St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery

St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery 3 Tutts Barn Lane, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 8XT

p.1

Inspection date 2 October 2018 Previous inspection date 8 December 2015

p.1

This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2 Outcomes for children Good 2

p.1

The provision is good

n Staff plan a varied and stimulating environment. Children have exciting opportunities to explore, discover and try new things. They are inquisitive and motivated learners. n Staff support children's communication skills successfully. For example, they encourage plenty of conversation about children's interests, home lives and views. Staff show a genuine interest in what children say and actively promote their ideas and opinions. n The managers have a strong understanding of children's development. They monitor closely the progress made by all children and look in depth at specific groups, such as boys, girls and children who speak English as an additional language. All children make good progress from their starting points, regardless of their circumstances. n Caring staff show a genuine interest in the children's lives and build trusting bonds with them. Children are happy, secure and develop positive social skills and early

p.1

The provision is good

friendships. They behave well and respond positively to the consistent and gentle reminders of staff. n The manager and staff work successfully with professionals, such as speech therapists to share expertise and support children who have language delay to catch up quickly.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because:

n Occasionally, staff do not make the best use of their interactions with children to fully extend their thinking and problem-solving skills. n Staff do not make the most of all opportunities to include parents in their children's learning and encourage them to share children's achievements from home.

p.1

What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

n make the most of opportunities to fully extend children's thinking skills and to encourage them to solve problems n include parents more effectively in their children's learning and encourage them to share information consistently about their children's achievements from home.

p.2

What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector observed teaching practices and the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector held discussions with the manager, staff, children and parents. n The inspector read some of the nursery's documentation, including the safeguarding policy and procedures. n The inspector sampled children's development information and records. n The inspector completed a joint observation with the manager and discussed children's play, learning and progress.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The ambitious manager has high expectations for the children and works closely with her well qualified and experienced staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the nursery. They have recently focused on supporting children's healthy lifestyles and staff have attended various training to help improve their provision. For example, they have introduced exciting and challenging new physical equipment and held parent workshops to discuss the importance of healthy eating for children at home. The manager gives staff good support and training to help continue to develop their practice. Together, they have recently reviewed the effectiveness of the environment and discussed how to extend children's play and learning further. Safeguarding is effective. All staff attend safeguarding training and have a thorough, up-to-date understanding of how to deal with any child protection concerns. They work together well to create a safe

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff know the children well and keep accurate assessments of their development. They successfully plan an engaging environment that supports children's current interests and developmental next steps. Children enjoy creative activities very much. They pay good attention to detail as they carefully create dinosaur collages and make thoughtful choices, such as using orange card to make a carrot for the dinosaur to eat. Staff make good use of opportunities to extend children's mathematical skills. For example, as children prepare their snack, staff challenge them to count and compare amounts of fruit. Children also describe their toast as being cut in 'half' and 'quarter' and describe the shapes they see.

p.3

Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Staff are strong role models for children and set clear expectations for their behaviour. Children develop a good understanding of emotions and are consistently considerate of their friends. For example, they independently pass each other resources as they explore play dough and praise each other's creations, helping to build each other's self-esteem. Children enjoy regular exercise in the well-resourced garden and are very physically active. For example, they excitedly take part in races, as they ride balance bicycles around an outdoor track. Staff talk to children about safety rules and children confidently know to look where they are going and slow down as they turn corners.

p.3

Outcomes for children are good

Children eagerly take part in a wide range of activities and experiences and quickly gain the skills they need for their future learning. They are very imaginative and confidently take on roles in their play, such as when pretending to be pirates and hunting for treasure. Children understand technology well and enjoy using cameras to take photographs. They are curious and happily explore different scents and textures, such as when making 'potions' with herbs and spices. All children communicate well, including those who speak English as an additional language. They happily share their ideas and views.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number 507912 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10062798 Type of provision Full day care

p.4

Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Childcare on non-domestic premises Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 50 Number of children on roll 24 Name of registered person St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery School Limited

p.4

reference number

Date of previous inspection 8 December 2015 Telephone number 01323 725977

p.4

reference number

St Thomas-a-Becket Nursery registered in 1999. It is located in the grounds of St Thomas-a-Becket Infant School, in the town of Eastbourne, East Sussex. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 3pm, term time only. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 10 staff, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6.

p.4

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.

p.4

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.ofsted.gov.uk . 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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.

p.4

reference number

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.5

reference number

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

p.5

reference number

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: www.ofsted.gov.uk/user .

p.5

reference number

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

p.5