Meadow Nursery School

Inspection of Meadow Nursery School Murray Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG41 2TA

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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The provision is outstanding

The exceptionally committed manager and staff use their significant experience and knowledge to create an inspirational, welcoming and nurturing environment. Children benefit from highly impressive individual settling-in arrangements. Home visits and stay-and-play sessions, prior to children attending, enable staff to meet with parents and develop a comprehensive knowledge of the unique needs and characteristics of each child. This supports children's emotional development extremely well and helps them to build secure attachments with their key person. Subsequently, children demonstrate confidence, are happy and settled and have incredible fun in the stimulating environment.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff have extremely high expectations for all children and meticulously identify their learning needs through regular discussions with parents, observations and assessments. This enables them to provide an environment which focuses on helping children to develop the skills they need for their future learning. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those in receipt of additional funding and those learning English as an additional language, flourish in the environment. They immerse themselves in activities, are eager to explore, investigate, find out new things and show an extremely positive attitude to learning.

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The provision is outstanding

Respect for others is fully embedded into the practice. Staff act as excellent role models and praise children for their achievements and positive behaviour. Children display high levels of social skills and consideration towards others, such as when they hold the door open for adults without being prompted.

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need to do better?

n Staff have consistently high expectations for all children. They regularly liaise with professionals and parents to seek advice, review children's progress and set them challenging targets. This helps them to support children with SEND superbly. n Staff's interactions with children are of a high quality, and staff are highly effective in developing children's existing understanding and comprehension. They use children's spontaneous statements and curiosity to strengthen their knowledge and skills further. For example, during snack, children observe that one of the biscuits has broken into two. Staff explain that they have two semi- circles and if they add them together, they will make a complete circle. n Staff are highly skilled in helping children to gain communication and language skills. They engage them in interesting conversations and value what children have to say. Staff take every opportunity to skilfully extend activities and

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need to do better?

conversations to challenge children's thinking. This is demonstrated during a

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need to do better?

17 December 2019 cookery activity. While naming the ingredients, children predict that golden syrup might be oil, vanilla or honey. Staff encourage them to explore a little further, and they identify it is golden syrup. Staff extend their knowledge even further and explain to them that syrup is transparent like glass and describe what this means. n Partnerships with parents are highly successful. Parents are extremely complimentary about the setting and the progress that their children make. Leaders offer a vast range of initiatives to engage, support and build on parents' interest in their children's learning. For example, they regularly share information about what children are learning within the nursery and encourage parents to support their children's learning at home. n Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff have exceptionally high expectations of children's conduct and actively encourage them to consider the impact that their

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need to do better?

behaviour choices can have on others. For instance, when children accidentally intrude in other children's play, staff encourage them to consider how this might make others feel. Children react very positively. For instance, they acknowledge that their behaviour might make others sad and immediately apologise and help to set up the game that has been destroyed. n Staff are committed to promoting children's health and well-being and encourage them to be independent in meeting their care needs. Children learn the importance of following good hygiene practices, including washing their hands before cooking activities. Children comment that they need to do this as they may have germs on their hands. n The ambitious leaders make good use of appraisals and regular feedback on staff performance to promote continuous improvement within the setting. They act with integrity and regularly seek the honest views of staff about their work-

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need to do better?

life balance. This enables them to implement strategies to help staff to manage their workload effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date through attending regular training. Staff are extremely knowledgeable of the signs that could indicate a child is at risk of harm, and the procedures to follow if they have any concerns. Leaders have an excellent understanding about how to support children's welfare. They follow robust safe recruitment and vetting procedures, to ensure that staff working with children are suitable. Children are kept very safe at the setting because the staff are always vigilant and supervise them extremely well. They ensure that the environment is suitable and identify any potential risks to children's safety, for example, through risk assessments.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY224830 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 10128704 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 30 Number of children on roll 50

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Name of registered person

Meadow Nursery School Parents Association Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 0118 979 0284 Date of previous inspection 1 July 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Meadow Nursery School opened in 1978. It operates from a purpose-built nursery unit within St Paul's Junior School in Wokingham, Berkshire. The group opens five days a week during school term time. Sessions are from 8.40am to 11.40am and 12.40pm to 3.40pm. Children are able to stay for lunch between 11.40am and 12.40pm. The pre-school receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 11 staff members working with the children. Two members of staff, including the manager, hold qualifications at level 6, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 5 and one at level 3.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n A joint observation of an activity was completed with the manager. n The inspector asked the staff questions throughout the inspection to establish their understanding of how to safeguard children, and how they assess and plan for children's learning. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and the children and considered the impact on children's learning. n Discussions were held with parents and their views considered.

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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

17 December 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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