Sandhills Day Nursery, Alvechurch

Sandhills Day Nursery 49 Swan Street, Alvechurch, Birmingham, West Midlands, B48 7RR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 13 May 2015 11 March 2009

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

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

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

The setting meets legal requirements for early years settings

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This provision is outstanding

 High priority is given to protecting and safeguarding the welfare of children. Staff meticulously follow excellent practices and procedures, and these promote children's safety and well-being very successfully.  Leadership in the nursery is inspirational. The continual drive for improvement, alongside a well-considered programme of professional development, means that staff are constantly enhancing their skills, knowledge and practice.  Staff provide an excellent range of high-quality learning experiences for children. As a result, children are highly motivated, eager to explore and make rapid progress in relation to their starting points.  Children spend lots of quality time outdoors. The outdoor environment is exciting, spacious, resourced well and effectively used. Consequently, children receive plenty of opportunities to experience nature and explore, and their physical skills and muscle strength are greatly enhanced.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children's emotional well-being is afforded the utmost priority by a truly caring staff team. Staff maintain successful partnerships with parents and other professionals. Consequently, there is a consistent and effectively targeted approach to meeting children's individual needs and preparing them for school and future life.  Children behave extremely well in relation to their age and stage of development. Staff have very high expectations for children's behaviour and apply rules and boundaries consistently and sensitively. Consequently, children quickly understand what is acceptable. They learn to treat property and people with care and respect.  Parents hold the nursery in very high regard. In particular, they comment on the friendliness of staff and how happy their children are to attend the nursery.

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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

 build on the excellent methods currently used to review and continually improve the overall quality and effectiveness of the nursery, for example, by encouraging staff to reflect more precisely on how well resources are organised and used to meet the needs of children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the nursery with one of the managers.  The inspector observed activities and spoke with the provider, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at a sample of policies, children's records and planning documentation.  The inspector conducted a joint observation with the provider.  The inspector checked evidence of the suitability and qualifications of staff working with children and viewed the setting's self-evaluation form.  The inspector took account of the views of children, staff and parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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who attend. This is outstanding

The quality of teaching is outstanding. Staff successfully build on the many learning opportunities that arise through children's interests, daily routines and everyday conversations. Staff working with babies and toddlers have made books that include images of family members and characters from their favourite television programmes. These books inspire children to communicate and help them to settle into the nursery environment. Staff working in the pre-school room regularly use highly effective teaching methods to inspire children to think and solve problems. For example, a group of children play with a selection of plastic animals by a water and sand tray, and a member of staff sits alongside them. She encourages children to sort the animals by size and to consider whether they live on land or in the sea. She asks children to predict whether the animals will float or sink when placed in the water tray and to think about why this might happen.

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who attend. This is outstanding

Children engage in the activity with enthusiasm and are keen to learn, test out new skills and express their ideas. Consequently, they develop into very confident learners and communicators, and are well prepared for school and future life.

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outstanding

Children are very happy and settled. Relationships between staff and children are excellent. The superb key-person system effectively promotes children's well-being. Babies and toddlers eagerly explore the resources and activities in their rooms, safe in the knowledge that familiar staff are nearby. Pre-school children display excellent manners and show high levels of confidence and independence. Staff ask pre-school children to assist with simple tasks, such as laying the table for lunch, and they are keen to help. Staff acknowledge children's efforts and cooperation. This successfully promotes children's self-esteem and sense of responsibility. The nursery is maintained to a very high standard of safety and cleanliness. Adults follow excellent hygiene practices, for example, in relation to nappy changing and food preparation. Children routinely clean their hands before eating and staff remind them why this is important. Staff show an excellent understanding

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outstanding

of their safeguarding responsibilities. All required documentation is meticulously maintained and visitors to the nursery are closely supervised.

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provision is outstanding

Leaders and managers fully understand their roles and legal responsibilities. Through their dedication and infectious enthusiasm, they inspire a highly motivated and cohesive staff team. Qualified and experienced staff successfully mentor those who are working towards childcare qualifications. Effective supervision arrangements ensure that areas for staff training and development are successfully identified and actions plans are agreed. Reflective practice is ongoing at all levels. The views of staff, parents and children are actively sought and used well to set realistic targets for improvement. Nevertheless, there is scope to build on existing high standards, for example, by encouraging staff to reflect more precisely on how well the learning environment is organised and used.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY314384 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 862167 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 75 Number of children on roll 106 Name of provider Sandhills Limited Date of previous inspection 11 March 2009 Telephone number 0121 445 1478

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Setting details

Sandhills Day Nursery was registered in 2005. The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, 19 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one at level 2. One of the owners is a qualified teacher and holds Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, with the exception of public holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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