Acorn Child Care UK

Acorn Child Care UK Headlands Primary School, Bushland Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 2NS

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 17 May 2016 18 January 2010

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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 management team and staff work exceptionally well together. They share an enthusiastic commitment to ensuring that children and their families receive the highest-quality care and learning opportunities. Parents welcome the excellent quality care and support their children receive.  The management team has high expectations of staff. There is a strong commitment to ensuring that staff are provided with opportunities to continue to develop their practice and raise outcomes for children.  Children receive consistently high-quality teaching during all their play and activities. All staff know the children very well and respond to their individually preferred ways of learning.  Planning and assessment arrangements precisely focus on every child's individual needs. Excellent use is made of the information gathered during home visits prior to children attending the nursery. This helps initial planning to be sharply focused and to

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This provision is outstanding

support all children.  Children enjoy secure attachments with staff. Their individual care needs are extremely well met. Children who have special educational needs or disability receive precisely tailored support.  Children are very happy, highly motivated and are developing independence skills. They are able to make choices over their activities from the extensive range of resources which are easily available to them, both inside and outdoors.  Children's excellent behaviour is reinforced by positive praise from the staff. Children are helped to understand the importance of using good manners and to show care, respect and tolerance towards each other. They are learning to share and take turns when playing together.

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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

 explore further ways to provide parents with ideas and guidance about how they can continue to support their children's learning at home.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities inside and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery's deputy manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager and deputy manager. She looked at relevant documentation, such as the nursery's self-evaluation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to a small number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The managers are inspirational leaders. Their passion and vision are shared by an experienced staff team. The highly effective and rigorous recruitment procedures ensure that the best possible staff are employed. Policies and procedures are comprehensive and are routinely reviewed to reflect changes to practice. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have a secure understanding of how to manage any safeguarding concerns and update their training regularly. The reflective and evaluative culture of the nursery ensures that the views of children, parents, staff and other professionals are taken into account to identify areas that could be improved. The management team is currently considering ways to provide parents with more ideas for how they can help their children learn during everyday activities at home. Parents are kept up to date with the progress that their children are making.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

The quality of teaching throughout the nursery is exceptional. Staff skilfully interact with the children. They carefully watch and listen. Staff ask highly pertinent questions to develop children's thinking skills. For example, staff play alongside children in the mud kitchen. They discuss the quantities of bark and water needed to make 'strawberry cookies'. Young babies snuggle up to staff and enjoy looking at a book with pictures of farm animals. They smile as staff mimic the noises that the animals make. Older children start to learn the sounds of the letters in short words during small-group activities. Staff work diligently to support children's speaking and listening skills. Their experience and knowledge ensures that they recognise when a child is not achieving as well as they might and they quickly and expertly implement additional support.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children settle into the nursery very quickly. Managers understand that children's emotional well-being is extremely important. A phased induction is offered over a two- week period, initially with parents and gradually working towards children staying on their own. All children are highly valued and receive a very warm welcome on arrival. Younger children are especially nurtured and rapidly adapt to the environment with sensitive support. Children are encouraged to do things for themselves. A bowl of fruit is freely available for children's snack in the pre-school room so that they can prepare the fruit of their choice. Staff are working hard to encourage children to develop a healthy lifestyle. They have lots of opportunities to climb, balance and run around in the fresh air. Meals provided are healthy and nutritious and children talk about food that makes them strong.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Staff plan an extensive variety of play experiences that challenge, inspire and capture children's interests. Children flourish in this stimulating and exciting learning environment. They are engaged, confident and independent learners and are making exceptional progress from their initial starting points. All children are developing the skills that they will need to progress to the next stage in their learning or move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 220111 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 854537 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 0 - 11 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 98 Name of registered person Acorn Childcare (UK)

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2010 Telephone number 01604 415362

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reference number

Acorn Child Care UK was registered in 1992. The nursery employs 35 members of childcare staff. Of these, 23 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3, 5 or 6, including two who hold early years professional status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, apart from Christmas and bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who have special educational needs or disability.

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reference number

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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reference number

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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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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

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