Elmscot Day Nursery and Nursery School

Inspection of Elmscot Day Nursery and Nursery School 149 Stockport Road, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 7LT

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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 are happy and content at this warm and welcoming nursery. They settle extremely well and separate from their main carer with ease, eagerly seeking out staff and their friends on arrival. Children are motivated to learn and enthusiastically engage in rich and varied play experiences. They demonstrate confidence in trying new activities and have a positive attitude towards their learning.

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The provision is good

Staff have high expectations of children and have a good understanding of how children learn. They regularly observe children and use their observations effectively to identify the next steps in children's learning. Precise planning for each individual child reflects children's interests and helps them to make good and steady progress. Sometimes, however, staff working with the babies do not fully promote children's learning.

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The provision is good

Throughout the nursery, children behave very well. Staff support them to share and to take turns as they play together. Older children show kindness and concern for others as they assist each other to put on aprons. They follow instructions given by staff and demonstrate an understanding of routine and what is expected of them. Children learn about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They engage daily in energetic play in the well-resourced outdoor area and also enjoy yoga sessions. They are provided healthy and nutritious home-cooked meals and good hygiene procedures are modelled effectively by the conscientious staff team.

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need to do better?

n Overall, the quality of teaching is good. However, occasionally, interactions during some activities are not highly effective in meeting children's individual needs. For example, staff working with babies sometimes overlook opportunities to engage with children, to maximise the potential for learning. n Young children have plentiful opportunities to develop their hand-to-eye coordination, small-muscle control and independence skills. They are encouraged to use children's cutlery in the home corner to cut up fruits and vegetables to use in their imaginative play. However, staff do not routinely use this opportunity to maximise children's understanding of how to use tools safely. n Babies and young children are actively curious and enjoy the freedom to move around. Staff encourage children to feel different fabrics. They throw chiffon scarfs high in the air and babies watch intently as the fabric falls to the floor.

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need to do better?

Toddlers delight as they explore ice, noticing how it melts and turns to water. They post pasta and lentils into tubes and use herbs and fruit as they experiment with dough. n Older children enjoy imaginative play as they make 'ghostbuster potions' with

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need to do better?

13 November 2019 water and construct sandcastles. They begin to learn about size as they make prints with dinosaurs. Children independently select the paint they would like to use and confidently make marks on paper. Staff talk to them about the shapes and colours they can see. They encourage children to develop their own ideas and to talk about what they are doing. n Children quickly develop close attachments with staff. The key-person system is effective and promotes children's care and well-being. Staff help children to feel safe and emotionally secure. They take time to find out detailed information about children when they first start, helping them to settle with ease. n Leaders have a clear sense of purpose and share their aims with the dedicated and hard-working staff team. Regular audits of their service and action plans secure improvements which have a positive impact on the quality of care the

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need to do better?

children receive. For example, senior staff have recently made changes to the layout of some of the playrooms. This has resulted in children using equipment and resources more effectively to promote better outcomes. n Considerable attention is given to supporting the well-being of staff. Staff engage regularly in supervision meetings and training opportunities and their practice is frequently observed. Initiatives to support staff to manage their health and emotional health are readily available. Staff feel supported in their roles and show great enthusiasm and passion in their work with children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The nursery has clear policies, strategies and procedures in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All staff fully understand child protection and safeguarding issues. They know how to implement procedures, through training, induction arrangements and updates at staff meetings. There are robust recruitment processes in place to ensure that all staff are properly vetted and remain suitable to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, staff are aware of the action to take if they have any concerns about a colleague's practice. Comprehensive risk assessments and daily checks ensure that all areas of the nursery and outdoor areas are safe for children. However, staff miss opportunities to maximise children's understanding of using tools safety.

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should:

n ensure high-quality interactions with children are consistently implemented throughout the nursery and are highly effective in meeting children's individual needs n support staff to develop their teaching skills so that they use every opportunity to maximise children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY255885 Local authority Trafford Inspection number 10129124 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 0 to 4 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 131 Name of registered person Elmscot Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01619800488 Date of previous inspection 18 December 2014

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Information about this early years setting

Elmscot Day Nursery and Nursery School registered in 2001. It is situated in the Timperley area of Altrincham. The nursery employs 25 childcare practitioners. Of these, 14 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two with early years teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including training logs and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting. n A joint observation of teaching was conducted with the head of teaching and learning. n The inspector and the manager completed a tour across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n The inspector held discussions with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n A meeting was held between the inspector and members of the management team.

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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 November 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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