Clocktower Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff organise the environment in a way that is inviting and supports children to settle in quickly. Children leave their parents at the gate and confidently start their day. They know which room they need to go to when they arrive, and they engage in play. Children have access to a garden area where they engage in imaginative play. For example, they use herbs they have picked from the sensory garden and squash them using a potato masher. Children work together, mixing in water to make pretend potions. Staff ask the children about the leaves they have used and what the potions smell like.

Children make daily visits to the forest area that is located in the school playground, where they engage in a range of exciting activities. Staff support children to climb trees and remind them how to do this safely. Children use crates and planks of wood to build structures. Staff encourage children to work together and agree where they should put the next plank. Staff talk to children about the tomatoes they are growing and look at the plants together. They introduce new vocabulary such as 'spiky' and 'smooth'. Children remember that they must wash the tomatoes before eating them in case they have any bugs on them.

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

• The managers regularly reflect on what works well and how they can support improvements. They are committed to finding ways to ensure the day runs smoothly and staff feel supported with any changes they make.
• Newly recruited staff have regular meetings with the management team to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities. The management team meets with all staff to discuss training opportunities and provide regular feedback on practice. As a result, staff report feeling well supported in their role.
• Staff understand what they are teaching children and how to support children to develop skills they need for future learning. For example, they promote children's independence throughout the day. Children are encouraged to find their own lunch boxes and open their own pots of fruit. Staff support children who find this difficult. This helps children to learn basic skills required for when they go to school.
• The special education needs coordinator (SENCo) works with external agencies to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. The SENCo makes appropriate referrals for children who may be delayed in their learning, such as their speech and language. Staff use strategies to help support children while they wait for interventions to start. As a result, children with SEND are making good progress.
• Children spend a lot of their day outside in a designated, secure forest area. They enjoy having snacks outside and have access to a camping toilet. Staff remind children to wash their hands before they have their snack and after using the toilet. However, staff do not ensure hygiene practices are consistently followed. For example, they do not check the cleanliness of the outdoor toilet area regularly or whether there is enough water available for hand washing before children access the area.
• Children understand the need to line up in groups before making their way back to the setting at lunchtime. They know they need to hold hands as they walk across the school playground. Once inside, children find their lunch boxes and sit down to eat together. However, transitions are not organised well and disrupt children's play and learning. This has an impact on how much support children receive during these times and how engaged they are.
• Parents and grandparents are extremely happy with the care children receive. They know who their child's key worker is and what skills they are supporting their children to learn. Parents speak very highly of the setting. They describe it as a 'family' and 'homely' environment. Parents report how the management team supports both their and their children's well-being and how well they feel supported as a family.
• Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings and emotions. They ask children to think about how other children who have recently started at the setting might be feeling. Children are given time to think of ways they can help others to feel settled. This helps to promote children's personal and emotional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff understanding of their roles and responsibilities to ensure they are consistently supporting children, particularly regarding care practices
• improve the organisation of transition times, including lunchtime, to minimise disruption to children's learning and ensure children remain engaged and focused.