Ellwood Nursery

Inspection of Ellwood Nursery Old School House, Bromley Road, Ellwood, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 7LY

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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

The manager and staff provide a calm and nurturing environment. They work closely with parents enabling them to meet children's emotional and care needs. Children are confident, relaxed and happy at the nursery. They build close attachments with the staff, which is evidenced throughout the nursery, especially with the youngest children. Staff have high expectations of the children and are excellent role models. They model positive language and help children think about how to keep themselves and others safe, for example, staff will ask children if they think a situation is safe and if not what they can do to make it safe. Children are well behaved and show care for each other as they interact.

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The provision is good

Children show good levels of concentration and cooperation. They enjoy small- group activities where they demonstrate they understand the rules of turn taking and listening skills. Children benefit from a wide range of natural resources, such as metal pans and equipment in the role-play areas. Young children enjoy the space to explore and investigate. They enjoy a close bond with their key person, who knows the children and supports their learning effectively. Parents' comments are extremely positive about the staff, the care and the quality of information shared with them.

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need to do better?

n Staff work extremely well together to create a relaxed environment where children feel safe and valued. There is a strong key-person system, which helps to ensure children and babies settle quickly into the setting. This helps to support children's emotional well-being effectively. n The new room used for children aged under two years is warm and inviting for them. Children are extremely well settled and they demonstrate they are happy and content with their key person. However, the manager has not ensured that the member of staff in this room has the necessary qualifications. Nonetheless, this has minimal impact on children as she has a good understanding about young children's learning needs. She has completed detailed training to help her in the role, such as exemplary practice for babies and toddlers, and the manager offers support when needed. n Staff know the children well. They monitor children's progress closely and plan

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need to do better?

effectively a range of balanced and exciting activities based around children's interests and needs. Staff ensure children can take part in a stimulating range of activities that motivate children to learn and help them make good progress across all areas of learning. n Children enjoy developing their physical skills. They benefit from a well-planned outside space. For example, they enjoy riding bicycles, using balancing beams, and using building blocks to create towers. Children enjoy digging and exploring

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need to do better?

19 November 2019 different textures as they use sand, water, soil and paints in the garden. Children are free to explore the different rooms in the nursery, such as the role- play room and construction room. Staff are vigilant in their supervision and use walkie-talkies effectively to let another member of staff know a child is coming into their area. n Overall, staff use total communication techniques, such as the use of words and signs, to help support children's language development well. However, on one occasion a staff member used familiar versions of words, rather than the correct word. n Staff support children's growing independence skills extremely well throughout the nursery. For example, children enjoy helping to prepare the tables ready for snacks and meals. They put on tablecloths, glasses, fruit bowls, knives, cutting boards and plates, and wash the fruit ready for their friends to cut and eat.

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need to do better?

Children thoroughly enjoy completing these tasks. Children are able to serve themselves at mealtimes. n Generally, staff support children's mathematical understanding well. They encourage and challenge them regularly as they ask them to estimate solutions, such as 'how many bricks do they have in their towers', during construction play. However, on one occasion when a staff member helped children count how many were actually present, they pointed to each child from a distance and some children did not appear to recognise that the numbers relate to individuals.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider and manager have robust and effective recruitment procedures and complete regular suitability checks on all staff to ensure they continue to be suitable to work with the children. Staff have a strong understanding of their responsibility to safeguard children. All staff complete regular training and the manager ensures that safeguarding and child protection issues are discussed regularly. Staff are clear about the signs that may alert them to any concerns about a child's welfare. They are clear about the procedures to follow and who to contact, such as outside agencies, should the need arise.

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Due date

ensure that at least one member of staff who holds a relevant level 3 qualification works directly with children aged under two years old. 03/12/2019

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should:

n develop consistency when modelling language, to help children learn to hear and use correct versions of words n consider ways to help and support pre-school children even further in their use of mathematics, especially counting and sequencing.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY271719 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10119173 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 11 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 72 Name of registered person Cornock, Helen Elizabeth

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reference number

Telephone number 01594 835624 Date of previous inspection 24 February 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Ellwood Nursery registered in 2003. The nursery is one of two privately-owned nurseries. They open Monday to Thursday from 8am until 5.30pm, and on Fridays from 8am until 3pm. Before-school care is available Monday to Friday from 8am until 9am and after-school care Monday to Thursday from 3pm until 5.30pm. Holiday care is offered subject to availability. The nursery is open for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are six staff working in the nursery. Of these, five staff hold childcare qualifications, at level 2, 3, 4 and 6. All staff hold current first-aid certificates. The nursery implements aspects of the High Scope approach to education.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and manager completed a learning walk of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and curriculum are organised. n The inspector had a meeting with the manager and offered her the opportunity of a joint observation. n The inspector observed children and their interactions with staff throughout the inspection. n The inspector held discussions with the staff and the children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector took into account the views of parents from information gathered by the manager. n The inspector looked at a sample of documentation. This included evidence of staff suitability and their first-aid certificates.

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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

19 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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