Clockhouse Preschool Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting and staff greet them warmly and welcome them enthusiastically. Children form strong attachments to staff, who offer them emotional support and comfort when it is needed. They show how safe and secure they feel as they settle quickly and go off into the room to explore the environment. Children choose the things they want to learn and play with. The curriculum is ambitious and inclusive of all children. Staff plan a curriculum which allows children to develop their independence and social skills. For example, children play happily with each other. They learn how to take care of their needs, such as by using the toilet and blowing their nose at a 'nose-wiping station' independently.

Staff put children first and have a key-person system in place. This allows them to get to know children and their families well right from the start, through home visits and daily conversations in person. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff stayed in contact with their parents and provided them with support and ideas for their children's learning at home. Staff have high expectations of all children, who make progress. Children are engaged in their learning and enjoy joining in with daily stories and songs. For example, they smile with delight as they all stand up and march off into a small room for a story, singing the rhyme of 'The Grand Old Duke of York' together.

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

• Leaders have a clear and vision for the setting. They lead with passion and truly want all children to achieve. The setting is inclusive for all children. Staff make necessary adjustments to ensure that all children have access to education. They work with outside agencies and parents to make sure that any gaps in children's development are addressed and that children are not at risk from falling behind. For example, staff offer a book and toy lending library to support children's learning at home.
• Staff support children's learning as they play. They continually observe and assess children. Staff hold focus weeks where they make notes on how well each child is developing and then share this information with their parents. The environment is well resourced. Children enjoy exploring the different areas and are joined by staff, who engage with them well. However, staff do not always consider how to sequence children's learning into smaller steps, to allow children to achieve even more based on their current level of development.
• Parent partnerships are good. The setting is part of a local community and run by a small committee. Parents commend the setting on its loving and nurturing environment. They say this has a positive impact on their children's well-being, and because of this they are developing their language and social skills in preparation for school.
• Leaders value their staff, most of whom are long standing and work well together. They know the importance of having well-trained staff and the impact it can have on children's outcomes. Leaders provide staff with feedback and pair more inexperienced members with more experienced ones to offer them support and good modelling. They organise training that supports the needs of the children they currently have. For example, staff have recently completed behaviour and sensory training as a team.
• Staff have high expectations of all children. They support even the youngest children to use 'kind hands' and 'kind words'. Staff teach children how to share, take turns and use such things as sand timers to support children further when they find this difficult. They develop children's understanding of fairness and democracy. For example, staff ask children to vote on which story they would like to hear at group time.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills very well. At story times, they read to children in an exciting manner and introduce them to new vocabulary. For example, when children explore shells, staff talk about how they feel and introduce new words such as 'bumpy' and 'smooth'. However, sometimes, staff do not always consider the noise level in the room or the noise of other children playing, which impacts on children not being able to concentrate fully and get the most out of the experience.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the ways in which children's learning is sequenced in order for them to have a sense of achievement and get the most out of every experience
• consider the environment and the way in which things are presented to children to allow them to fully concentrate on their learning.