Sure Start Children's Centre

Inspection of Sure Start Children's Centre Howgill Family Centre, Catherine Street, Whitehaven CA28 7PA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure at nursery. They arrive happy and are eager to enter the setting. Children and parents are warmly welcomed by staff, who take time to speak to parents wishing to share information. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Staff act swiftly and thread advice from involved professionals into individual plans. This creates continuity for children that has a significantly impact on their progress. Staff support children in their understanding of the expectations of their behaviour. They give clear and consistent instructions during changes to the routine of the session. As a result, children happily listen and cooperate. Staff engage with children as they play. Some staff are particularly skilled at promoting children's communication, asking well-posed questions that draw on children's prior learning and experiences. However, some staff are less confident and able to engage

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The provision is good

children in meaningful discussions that build on their vocabulary and miss opportunities to do so.

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need to do better?

n The manager and staff work hard to get to know the needs of the children and their families. They provide tailored support, including sharing information on external support services and ways parents can support learning at home. Parents speak very positively about the staff team and the progress their children have made. n Children's physical and emotional well-being are promoted well. Staff ensure children follow good hygiene routines and, through good self-evaluation processes, they have identified ways to improve on opportunities for physical activity outdoors. For example, new doors have created a more-streamlined, free-flow outdoor space and the addition of new flooring and equipment has broadened the educational programme for physical development. n The well-established key-person system creates firm foundations for children's confidence, resilience and independence. Children are unfazed at new visitors to

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need to do better?

the setting. Older children show good social skills as they interact and share what they enjoy and have learned at nursery. n Children learn and develop skills across all areas. Staff use their accurate assessments of children's learning to understand what they can do and to decide what they need to learn next. This informs individual and environment planning. Additional funding is used well to enhance the experiences and opportunities available for children, helping to close gaps in children's learning. n Staff use children's home experiences to extend on their learning. For example, staff encourage children to recall a recent visitor to the nursery who brought eggs and chicks for the children to explore. They talk about the children's family members who own chickens and where in the world they live. While some staff

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need to do better?

10 September 2019 are highly skilled at seizing opportunities to engage children's communication skills, other staff miss opportunities to fully promote this area of children's learning. n The manager observes staff teaching and oversees the peer observations completed by staff on one another's teaching, addressing the recommendation from the last inspection. However, evaluations do not focus sufficiently on how teaching can be improved, in order to help the manager identify precisely where she needs to provide support and raise teaching to outstanding. n Staff roles, responsibilities and deployment are managed well. For example, in good preparation for impending changes to the staff team, the manager has taken account of staff needs, experience and skills to ensure key groups are not disrupted and staff are well supported. Furthermore, the manager ensures staff are continually supported through supervisions and training opportunities,

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need to do better?

targeted to their individual needs. n Children's progress is subject to close monitoring. This helps the manager to identify where children, groups of children or areas of practice require additional support. The impact of this is shown in children's enhanced engagement in mathematics, following the swift implementation of specific programmes of support and additional resources.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have a secure understanding of their role in keeping children safe. They are able to recognise potential safeguarding concerns and are familiar with the reporting procedures to follow. The manager ensures staff remain vigilant through training and regular updates, such as from the local safeguarding children board. The manager works alongside the company managers with regards to recruitment and induction, to assure herself that all staff are suitable and are clear on their roles and responsibilities.

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should:

n strengthen teaching skills so that every opportunity is made to develop children's thinking and language skills n make better use of peer observations to provide the manager with more in- depth evaluations of practice aimed at improving the quality of teaching to an outstanding level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 317612 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 10109638 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 2 to 4 Total number of places 20 Number of children on roll 20 Name of registered person Howgill Family Centre

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reference number

Telephone number 01946 694 295 Date of previous inspection 15 December 2014

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Information about this early years setting

Sure Start Children's Centre registered in 2000 is situated in Whitehaven in Cumbria. The setting employs four members of childcare staff. All staff hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting opens Monday to Friday from 9am until 3.15pm, during term time only. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children and supports children with SEND.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and held discussions about the early years provision and meeting children's needs. n A joint observation was carried out and the inspector took account of the manager's evaluations. n The inspector held discussions with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector looked at a sample of the nursery's documentation. This included suitability checks of staff and safeguarding policies. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the manager to discuss leadership and management arrangements.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection 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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Inspection activities

10 September 2019 regulates and inspects to 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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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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