that all staff compare the progress made by groups of children.

They monitor how effective staff are in observing children to identify next steps in their learning, and how effective their plans are in increasing children's potential. This ensures all children make good progress in their learning.The provider has a clear curriculum intent and designs their curriculum to meet children's individual needs.

Staff work together to embed the curriculum across the wider setting and show commitment to developing the children's future learning. As such, children are provided with engaging and challenging activities, which support their next steps.Staff teach children about the community through visits from local businesses.

For example, they receive visits from the recycling team. They learn about the process of recycling and how their plastic bottles can become new items. Consequently, children learn about sustainable choices from an early age.

Staff provide a wealth of activities to support children's interests. For example, following a child's interest, they make ice-cream in the mud kitchen. They use scoops and containers to make ice-cream cones.

A variety of herbs from their herb garden are used as toppings, which enhances their play. This provides children with opportunities to be imaginative, and to link experiences from home.Staff offer children opportunities to explore the wider world.

For example, staff set up a large sand and water area outside, which provides the children with the opportunity to explore the seaside. As such, children can relive and explore features of the natural world.Staff play alongside children and talk to them as they play.

However, not all staff ask open-ended questions to encourage children to think on a deeper level. This means that children are not always effectively challenged to extend their learning further.Children learn some mathematical concepts through planned activities, such as measuring, weighing materials and sorting shapes.

However, children are not always able to explore mathematics independently in their own play. As a result, children do not always have the opportunity to embed what they have learned.The provider tracks the progress children make to identify any gaps in their learning.

Staff work together with parents and professionals to support children who have additional needs or special educational needs and/or disabilities. This ensures that all children make good progress given their starting points.The provider has a clear vision of what they want to achieve, which they share with staff through team meetings.

They carry out regular staff supervision and appraisals and use peer observations to assess the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The provider works with staff to identify their training needs. Staff disseminate new training to the rest of the team.

They improve teaching and learning across the setting, thus improving outcomes for children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The provider, leaders and staff are well aware of their responsibilities in keeping children safe.

Staff know the signs and symptoms of abuse, and who to contact should they have concerns about a child. The provider carries out extensive safe recruitment procedures to ensure that staff, volunteers and committee members are suitable. Risk assessments are in place to cover outings, and staff carry out daily checks of the provision.

They involve children in risk assessing their own play to help them learn about safe practice. Daily cleaning and hygiene practice ensure the setting and resources are well maintained.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: further promote children's language and communication skills, in order to allow for deeper independent thinking provide more opportunities for children to explore mathematical concepts independently in their play.

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