Camrose Early Years Centre for Children & Families

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

All children are valued at this setting.

Adults know the children very well and treat each one as an individual, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They find out about children's particular interests at home such as their love of American football or aeroplanes. Important information is passed on so that children's new teachers know the right way to help them to settle quickly into school.

Children thoroughly enjoy playing together in the large sandpit. They learn to avoid each other when riding bikes. When children fall out, adults talk to them about having 'kind hands'.

Adults help children to begin to understand how ...their actions can upset another child. Sometimes, when children are in groups, adults give them the reminders that they need to learn to share and take turns. At other times, these routines are not clear enough.

When this happens, opportunities for everyone to learn are lost.

Parents say that the school is 'amazing'. They praise the warm welcome that the children get and say that their children feel safe.

Some adults skilfully use conversation to develop children's language and extend their learning. Not all children consistently benefit from this.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the last inspection, much work has taken place to develop a new, sequenced approach.

The curriculum is new and work to implement it is not yet complete. Staff are now beginning to use the curriculum to identify children who need more help to listen well, for example.

The school wants all children to be able to express their wants, needs and interests.

Sometimes, the activities that adults plan enable children to learn new words. For example, children are new to English learn to 'pinch, pinch, pinch' the seeds before they put them in the soil. At other times, adults help children to use the words that they know to control play, such as 'Stop! Don't pour!' when they are playing with full buckets of water in the sandpit.

However, not all adults deeply understand how to develop children's language as they play. Some children miss out on learning as a result of this.

The school supports children with SEND well.

Targets are in place which clearly identify children's next steps. Adults make sure that children learn alongside their peers wherever possible. The new area in the 'poppies room' provides a quieter space for children to play in smaller groups.

Here, children get plenty of opportunities to practice explaining what they want and taking turns.

Children's sense of awe and wonder is developed through discussion about what they have spotted, such as the spiral shape of a snail's shell. Sometimes, adults thoughtfully use resources to help children develop their interest in a story.

At other times, group activities are not organised as well. Expectations about how children should behave during group times in particular are not yet embedded. This means that at times they interrupt each other's learning.

Children learn to respect and value different cultures. Parents share their own Easter traditions with children. Staff find out more about different celebrations of spring so that every child can feel included.

Families say that the school supports them really well. Staff provide a listening ear and active support for families who are experiencing challenging times. The school works hard to help all families understand the importance of sending their child to nursery every day.

Governors have supported leaders well during difficult times. Together with leaders they have improved staff morale during a period of significant change. Staff feel that they 'are invested in'.

They say that their opinions are listened to and that things change as a result. The school is putting in place the right training for staff. Governors and leaders rightly recognise that more still needs to be done to ensure that all staff understand the curriculum well and precisely how to implement it.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A new, sequenced curriculum has been developed. However, this is at an early stage of implementation.

The school should continue to support staff as they put this into practice to ensure that everyone understands exactly what knowledge children should learn at different stages of their journey through the setting. The school should continue to specify their expectations of what children should learn through the activities which they choose or which are planned for them. ? Not all staff have the pedagogical and subject knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum well.

This means that they do not always understand how or when to intervene and enable children to build their knowledge securely. The school should continue to provide opportunities for professional development and check that staff are implementing the curriculum according to the school's vision. ? Routines are not consistently well established.

Adults' expectations of children are not always clear. Children do not always get the chances that they need to practice listening or taking turns in group situations. When this is the case, children's behaviour impacts on others.

Opportunities for learning are lost. The school should ensure that there is a shared understanding of routines and expectations. The school should make sure that this is consistently implemented so that all children learn how to live and learn well together.

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