Pathways Day Nursery Balsall Common

Pathways Day Nursery Balsall Common Balsall Common Primary School, Balsall Street East, Balsall Common, Coventry, CV7 7FS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30 April 2015 4 February 2009

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is good

 The quality of teaching is good. All children are making good progress because they have access to a wide range of interesting and stimulating experiences that promote their learning and development.  Children's emotional well-being is promoted well because they are happy, settled and build good relationships with staff who are caring and kind.  Children have very good access to the well-resourced, stimulating outdoor space that supports their physical skills and all-round development.  Safeguarding practices are monitored effectively. Staff ensure risks are minimised and children's safety is given good consideration.  The management team are clearly motivated in driving improvements and lead a staff team who are enthusiastic about the children's care and education.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff do not always share children's next steps for learning with parents so they have greater opportunity to be more involved in their child's learning and development.  Staff have not extended monitoring of individual progress to moderate progress across different groups of children.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 extend the already good information sharing with parents by involving all of them in discussing and planning for their children's next steps in learning  build on the good monitoring of individual children's progress by expanding this to cover different groups of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the staff engaging with children in a range of indoor and outdoor learning activities.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, senior managers and staff.  The inspector looked at documentation, including a selection of policies and procedures, and the children's learning records. She also checked evidence of staff suitability and qualifications.  The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager.

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who attend. This is good

Staff regularly observe children and then plan purposeful activities that promote children's learning across all areas effectively. Children communicate well and enjoy discussions with staff throughout the day. Staff skilfully ask children questions that encourage them to think critically and make links in their learning. Children's early reading and writing skills are supported well. Children have access to a broad range of mark-making equipment, both in the indoor and outdoor environment. Staff gather important information from parents before children start at the nursery. This is used to plan relevant and challenging activities. Children are well prepared for school because they are developing a broad range of skills across all areas of learning, as a result of the good quality support offered by all staff. Parents are kept informed about children's progress and receive regular feedback about their child's activities. However, staff do not consistently involve parents in

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who attend. This is good

discussing and planning for their children's future learning.

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good

Children form good relationships with staff which help them to feel emotionally secure within the nursery. Younger children benefit from cuddles and reassurance when they are tired or feeling unwell; this promotes their emotional well-being. Children behave well as staff supervise children closely and offer gentle reminders about sharing and taking turns. Children learn self-care skills as they are encouraged to be independent and complete tasks for themselves. For example, staff encourage children to serve their own snack and pour their own drinks. Children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. They have great fun as they negotiate the balancing beams constructed with planks of wood and tyres in the garden area. Staff encourage children and share in their delight when they achieve this newly acquired skill. Staff introduce conversations during mealtimes about healthy food. Children's good health is further promoted as staff ensure

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good

that children have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day.

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provision is good

Leadership and management are strong. The management team demonstrate secure knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Most staff are well qualified and all are supported effectively in their professional development, which has a positive impact on children's progress. The manager oversees the children's developmental assessments to identify and plan for any gaps in their learning. However, this system is not yet precise enough to enable staff to focus accurately on any groups of children where progress is less than expected. Strong partnerships with the attached school are evident. Older children spend time attending the lunch club on a daily basis. Parents spoken to on the day of the inspection are extremely happy about the care and education their children receive. They say that the staff are amazing and they have supported their children well to make good progress in their learning and development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY364440 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 849664 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 43 Name of provider Pathways Nurseries and Childcare Centres Ltd Date of previous inspection 4 February 2009 Telephone number 01676 532 298

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Setting details

Pathways Day Nursery Balsall Common originally opened in 1998 and re-registered in 2001. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The provider is a qualified teacher and has Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year, from 7.30am to 6pm. A before and after school club also operates from 7.30am to 9am and 3.20pm to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two- , three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It operates from a self-contained building, located in the grounds of Balsall Common Primary School, and from registered space within the school.

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Setting details

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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Setting details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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