Curious Caterpillars Day Nursery

Curious Caterpillars Day Nursery Downfield Lodge, Downfield Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4HL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 18 March 2016 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is good

 Staff are extremely kind and sensitive to children. They take time to settle children into the nursery and make sure their care needs are met very well. Children's emotional and physical well-being flourish.  Children thrive in the well-planned, stimulating learning environment, making good developmental progress. Parents are very happy with the care and development information shared with them, and the clear communication they have with the staff.  Staff teaching is consistently good, and some in the baby unit and pre-school is outstanding. All children, including those learning English as an additional language, make good progress from their starting points, ready for their next stage in learning.  The highly committed manager ensures that partnerships with parents and other professionals are successful. Children developing at less than typical levels benefit greatly from the effective communication and joint working.

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This provision is good

 Staff are excellent role models with high expectations, using praise when children behave well. They teach children to value and respect others' views and feelings.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Staff working with children aged two years do not always make the most of every opportunity to extend children's language, learning and thinking skills during their play activities.  Very occasionally, staff do not provide opportunities for older children to fully develop their interest in letters and their sounds, to promote further children's early literacy skills.

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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

 improve the quality of staff's interaction with the younger children during activities, to extend children's learning and help them make the best possible progress  increase opportunities for the older children to extend their early literacy skills.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed interactions between staff and children, and the impact these have on children's learning, in the playrooms and outdoors.  The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager.  The inspector examined a range of documentation, including children's records, staff planning, risk assessments, policies and recruitment procedures.  The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents.  The inspector checked evidence of staff suitability to work with children and their qualifications.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The dedicated manager is committed to continually improving the provision and keeping children safe. She checks all staff to ensure they are suitable for their role. Staff attend child protection training and know what to do if there is a concern about a child's welfare. Safeguarding is effective. The manager implements improvement plans well, using the views of staff and parents, and quality improvement tools, for example. She has recently introduced a new system to track the progress children make, to help identify and target any gaps in teaching and learning. Recent training has resulted in the provision of dens and areas in the outdoor environment, to help promote children's imagination and communication skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff use accurate assessments and children's interests to plan stimulating activities that keep children engaged for long periods. Overall, staff promote most children's communication and language skills well. For example, staff in the pre-school room use prompts and questions to extend children's thinking, and talk to them during activities. Staff working with babies repeat words back to them to help develop their speaking skills. However, teaching in the room for children aged two years is not consistently of the highest standard. Children learn about mathematical concepts, including simple calculations. For example, staff introduced simple sums as older children counted a variety of toy animals and compared their size, weight and height. Staff extended learning by discussing where the animals might live and where they might find the food they need to stay healthy.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children build extremely strong relationships with staff, who use exceptional settling-in procedures to help children and babies to feel safe. All staff provide high standards of care and hygiene, alongside excellent opportunities for children to be independent. For example, children relish making decisions about 'classroom rules' and taking supervised risks during physically challenging activities in the very well-resourced outdoor spaces. All staff are extremely sensitive to children's emotional well-being and are quick to respond to their needs, including with a smile and a warm embrace.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop strong social, communication and physical skills. They behave well and demonstrate an excellent ability to keep themselves and others safe. Babies are curious and eager to explore. Children enjoy literacy activities, such as stories and practising their early writing skills. They gain a good understanding of mathematical concepts and enjoy many opportunities to practise their numeracy skills. They use technology with confidence. Children move confidently on to the next stage in their learning and school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY488416 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 1010063 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 55 Number of children on roll 96 Name of provider Curious Caterpillars Limited Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01453 750957

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Setting details

Curious Caterpillars Day Nursery registered in 2015. It is based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. The nursery opens for 51 weeks of the year, from 7.30am to 6pm on weekdays. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. A total of 15 staff are employed to work directly with the children. Of these, two hold Early Years Professional Status, two hold relevant early years degrees and four hold qualifications at level 3.

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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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