Clarence House Grantham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are keen to explore and investigate toys and resources. Babies use their hands to feel the texture of dough and spaghetti on their hands. Younger children show good hand-to-eye coordination when they use containers to fill and empty water. Pre-school children are creative when they put rice in cases and pretend to make cakes. Children are physically active. Babies climb steps to apparatuses and laugh when they are caught by staff at the bottom of a low-level slide. Staff know the children well and follow their interests. For example, when children show an interest in leaves in the garden, staff encourage them to use leaves in different ways. For example, children develop their early writing skills when they use pens and paper to draw around the leaves. They stand on leaves in a bucket and are asked to hear the crunching sound they make. This contributes to children's understanding of nature.

Children behave well. Pre-school children work as a team when they use cylinders to build a tower, taking it in turns to stack them on top of each other. Younger children celebrate when they sing nursery rhymes by themselves. They clap their hands in recognition of their achievements.

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

• When children returned to the setting after the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager reflected on the impact of the pandemic on children's development. She identified that younger children need further opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, children access an indoor climbing frame where they have opportunities to develop their strength, balance and coordination.
• Children have opportunities to develop a love of books. Staff encourage babies to lift flaps in books and to point to different images on the pages. Staff support parents to continue children's interest in books at home. For example, children take books home for parents to read to them.
• Overall, children benefit from many opportunities to support their communication and language skills. Staff sing nursery rhymes with children and talk to them. They ask children questions, encouraging their thinking skills. However, staff are not always quick to identify when the quieter and less confident pre-school children need further support to contribute during planned group activities.
• The manager and staff provide a curriculum that supports children to be ready for the future, such as to complete tasks on their own. For example, younger children are encouraged to pull up zips on their coats and to serve themselves food at snack time. Pre-school children use cutlery to eat their lunch.
• The manager and staff offer children a range of healthy meals and snacks. Children show an interest in talking about their favourite fruits, such as pears and apples. However, staff do not fully support younger children to build on their knowledge further. For example, they do not help them to extend their understanding of the health benefits of eating nutritious foods.
• Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Targeted plans are in place to support children's individual needs, such as to develop their social skills.
• The manager uses additional funding effectively to meet the needs of individual children. For instance, money from the pupil premium is used to provide additional sessions for some children during the school holidays. This helps to provide continuity in their care and learning.
• Staff actively promote positive behaviour. They give children praise and a high five for their achievements. This helps to raise their self-esteem and helps them to understand what is expected of them.
• The manager supports staff through supervision and staff meetings. Staff are given targets to help extend their professional development. Staff consider how to develop opportunities for pre-school children to build on their mathematical skills. For example, they increase the range of resources, such as weighing scales and dice, that children access independently to support their interests and play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to give the quieter and less confident pre-school children the support they need to fully contribute during planned group activities
• support staff to build further on younger children's understanding of the benefits of making healthy choices about food.