Castle nurseries at Montagu

Montagu Community Nursery Houghton Avenue, Cowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 3UT

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 May 2015 10 August 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

 The quality of teaching is outstanding. Staff provide an exceptional and varied range of high-quality learning experiences inside and outdoors. They accurately assess and review children's progress in their learning and development. Children make rapid progress in their learning. As a result, all children are extremely well prepared for their next stage in learning, including school.  Children are extremely happy and settled and their behaviour is exemplary. This is because staff are highly skilled and sensitive in helping all children form strong, trusting and secure emotional attachments.  Staff develop excellent partnerships with parents, who are constantly involved and very well informed about their children's progress and achievements. Parents are actively engaged in their children's learning in the nursery and at home.  Staff have an excellent understanding of how to protect children. Excellent

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This provision is outstanding

safeguarding and child protection procedures ensure all children are kept extremely safe within the nursery.  The manager expertly leads an enthusiastic staff team who are committed to delivering exemplary provision. Extremely effective systems are in place to evaluate and reflect on the quality of practice. The highly qualified and passionate staff use information exceptionally well to analyse their strengths and areas for further improvement, to enhance outcomes for 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

 enhance children's already excellent independence skills, for example, by teaching them how to prepare their own snacks and how to serve their own meals, to increase their ability to make choices and use tools safely.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the playrooms and the outdoor learning areas.  The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager and deputy manager, held discussions with staff and spoke with children at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector looked at children's development records, the nursery's self-evaluation form, evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery and a range of other records, policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to at the inspection.

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who attend. This is outstanding

The quality of teaching across all areas of learning is consistently high. Effective deployment of staff means that children are engaged in activities, challenged and make exceptionally good progress. Children are inquisitive as they investigate the resources. For example, babies explore the jelly mixture and staff provide cups, bowls and spoons so that children learn how to hold them and scoop the mixture up. Staff follow children's lead and make the most of opportunities to develop learning. Pre-school children identify their favourite superhero and draw a picture of them. Staff introduce naming the body parts children need in their picture and discuss the letter on the costume. This leads to a discussion about the letters in children's names. Staff are skilled at extending children's vocabulary. They pronounce words clearly so that young children learn how to say them. Staff use signing when talking to all children. This enables children to communicate as

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outstanding

Children receive lots of consistent praise and encouragement from staff. They learn how to share the resources and this successfully promotes their confidence and self-esteem. Children understand about self-care and personal hygiene through consistent routines, and excellent staff explanations and support. At mealtimes staff talk about the foods available and which ones children like. However, there is room to develop children's independence skills further so that they learn how to prepare snack and how to serve themselves at lunchtime. Children have daily opportunities for active play to successfully promote their developing physical skills. Children thoroughly enjoy learning how to peddle a tricycle and enthusiastically dig in the soil when they play at the mud kitchen. Children eagerly use the xylophone, strung between the trees, to explore the sounds it makes.

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provision is outstanding

The management team completes supervisions, appraisals, peer observations and staff meetings. This enables them to sharply focus evaluations of staff practice, to identify strengths and areas for further development. Staff work very closely with other professionals, such as speech and language specialists and health visitors. They all liaise regularly to focus their efforts on overcoming children's difficulties. The tracking system for children's development is sharply focused and is closely monitored by the Early Years Professional. Detailed analysis of groups of children means that any delays or gaps are swiftly identified and closed. This also links into any training needs that staff may have. For example, staff have attended training from the speech and language specialist. This has improved outcomes for children who speak English as an additional language. Staff work in partnership and communicate with other settings children attend, and schools that

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provision is outstanding

children will move on to. Teachers visit the nursery and staff visit the new setting with children. This helps to prepare children emotionally for the move when the time comes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY284370 Local authority Newcastle Inspection number 861181 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 102 Name of provider Newcastle City Council Date of previous inspection 10 August 2009 Telephone number 0191 2771783

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Setting details

Montagu Community Nursery was registered in 2004 and is situated in Newcastle upon Tyne. The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and above, including one with Early Years Professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks a year. Sessions are from 8am 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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