Fair Start Nursery

Fair Start Nursery Adult Learning & Leisure, Burnham & Highbridge, 6 Princess Street, Burnham-on- Sea, Somerset, TA8 1EH

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 3 May 2018 17 December 2014

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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

 Children are confident, with good self-esteem. The very effective key-person system and settling-in procedures support them well. They quickly develop good relationships with staff and make friends with other children, showing they feel emotionally secure.  Children make good progress, relative to their starting points. Changes to systems of observation and assessment mean that parents can more easily access their children's learning records and are beginning to add comments about learning at home. Staff value this information, using it in the assessment and planning process.  Effective self-evaluation helps the manager prioritise improvements that support good- quality outcomes for children. For example, her tracking of children's progress showed gaps in their learning in mathematics. Following training, staff now thread number, shape, space and measure through most activities, extending children's knowledge

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 Although children are well behaved overall, weaknesses in how staff organise some routines lead to occasional lapses in children's behaviour. In particular, during transition times, such as when splitting the large group for circle time and when lining up to come indoors. Some staff deal with these lapses more effectively than others do.  Resources to encourage children to practise their early writing skills in independent play are not consistently accessible to them. For example, children wanting to write during role play gave up when they found many of the pencils were too blunt to make a mark.

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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

 develop a more consistent approach with staff to managing children's behaviour during daily routines, particularly during transitions  improve children's access to writing and mark-making resources so they can use these independently, to further support their developing literacy.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager, staff, parents and children.  The inspector and the manager discussed their observations of staff practice.  The inspector observed learning activities, indoors and outside.  The inspector sampled documents and records, including safeguarding policies and procedures, and children's progress records.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

The manager and her co-director support staff well and encourage them to continue to develop their knowledge through training, professional networks and using online resources. For example, staff completed training to develop their understanding of the different types of non-verbal communication children use. This was in response to the increase in children who, on entry, have some speech delay. The manager identifies how this has benefitted all children and, in particular, the younger ones who are still learning the language to express their feelings. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures and know what action to take if they have any child protection concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan a good variety of activities that, overall, interests children and challenges them well. Good communication means all staff have a good knowledge of each child's learning plan. They use their knowledge particularly effectively to extend children's learning when unplanned opportunities arise. For example, when children incorrectly identified rectangles as squares, staff encouraged them to compare the shapes and identify the differences, and to look for these in their surroundings. Staff use technology very well to extend children's learning, particularly older children. For example, when children wanted to find out more about snails, staff helped them find videos on the computer. Children were fascinated to find out that snails have very sharp teeth, as they had not seen these on snails they had looked at with magnifying glasses.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children enjoy good activities that develop their large and small motor skills, indoors and outside. For example, they used the soft-play equipment and giant shapes to build a house. They worked together very well as they lifted the objects and stretched to put them in place. Younger children made rubbings of trees in the garden, helping to develop the skills they will need later for controlling a pencil and writing. Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support. Staff work well with other professionals, sharing information effectively to plan for future progress.

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Outcomes for children are good

Overall, children learn good skills that prepare them well for their next stage in learning, including going to school. They use their existing knowledge well to work out how to do things for themselves. For example, when making a model figure, older children reasoned that, although there were four possible holes where arms could fit, only two were correct because 'people have two arms'. Younger children were very specific about what they did and did not want staff's help with while they dressed up in superhero costumes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY367869 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 1070958 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 2 - 4 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 39 Name of registered person Fair Start Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 17 December 2014 Telephone number 01278 795165

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reference number

Fair Start Nursery opened in 1991 and re-registered in 2007. It is privately owned by two directors. The nursery is in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery opens from 8.45am to 4pm each weekday during term time. There are seven members of staff working with children. The manager, who is also a director, holds an early years qualification at level 3, as do three more members of staff. Two members of staff have early years qualifications at level 2.

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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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