Squirrels Day Nursery

Squirrels Day Nursery Hatfield Community Free School, Briars Lane, HATFIELD, Hertfordshire, AL10 8ES

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 July 2017 27 April 2015

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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

 Children thrive in the nursery. Their well-being and sense of belonging are promoted to a very high level. The strong bonds with staff support children extremely well.  Children make excellent progress in their learning. Staff have an exceptional knowledge of children's individual strengths and know how to use these to help them develop further skills. Staff expertly help children to recall things they have already learnt and to apply their knowledge to new situations.  Staff provide exceptional support for children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They have attended training to help extend their knowledge and understanding of how to support children's individual needs, including speech and language delay. They put their training into practice extremely successfully, helping to close any gaps in children's learning.  The management team successfully monitors practice throughout the nursery and

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This provision is outstanding

supports staff to achieve their goals to enhance their teaching to the highest level.  All staff help to evaluate the quality of the provision. They take responsibility for bringing about sustained improvements that continually enrich outcomes for all 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

 build on the already excellent partnership working with parents to offer even more support for them to promote children's learning at home.

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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 spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation with the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting with the nursery manager. She looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Managers are highly organised and motivated to achieve the highest standards across the nursery. Safeguarding is effective. Staff use their training and experience to support families and to identify concerns about children's well-being. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings with the manager. They use the feedback from observations of their practice and their own reflections to identify areas for development. The manager makes sure that training is completed and implemented successfully. Parents speak highly of the staff and the varied experiences they offer children each day. Parents make extremely effective use of the online learning record to see their children's progress. They are rapidly beginning to embrace the opportunities to share children's learning at home and staff have identified the potential to enhance the support for this even further.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff use their exceptional understanding of the children's interests and needs to provide challenges and to get children to think for themselves. Even the youngest children demonstrate excellent concentration skills. The wealth of opportunities for them to participate in activities helps them to stay focused and interested. Children listen to stories and then work together on their own stories. Staff make excellent use of props to help children create and confidently tell their story to the group. The youngest children explore the resources and experiment. They use colourful crayons to make marks, building their hand control and developing their creativity. All children have superb opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills. Staff use their detailed assessments of children's learning to monitor the progress they make.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children are interested in and excited about their time at the nursery. The wealth of resources freely available to them helps children to create imaginative learning experiences of their own. Staff make very effective use of space. There are clearly defined areas, which helps children to find the things the need. Staff actively seek children's thoughts and ideas. They make sure children know they are valued and their contributions to discussions and activities are always welcomed. Children's behaviour is frequently exemplary. They understand the high expectations and quickly learn the nursery values. Children help each other to behave well and to take responsibility for tasks. Staff are excellent role models of how to behave towards others. Children's health and well-being are promoted extremely successfully, with lots of outdoor experiences.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children are extremely well prepared for learning in school. They have a keen interest in letters and letter sounds. They apply this knowledge in their play and are confident in their abilities. Children thoroughly enjoy being able to show what they know and can do. They look forward to the challenges of the next stage in their education. They have a very positive attitude about what they can achieve from a young age. Children are independent and relish the opportunities to do things for themselves.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY450036 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1095363 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 - 4 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 88 Name of registered person Squirrels Day Nurseries (Hatfield) Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 27 April 2015 Telephone number 07713485193

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reference number

Squirrels Day Nursery registered in 2012. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two with qualifications at level 6. The nursery opens from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, with the exception of bank holidays, two weeks in August and two weeks over Christmas. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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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