Highbury Lodge Day Nursery

Highbury Lodge Day Nursery 11 Highbury Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 9RW

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19 December 2017 7 August 2013

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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

 Staff work with the managers in an inspirational partnership to track children's progress. All children benefit from prompt support and educational programmes that are tailored exceptionally well to their learning needs and interests. As a result, children thrive.  Teaching is outstanding. Staff encourage babies to use their bodies to make marks in flour on the floor. They explore walking on different surfaces for an activity. Staff provide a garden centre area for toddlers to look after as part of an eco-project. This helps them to learn about protecting the environment. All children make exceptional progress.  Staff are inspirational teachers. Activities are highly stimulating and children are very eager to learn. Toddlers enjoy pretending to be their favourite book characters, jumping in mud puddles and creating 'stick families' while learning about size. Pre-school children show advanced skills as they read independently.

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This provision is outstanding

 Partnerships with parents are exceptional across the nursery. Staff and parents share detailed information about children's well-being. They know children tremendously well and are successful in ensuring that they are comfortable and settle in rapidly.  All areas of the nursery, activities and routines are risk assessed in meticulous detail by staff and managers. Staff are deployed very effectively to supervise children, who are extremely confident in demonstrating that they feel safe. Children develop personal safety awareness and learn to analyse risks as part of their outstanding learning.

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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

 continue to explore further innovative ways to overcome barriers in obtaining information from all other settings that children attend to build even more on the already outstanding partnerships.

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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 children and staff during the inspection.  The inspector and the manager completed joint observations of activities with children in each age group.  The inspector held meetings with the manager and her line managers. She looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability, qualifications and training of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection and took account of their views through written feedback.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

Safeguarding is effective. Staff attend safeguarding training and have a deep understanding of child protection. They clearly know the steps to follow should concerns arise about a child or other adults. The manager is highly successful in supervising staff's teaching practice. She provides them with excellent training opportunities to continue their professional development. The team is relentless in their pursuit of excellence. They intend to explore further innovative ways to obtain detailed information about children's ongoing learning from all other settings that they attend. The inspiring reflective practice involves staff, parents and children, who fully benefit from the outstanding services.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Well-qualified staff maintain comprehensive assessments of children's skills. They use their proficient knowledge of children's developmental needs and interests for their exceptional planning of activities. Babies explore ways to use a ramp and analyse with staff why some Christmas ornaments roll down the ramp and others do not. Toddlers enjoy a science experiment. They compare different pieces of ice and learn how the heat from their hands melts the ice. Pre-school children learn about their community and the world. They analyse maps, research in books and create displays about other countries and cultures. Children make incredible progress across all areas of learning.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff are superb role models. They are very caring and attentive towards children. Children build very close bonds with staff, who listen to their voices. Children are extremely confident in sharing their views and asking for help. Staff work with parents exceptionally well to manage children's behaviour and have superb strategies in place that involve children in learning alongside each other. Pre-school children are elected as helpers and they help staff to monitor how everyone keeps safe in the room. All children's behaviour is exemplary. Children are extremely independent and expertly manage their self-care needs. They know about healthy living and enjoy nutritious meals.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children learn through play. They lead their own learning with the outstanding range of resources available and enjoy plenty of amazing interactions with the talented staff. Children take part in extremely engaging and well-resourced reading sessions. They sing and enjoy mark making in all rooms throughout the day. Children have exceptional opportunities to develop early literacy skills. They play imaginatively and enjoy exploring exciting role-play areas. All children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make exceptional progress. They are developing important skills in readiness for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 146741 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 1119371 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 83 Number of children on roll 121 Name of registered person Childbase Partnership Limited

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 August 2013 Telephone number 01462 434317

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reference number

Highbury Lodge Day Nursery registered in 2000. The nursery employs 44 members of childcare staff. Of these, 23 hold appropriate early years qualification at level 3 or above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6.30pm. 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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