Toybox Nursery

Toybox Nursery 8 Linden Road, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 2BH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 7 November 2017 11 March 2015

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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 Good 2

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This provision is good

 All children make good progress relative to their starting points, including those who have special educational needs (SEN). Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to make sure children receive the support they need to close any gaps in learning.  Thorough self-evaluation helps the owner and manager prioritise which improvements will benefit children the most. They listen to and respect the views of the children. For example, plans for the garden changed when children wanted to keep an uncultivated area where they could dig and play with mud, being creative and physically active.  Children show good confidence and self-esteem. The effective key-person system, coupled with good settling-in procedures, ensures that all children, particularly babies, quickly feel at home and emotionally secure.  Strong systems of observation, assessment and tracking enable the manager to quickly identify and address any gaps in learning for individuals and groups of children.

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This provision is good

 The learning environment, indoors and outdoors, is very well organised to encourage children of all ages to explore and investigate.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The manager does not successfully ensure all parents provide information about their children's achievements at home for staff to use in their assessments and planning.  Staff sometimes miss opportunities to extend children's understanding of shape, space and measure, particularly in child-initiated activities and daily routines.

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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

 encourage all parents to share information about their children's achievements at home, to include in assessments of progress and when planning for future learning  extend further children's understanding of weight, shape and measure, particularly during child-initiated activities.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager, staff, parents and children.  The inspector and the manager conducted a joint observation of a planned activity.  The inspector observed staff and children engaged in learning activities in each room and outside.  The inspector sampled required documentation, including safeguarding procedures, and talked to staff about how they would implement these procedures.  The inspector reviewed the effectiveness of systems to monitor children's progress and plan for their next steps in learning.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The provider values the knowledge and expertise of the manager and staff team, encouraging them to develop their skills further through training. The manager monitors the positive impact of new ideas on children's learning. For example, following training in making the best use of resources and recycled materials, staff stepped back and allowed children to decide how they wanted to use these. This led to children being more creative and imaginative. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff team are extremely knowledgeable about local safeguarding procedures. The setting's child protection procedures reflect these and are rigorously adhered to by staff. They are very clear about what to do if they have concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan well to ensure that all children have a good variety of learning experiences that are interesting and challenging. Overall, they make good use of opportunities to build on what children already know, to extend their learning. For example, when younger children played a magnetic fishing game, staff included some non-magnetic fish. They encouraged children to look at the differences between those their rods picked up and those they did not. Staff provide good opportunities for babies to explore and investigate. For example, they use their senses to investigate textures, sounds, and the effects of coloured lights. Staff use technology very well to extend older children's learning. For example, children using construction materials decided they wanted to build a submarine. However, some did not know what one looked like. Staff used the computer tablet with children to look at different types of submarine, to decide which one they wanted to build.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children behave very well and they enjoy opportunities for responsibility. For example, older children carefully serve the plates of food at lunchtime to younger children. Older and younger children, including babies, have lunch together. This encourages older children to be good role models, such as reminding younger ones to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children develop a good awareness of their own community and the wider world. For example, they compare local carnival traditions with those in Brazil.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children develop good skills that prepare them for their next stage in learning, including going to school. Transitions within the setting from one age group to the next are seamless because children of all ages spend time together each day and they know their key persons well. Older children learn the practical skills they will need when they go to school. For example, not just being able to change into sports kit but to manage small buttons on their shirts and to tie laces.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 142865 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1089634 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 18 Number of children on roll 36 Name of registered person The Toybox (Yeovil) Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 11 March 2015 Telephone number 01935 428244

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reference number

Toy Box Nursery registered in 1991 and is privately owned. It operates from a converted house in Yeovil, Somerset. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm all year, except for approximately two weeks over the Christmas period. The owner, who holds a qualification at level 3, employs six members of staff to work with children. The manager is qualified at level 4, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 5, two staff are qualified at level 3 and two hold qualifications at level 2. The owner also employs a cook. The nursery receives funding to provide early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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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