Children 1st @ Shepshed

Inspection of Children 1st @ Shepshed 55 Forest Street, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9BZ

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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

All children enjoy their time at the nursery and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they confidently move around the rooms. The environment is stimulating and provides an array of toys and resources for children to choose from. Staff are responsive to the children's needs and follow their interests effectively. Management and staff have high expectations of the children's learning. They track children's development effectively and use the information they gather to cater for children's individual needs. Children are well behaved throughout the nursery. Older children are polite and are beginning to learn to respect their friends' views and opinions. Younger children are taking turns and learning to share. Children play cooperatively together and have a positive attitude to learning. This is evident as they pretend to be firefighters and build a fire engine. They share the fire hoses and eagerly put out the fire. Staff have a strong focus on helping children with

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The provision is good

their speaking skills. For example, they make good eye contact when speaking to babies and younger children. They introduce new words to increase older children's vocabulary. For instance, staff describe the worm that is found in the garden as a 'wrinkly wiggly worm'.

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need to do better?

n Managers understand the importance of improving the nursery. They have recently introduced a children's council. This provides older children with the opportunity to voice their opinions and make suggestions to improve the nursery. One of those suggestions has led managers to develop a new curiosity room, where children can explore the properties of a wide range of natural materials and resources. n Managers have safe recruitment procedures, which helps to ensure staff are suitable for their roles. They carry out induction procedures and recognise the need for training to update staff's knowledge. The manager carries out checks on the staff's performance to help improve their practice. However, the systems for evaluating staff practice do not have a strong enough emphasis on supporting them to raise the quality of teaching to an outstanding level. n Staff know the children well and fully understand how children learn. They build

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need to do better?

on what children already know to help them succeed in their future learning. They provide exciting activities that help children become fully engaged in their play. For instance, children roll balls down tubes, pour water and play hide and seek. However, occasionally, staff interrupt children's play. This means that children may not be fully able to pursue their independent learning activities. n Children enjoy making marks from an early age. Older children talk about the drawings they make with excitement. Younger children enjoy books and talk about the characters in the pictures. However, staff do not consistently make good use of opportunities to help older children develop their early reading skills.

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need to do better?

13 September 2019 For example, learning about letter sounds. n Babies are cared for in a relaxing and calm environment. Staff find out about babies' routines before they start. This means staff know about their sleeping and eating patterns and they can plan accordingly around these times. All children enjoy playing outside and develop their physical skills well. Children learn to keep themselves healthy. Managers provide healthy snacks and meals and encourage children to follow hygiene procedures. n Staff take safety as a priority. They let children take risks while well supervised, such as going up and down the climbing wall. Staff check the rooms before the children start to ensure they are free from hazards. They remind children to be careful when walking up and down steps as they go into the garden. n Managers have established strong arrangements to involve parents and other professionals in children's learning. Staff use daily discussions and online

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need to do better?

systems to exchange information about children's achievements and care. Staff encourage parents to share information about what their children have been doing at home, to support continuity of learning and care.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Management and staff have a good knowledge of child protection issues and a secure understanding of their role in helping to keep children safe from harm. They regularly update their knowledge and undertake training to find out about the wider issues of safeguarding. Managers know what to do if they have a concern about a child in their care or an allegation is made against a member of staff.

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should:

n strengthen the existing arrangements for monitoring and supervising staff to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level n build on the opportunities to help older children develop their early reading skills n increase opportunities to help develop children's independent play and exploration.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY406765 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10123295 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 8 Total number of places 120 Number of children on roll 69 Name of registered person Breedon House Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01509 505 555 Date of previous inspection 28 November 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Children 1st @ Shepshed registered in 2010. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 have appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and 3. The manager has a degree in childcare studies. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, from 7.30am to 6pm, except for bank holidays. It is in receipt of funding for early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector spoke with members of staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. She spoke to the director of the nursery and held discussions with the manager and area manager throughout the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector completed a joint evaluation of an activity with the manager. She discussed children's learning and development. n The inspector took into account the views of parents and carers spoken to on the day of the inspection. In addition, she looked at questionnaires completed by parents and emails sent making positive comments about the nursery. n The inspector sampled a wide range of documentation, including attendance records, evidence of staff suitability checks and qualifications. She also reviewed documentation linked to managing staff's performance and the nursery action

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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

13 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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