St Laurences CofE Primary School

Holwell Nursery School Crouch Lane, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5LP

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Inspection date 24 October 2018 Previous inspection date 7 November 2017

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This inspection: Good 2

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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

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The provision is good

n The management committee supports the manager and staff very well. They encourage the staff team to continue to develop their knowledge and skills, in order to promote good-quality outcomes for children. For example, following training, staff avoid overwhelming children with too many questions, which encourages them to express their thoughts and ideas in their own way. n Children make good progress, relative to their starting points. The manager's good systems of monitoring the effectiveness of the learning programme enables her to identify any gaps in children's progress. Staff address any gaps well, so the children do not fall behind. For example, older children's literacy improved when staff changed displays of books, so they can more easily select these independently. n Children are happy and confident, with good self-esteem. The key-person system is particularly effective in helping babies to quickly settle in and develop strong bonds

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The provision is good

with staff. Children of all ages show through their good behaviour that they feel emotionally secure.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

n Staff have not been fully successful in encouraging all parents to be consistently involved in their children's learning. For example, staff receive little information about older children's achievements at home to help inform their assessments. n Management has not encouraged staff to share information about children's learning more effectively with other early years providers they attend, to ensure there is consistency in planning for future progress.

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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 encourage parents further to consistently contribute to their children's learning n develop more effective systems to share information about children's learning with other early years providers that they also attend.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

Inspection activities n The inspector and the manager completed a joint observation of an activity. n The inspector spoke to members of the management committee, the manager, staff and children, and read written feedback from parents. n The inspector sampled required documents and records, including safeguarding procedures. n The inspector reviewed the effectiveness of self-evaluation in driving improvements. n The inspector reviewed the effectiveness of systems to monitor children's progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Good self-evaluation helps the management committee, manager and staff prioritise improvements that have the most impact on children's learning and development. For example, they changed the way they manage settling-in visits, particularly for babies and very young children, to better prepare them for when their parents leave them for the first time. This helps to build the children's emotional confidence and staff observations identify that they show less anxiety when they separate from their parents. Safeguarding is effective. The manager and staff have a good understanding of local safeguarding procedures and what actions to take to help protect children from harm.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff plan interesting activities that engage children well and provide good levels of challenge. For example, older children enjoyed making erupting volcanoes. Staff supported them very well as they looked up experiments online, then collected the ingredients they needed. Although their eruptions were not as spectacular as they hoped, staff used this as an opportunity to encourage children to use their good problem-solving skills very effectively to get a better result next time. Staff communicate very well with children. For example, they engaged toddlers very well as they played peek-a-boo in the mirror, and encouraged them to count 'one, two, three – go' as they threw armfuls of leaves into the air. Staff encourage older children's understanding of number particularly well. For example, when children asked for 10 leaves to build a roof on their house, staff intentionally gave them fewer, so they had to calculate how many

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

Children of all ages enjoy being active and spending time outside. Physically, they are very confident. For example, toddlers enjoy exploring the different ways they can climb the slide, showing awareness of how to do this safely. Older children demonstrated good safety awareness when baking, and they used their vivid imaginations to create creatures from the cookie dough and decorate these.

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Outcomes for children are good

Children learn good skills that prepare them well for their next stage in learning, including their eventual move on to school. For example, older children take an active part in planning what they do. For instance, when they discovered bird food in the shed, they decided to make bird feeders, making good use of recycled materials to bring their ideas to life. Babies who can stand and balance come to the low sink to wash their hands before meals, learning good hygiene practices.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 139383 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10079751 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 0 - 8 Total number of places 46 Number of children on roll 49 Name of registered person Holwell Nursery School Committee

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reference number

Date of previous inspection 7 November 2017 Telephone number 01963 23368

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reference number

Holwell Nursery School registered in 1993 and is run by a committee. The nursery is situated in the village of Holwell, near Sherborne, Dorset. There are 10 staff who work with the children, including the manager. The manager is qualified to level 6, two members of staff hold level 5 qualifications, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 4, five members of staff are qualified to level 3 and two to level 2. It opens from Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year, closing for two weeks at Christmas. Sessions are from 8am to 5.30pm. It also runs a holiday club, which operates each weekday from 8am to 5.30pm during the school holidays. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children.

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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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