The Dovecote

Inspection of The Dovecote The Dovecote, High Street, Northampton NN7 4AG

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children are warmly welcomed into this friendly and relaxed nursery. They confidently wave goodbye to their parents and settle quickly to their chosen activity. New children are well supported by staff who offer sensitive reassurance and gentle encouragement. Staff have high expectations of children and place them at the heart of all that they do. All children, including babies, demonstrate a sense of security. They quickly develop the confidence to explore the environment and activities available to them. Children show good levels of enjoyment and decide what they would like to play with. They know where to find additional resources to build on their ideas. Pre-school children select scissors and use them with care and increasing skill to cut paper. Toddlers find their favourite books to share with staff. They show good listening skills as they listen to the story and repeat words and sounds such as the 'roar' of the dinosaur. Children have good

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The provision is good

opportunities to take part in a range of activities and be physically active outdoors. They play in the garden and go on walks in the local community. Children learn how to look after the nursery animals safely and appropriately. They develop an understanding of nature and what animals need, such as the food they can eat.

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need to do better?

n The qualified manager and staff team understand how children learn and develop. They provide a safe and secure environment where children can participate in a range of activities that reflect all areas of learning. Staff are supported well by the manager. New staff are helped to understand their roles and responsibilities within the nursery. All staff attend training and receive feedback from observations of their teaching. This helps them to continually improve the quality of their practice. n Staff get to know children well. They talk to parents and find out information about children's interests, families and backgrounds. Staff use this information effectively to help plan the environment and provide activities that build on what children already know and understand. They introduce new themes and ideas to help broaden children's experiences. n Children show good levels of concentration during activities. Toddlers show

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need to do better?

curiosity as they explore different textures. They use their hands to investigate oats and show a deeper level of interest when they mix the oats with glue to see how the texture changes. In the main, staff give children time to explore activities. However, sometimes they are too quick to interrupt children's play and learning to carry out daily tasks, such as nappy changing. n Children learn to manage their own feelings and know what is expected of them. They respond well to the praise and encouragement given by staff. Older and younger children enjoy spending time together and benefit from the opportunity to learn from each other.

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need to do better?

4 September 2019 n Parents speak positively about the friendly, home-from-home environment and how much their children enjoy their time at nursery. They comment about the good progress their children make and the knowledge that they gain. For example, children talk about what they have learned about space and the planets. Parents give high praise to the manager and say they feel that she listens to and takes on board their comments and feedback. n Staff encourage children to learn to do things for themselves and be independent. However, on occasion, staff in the toddler room do not provide enough time and opportunity for children to practise new skills during daily routines, such as mealtimes and when washing their hands. n Staff in the baby room are kind, caring and responsive to babies' needs. They find out babies' individual routines from parents and take these into account during the day. Babies and toddlers sleep in a dedicated sleep room, supervised

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need to do better?

by a member of staff. They rest in comfort and safety. n Staff work together with parents and other agencies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They agree on and put in place suitable strategies to help all children develop the skills ready for their future learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a good knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe from harm. They complete child protection training and know how to respond to any signs of abuse or extremist behaviour. In addition, they know what to do should there be an allegation made against a member of staff. The provider implements robust recruitment procedures to ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so.

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should:

n review the management of daily tasks in order to minimise interruptions to children's play and learning n provide further opportunities for younger children to do things for themselves and manage their personal needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY495175 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10118493 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 0 to 4 Total number of places 48 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person The Nannery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01604 722226 Date of previous inspection 5 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

The Dovecote registered in 2015. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and one holds a qualification at level 6. One member of staff holds qualified teacher status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector took a tour of the nursery with the provider. They talked about how the provider organises the nursery and the play and learning experiences they provide for children. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. She completed a joint observation with the provider. n The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection. She held a meeting with the provider and manager and looked at a sample of documents, including evidence of staff suitability. n The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

4 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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