Sandringham Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies and children are exceptionally happy, safe and settled in a nurturing environment within this day care in the school community. They benefit from consistent routines, excellent care and a highly skilled and dedicated staff team. Children form secure attachments with their key persons, who know them well and respond with sensitivity. For example, staff warmly support children who have newly started to settle through gradual visits, close supervision and play-based reassurance. Babies thrive in homely and stimulating spaces, such as the sensory room and soft play. Staff use these areas to promote children's independence and early physical development. Staff consistently model exemplary behaviour and set high expectations. They use positive praise to celebrate children's kindness and maturity. For example, when older children include younger ones in their play and offer them support, staff highlight and reinforce these moments. This approach nurtures respect, empathy and cooperation across the setting. As a result, children demonstrate excellent behaviour.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive swift and targeted support through close partnerships with parents and carers, the school leadership team and external agencies. This ensures that children make exceptionally strong progress from their starting points in development. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, shaped by children's interests and developmental needs. From making pizzas to exploring the mud kitchen, staff skilfully extend children's learning, develop their communication and build their problem-solving skills. Staff use high-quality resources, indoors and outdoors, to inspire children's curiosity and imaginations. Children grow into confident, independent and resilient learners. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

• Partnerships with parents are outstanding. Staff share daily updates and strategies for children's learning at home. This ensures continuity between home and the setting. Parents praise staff for skilled support that builds their children's confidence, independence and emotional regulation. As a result, children make excellent progress and families feel fully involved in their learning journey.
• The caring and dedicated staff team follow robust transition procedures that support children's emotional well-being effectively. Staff provide extended settling-in sessions and maintain strong communication with parents. Older children are exceptionally well prepared for school through carefully planned activities that build their confidence and independence. As a result, babies and children settle quickly, manage change positively and move on to the next stage of their learning with confidence.
• Staff expertly plan learning around what children know, enjoy and need to learn next. They extend children's progress through play. Staff enrich children's language by introducing new vocabulary and prioritise stories, songs and rhymes to promote communication skills. For example, during music sessions, children and babies confidently select songs, join in with actions and use British Sign Language consistently. As a result, children develop excellent language, confidence and curiosity.
• Skilled staff extend children's literacy by embedding meaningful opportunities for reading, writing and mark making throughout the day. During a pizza-making activity, staff model the safe use of knives. They give clear and step-by-step guidance, strengthening children's fine motor control and independence. Through consistent language modelling, purposeful questioning and praise, children are motivated to explore letters, sounds and marks. As a result, they grow in confidence, sustain high engagement and make exceptional progress in early literacy.
• Staff use the outdoor environment to inspire children's curiosity, imaginations and focus. Children plant herbs and vegetables, observe how weather helps them grow and learn simple foraging for cooking activities. Staff plan these experiences to reinforce children's understanding of healthy eating, sustainability and respect for nature. Staff model language, encourage turn-taking and celebrate cooperation. As a result, children are emotionally secure, behave exceptionally well and develop independence with a strong understanding of the world.
• Staff adeptly promote children's physical development through purposeful opportunities. Babies are encouraged to crawl, cruise and take first steps with praise and support. Outdoors, older children climb, balance and tackle obstacle courses, with staff purposefully extending their skills. Children use sports activities, bicycles and soft play to further strengthen their coordination and resilience. As a result, children show exceptional confidence and physical competence.
• Managers promote an outstanding culture of continuous improvement. They review and monitor practice, provide targeted training and work closely with the school's leadership team and external professionals. Staff speak highly of the exceptional support they receive. They note that the training and guidance they receive directly strengthens their practice. As a result, children consistently benefit from high-quality care and learning, and staff feel motivated and valued.