Cramlington Kids Club Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm, welcoming environment for children. Children arrive happy and settle well. They form secure attachments with staff. There is thorough and sensitive support in place for all children and in particular for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with other professionals who are involved with the children. They put in place shared strategies to help children make the best possible progress.

Children enjoy a wide variety of engaging experiences. Staff plan a broad curriculum that supports children's interests and helps them develop new ones. For instance, toddlers learn about the importance of cleaning their teeth. They practise cleaning teeth as they use a toothbrush and paste on the toy dinosaurs, which is a particular interest at the moment. Older children are prepared well for their move to school. Staff ensure that children can count to 10 and backwards. Children learn the names of shapes and how to recognise them. For example, they count how many sides and corners a shape has.

Children's behaviour is good. Staff have high expectations for their behaviour and are good role models. They praise children for their efforts. Staff encourage children to share the resources. They give gentle reminders about whether children should use loud voices.

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

• The management team and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to put in place any necessary changes. They have consulted the local authority early years team, who have provided input. For example, they have observed staff's interactions with children and provided feedback on how staff communicate with children. Staff have also attended training on language development.
• Staff understand the curriculum well. They provide opportunities for children to enhance their skills. For example, in preparation for writing, staff use activities involving children picking up small items with pincers, which they sort into different colour groups. This helps to develop children's fine motor skills in preparation to hold a pencil correctly.
• The provider and manager focus on improving staff knowledge of learning and development. There are effective systems of supervision and support for staff. They provide staff with regular opportunities to update their skills and knowledge. Staff are enthusiastic about working in the setting. They state that management support their well-being and staff retention is good.
• Staff promote children's communication and language skills. They use open questions that encourage children to work things out for themselves. Staff model language and the correct way to say words. For example, they use words during children's play, such as 'squeeze'. Children develop a love of books. They enjoy sitting with a member of staff and listening to a story or talking about the pictures. This helps to develop children's communication skills.
• Management and staff are highly committed to making continual improvements. Each room has a budget each month to put towards any improvements they want to make. For instance, baby room staff plan to develop their sensory garden outside, where they have herbs planted. This is so that all children will be able to access the experience, no matter their abilities.
• Staff make sure that children can sleep during the day in a calm environment. However, not all children are laid flat to promote the safest position for sleeping.
• Staff develop good relationships with parents. Parents access the online application that shares what their children have been doing. They can add their own updates from home. When children start at the setting, staff ask parents to contribute to the baseline assessment of their child's development. Staff review this after six weeks, so they can check on the progress children make. However, the setting has not considered how they can inform parents and raise children's knowledge about safety when using the internet at home.
• Children's progression through the nursery is managed well. For example, staff recognise when transition periods, such as moving rooms, may affect children's development. Children have visits to the next room and spend time there. This helps them to confidently move through the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review how young children sleep so that all children have the opportunity to lie flat for their sleep
• develop information sharing with parents and raise children's understanding of the risks associated with using the internet.