Clarence House Cambridge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time in this welcoming nursery. They arrive happy and settle easily on arrival. Staff are kind and caring in their approach and children have formed strong bonds with them. They readily seek them out for cuddles and reassurance. Children have built close relationships with their peers and play together well. They learn the importance of sharing and turn taking in their games and group activities. Children excitedly chase each other around the garden in a game of tag and engage in role play together, making up stories of a trip to the shops and acting it out.

Babies and toddlers explore their environment with confidence. Staff encourage them to be independent and make their own choices, such as the paint colours they wish to use when painting. Children enjoy sensory experiences as they experiment with paint and create models and make cakes with dough. In pre-school, children use cereals, water and gravy granules in small world play to create an excellent representation of mud as they learn about farm animals. All children have good opportunities to be physically active. The eldest children climb steps and use a climbing wall with confidence. They show good awareness of space as they carefully ride their balance bicycles and scooters along a path.

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

• Children receive a good level of care and education. Key persons know their children well and the curriculum in place builds on what children know and can do in preparation for school. Staff follow children's interests when planning the activities they provide.
• Overall, staff demonstrate a consistently good level of teaching. They talk to children as they play, are a good role model and provide encouragement. However, on occasions some staff do not adapt their teaching skills effectively to ensure that the eldest children's learning is extended. They sometimes allow more confident children to dominate an activity, which means quieter, less confident children are overlooked.
• The manager is fairly new to her role but is establishing strong leadership skills and is committed to providing a quality provision for all children. Staff feel the manager makes them feel valued, is supportive and they are listened to. The manager meets regularly with staff and monitors their performance.
• Staff understand the importance of building children's communication and language skills. They help children who speak English as an additional language to communicate effectively. Reading stories and singing songs are part of everyday practice and children can and do access books independently. Staff speak directly and clearly to children and give them opportunities to think for themselves and express their ideas. Staff introduce new words to help build children's vocabulary, such as the word 'friction' when children rub their hands together to make them warm.
• Parents receive a good account of their child's day at collection time. They say that staff are friendly and courteous, and communication is good. Observations and photos of children in play are regularly shared with parents through an online platform. The manager has good plans in place to further extend parents involvement with their children's learning through a range of schemes, such as a lending library.
• Children play in a safe and secure environment. Risk assessment is robust to ensure that any risks to children are quickly identified and minimised. Sleeping children are regularly checked and staff constantly supervise and support children using the large apparatus in the garden. Children are reminded of safe practises, such as being mindful of other children's fingers when shutting the play house door.
• Staff help children to become independent. Older children are able to manage their own self-care skills in preparation for school and life. They toilet themselves, dress for outdoor play and scrape their leftover food into a bin after lunch.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance teaching, particularly for older children, to help staff extend children's learning to the highest level
• improve small group activities, so that all children have equal opportunities to join in and express their ideas.