Elmstead Nursery Ltd

Elmstead Nursery Ltd Elmcroft, Holly Way,Elmstead Market, COLCHESTER, Essex, CO7 7YQ

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 8 December 2015 23 September 2011

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is excellent. The extremely well-qualified manager works alongside the staff, modelling and coaching them to constantly improve practice. Rigorous, ongoing training ensures that the staff's knowledge is kept up to date and individual professional development is valued.  Staff know the children exceedingly well. They provide rich, varied and imaginative experiences based on children's interests and enthusiasms, both indoors and outside.  Children are all highly motivated, eager to explore and develop a real thirst for learning. They are exceptionally well prepared for future learning and starting school. Children quickly become independent in their self-care, communicate with confidence and have very good social skills.  Children are exceptionally content and happy as they enjoy the secure and affectionate attachments they have formed with their key persons and the other staff.

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This provision is outstanding

 Children have outstanding opportunities to think and learn about staying safe in a wide variety of situations. Children behave extremely well as they listen and discuss the safety rules when cooking. They also show maturity and confidence when talking to their friends about important hygiene routines.  Partnerships with parents are extremely good. Parents are extremely well informed about their children's progress. Wide ranging and innovative methods are successfully used to engage parents in their children's learning. Parents say they are delighted with the quality of education. They speak about the great warmth and care the staff show for their children.  Staff have established excellent links with the host school and other local primary schools so that there is a very smooth transfer when children start full-time education.

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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 further on children's already excellent progress, by continually enhancing teaching strategies, particularly in relation to supporting the needs of children who have the potential to surpass the expectations for their age and stage of development.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff and children.  The inspector viewed a sample of children's development records.  The inspector reviewed evidence of the suitability and qualifications of the staff, self- evaluation, risk assessment and policies and procedures.  The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to on the day and from their responses to surveys organised by the nursery.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The manager and staff team place children at the centre of their practice and are extremely proactive in ensuring that their needs are given the utmost priority. Arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff confidently explain their child protection responsibilities. All the required documentation that promotes the safe and efficient management of the nursery is meticulously maintained. Detailed risk assessments and welfare audits by the manager contribute significantly to children's safety. Staff, parents and children are constantly involved in the in-depth self-evaluation of the nursery. This ensures that actions for improvement are extremely well targeted and always highly ambitious. Monitoring of children's progress is extremely thorough to make absolutely sure that no child gets left behind. The manager pays a high level of attention to checking the achievements of each individual child and also the progress of different groups of children.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The staff team have developed very effective channels of communication with other specialists to develop a joint approach to supporting disabled children and those with special educational needs.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children are strongly supported to ensure they have fun as they learn and make as much progress as they possibly can. Planning and assessments are precise, sharply focused on each child's needs and effectively shared with all staff and parents. Staff consistently support children in developing their communication and language skills. They are given time to think and negotiate, which helps them to explore their own ideas. Children who speak English as an additional language are given extra support to make particularly good progress. Children play imaginatively as they become engaged in storytelling and enthusiastically practise their roles for the Christmas concert. The outdoor environment is exceptionally well used to provide many opportunities for children to explore, experiment and develop their physical skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children arrive enthusiastically, ready to play and learn. They independently help themselves to resources that support and extend their play and learning. Staff are extremely good role models and play alongside children helping them to be kind, share and take turns. This helps children to form strong attachments with their friends. The nursery makes superb use of the knowledge and skills of parents to help children understand about diversity and the wider world. Children learn that other children have different family traditions and sometimes speak different languages.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

All children make excellent progress and rapidly develop the skills they need in readiness for starting school. Some children demonstrate they have the potential to surpass expectations for their age and stage of development. The manager recognises that there is room to enhance further the expertise of staff. This is to ensure they can inspire these more-able children to constantly rise to the challenges presented to them.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 650062 Local authority Essex Inspection number 869509 Type of provision Sessional provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 26 Number of children on roll 39 Name of provider Elmstead Nursery Limited Date of previous inspection 23 September 2011 Telephone number 01206 827583

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Setting details

Elmstead Nursery Ltd was registered in 2000 and is run by a limited company with charitable status. The nursery employs seven members of childcare staff. Of these, four staff hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one member of staff holds a qualification at level 2. The manager holds Qualified Teacher Status and has a Masters degree in Early Years Professional Practice. The nursery also employs an administrator. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, during school term times. Opening times are from 9am until 3.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who speak English as an additional language, disabled children and those with special educational needs.

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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

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Setting details

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