Cottam Nursery School

Cottam Nursery School Sandy Lane, Cottam, Preston, Lancashire PR4 0LE

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Inspection date 3 October 2018 Previous inspection date 19 November 2015

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Previous inspection: Good 2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1 Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1 Outcomes for children Outstanding 1

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The provision is outstanding

n Leaders place the highest priority on the professional development of staff. All staff receive a wide range of quality training and support. This ensures staff provide an exceptionally caring and stimulating environment for children. n Regular and precise assessments of children's individual development ensure any gaps in learning are identified quickly, necessary interventions are put in place and the most able children are highly challenged in their learning. n Children who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are provided for particularly well and make excellent progress. n Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Staff work very hard to include parents in all aspects of their children's care and learning right from the start. n Staff work closely with other settings and outside agencies involved in children's care, learning and development. This ensures continuity of learning and, where intervention

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The provision is outstanding

is necessary, specialist help is swiftly secured to meet each individual child's requirements. n The health and safety of children are at the heart of the nursery. Consequently, children are healthy, feel safe and secure and are provided with an environment in which they thrive.

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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

n monitor the impact of continued self-evaluation to maintain the already excellent quality of practice.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector held a number of meetings with the manager to assess the quality of leadership. n The inspector conducted a joint observation with the manager to assess the standard of teaching and learning. n The inspector observed the teaching and care practices of staff indoors and outdoors. n The inspector analysed relevant documentation, including evidence of staff qualifications and the suitability of staff in the nursery to work with children. n The inspector spoke to several parents and noted their comments.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

The manager has completed a substantial self-evaluation of the setting. This is used as a working document to help deliver excellent learning practices and care of the highest quality. She recognises that she needs to continue to develop this in order to maintain an outstanding environment of care and learning. The manager's enthusiasm and approachable leadership style have helped her build an extremely strong and highly skilled staff team. Robust recruitment, thorough inductions and regular appraisals ensure staff are recruited for their skills and talents and are deployed to work with the age range of children for which they are most suited. This brings out the best practice in staff and enables them to provide an exciting and interesting learning environment of the highest quality in which all children can reach their full potential. Safeguarding is effective. Staff have completed extensive training in this area, so they have a thorough

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

understanding of how to keep children safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Staff make regular and accurate checks on children's progress so they have a clear overview of where each child is at in their learning. Staff use this knowledge and their exceptional skills to consolidate children's learning and keep them engaged in extremely well-planned and purposeful activities. Children proudly display pictures they have created of themselves as they learn about how they are the same and different to others. They eagerly discuss what they have learned about autumn and help to sweep up leaves outdoors. Staff use detailed introductions to explain the purpose of an activity and provide a narrative throughout to help children understand what is happening. Staff ask children a range of meaningful questions to check their learning and encourage their recall skills.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Children's behaviour is exemplary, for example, during group activities children respectfully wait their turn to speak. Children take part in a range of interesting and educational outings, such as to the local building site where they help to build with real bricks. This helps them to learn about the wider world. Children learn about a range of festivals that are meaningful to them, such as Christmas, Easter and harvest festival. They learn about native wildlife, such as squirrels, badgers and birds, and about wildlife from other countries. This helps them learn to respect their environment and that of others. Children also learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle by eating a range of fruit and vegetables, exercising regularly, taking regular rests and drinking fresh water daily.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children make outstanding progress from their starting points. Strong links with key persons help them to settle quickly. Children socialise well, and life skills, such as independence, turn taking and sharing, are promoted particularly well within the setting. Children are being very well prepared for the next stage in their learning and their eventual move on to school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY309408 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10064153 Type of provision Full day care

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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 36 Number of children on roll 35 Name of registered person Bolton-Rigby, Sarah Louise

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 19 November 2015 Telephone number 01772 728035

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reference number

Cottam Nursery School registered in 2005. The nursery employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, five hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The manager holds a qualification at level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday term time only. Sessions are from 8am until 5pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports children who have SEN and/or disabilities.

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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.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.

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