Clarence House Thetford

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum. They follow a child-led learning approach, where children are encouraged to think for themselves and make their own choices. For example, children freely access the play dough station, choosing what ingredients to use to make their dough. Children enjoy a range of sensory activities that stimulates their curiosity. For instance, children mix shaving foam with sand, pretending it is cement for building with their bricks.

Children play well together. Staff use strategies to promote positive behaviour. For example, they regularly praise children for their efforts and achievements. When children have disagreements, staff remind them of their expectations and help them to understand how their behaviour affects others. As a result, children behave well and have formed strong friendships.

Children enjoy daily time in the outdoor spaces. Staff encourage them to search for insects in the soil and bark, emphasising that insects should be handled carefully. Children develop their large muscles as they learn to roll hula hoops and navigate obstacles on the balance bikes. These activities help children to develop their spatial awareness and coordination.

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

• The nursery has been through a period of change following its acquisition by a new provider. The new management team has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and a clear vision for further development, including plans to enhance the outdoor facilities.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to practise using their fine motor skills. For example, staff encourage children to squeeze water from pipettes in the water tray and use rolling pins to flatten dough. Children make their play dough into flat circles and enjoy pretending to flip them, explaining that they have made pancakes. These opportunities build the small muscles in their hands and help prepare them for developing further skills, such as their early writing skills.
• Overall, children's communication and language skills are well promoted. Staff introduce new vocabulary during play, modelling and repeating simple words for younger children during activities, such as 'splash, splash, splash'. This helps children, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, connect actions to words. However, staff do not always provide children with clear communication during transition times, such as tidy-up time or when they are going out into the garden. This confuses children, and they sometimes become upset because they do not know what is happening next.
• Staff encourage children to use their imagination. For example, they encourage children to pretend to put their hiking boots on to climb a mountain. Staff provide a range of open-ended resources for children to explore. Children enthusiastically paint a large cardboard box, transforming it into a house.
• Children demonstrate increasing independence. For example, they access the water dispenser when they need a drink and use tongs to serve their food. All children enjoy freshly prepared snacks and meals. Older children manage their own hygiene needs, such as blowing their nose and using the toilet independently. Staff act as good role models by discussing the importance of washing hands after using the bathroom and before eating.
• Staff comment that they are happy in their roles and feel well supported by the management team. They have started to take advantage of professional development opportunities, including additional training. Leaders have begun implementing supervision meetings. However, they acknowledge that they have not yet had the time to fully establish or embed the systems for monitoring and coaching staff to improve their individual practices.
• Parents reflect that there have been several changes in the staffing team since the change of provider. They state that the new leaders are having a positive impact as they settle into their roles. Parents are pleased with the progress that their children are making. However, not all parents receive information regarding their child's learning progress, what they need to learn next and how to support their learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support younger children, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, understand what is happening now and what will happen next to help them feel more secure
• continue to build on partnerships with parents by sharing more information about children's learning and next steps to support with their children's home learning
• embed the current systems for monitoring and coaching staff to enhance individual practices and provide feedback that supports staff in delivering the curriculum more effectively.