Seashells Day Nursery

Inspection of Seashells Day Nursery 45 Talbot Street, Southport PR8 1HS

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Overall, activities are planned well. Staff clearly know what they want children to learn and plan interesting ways to build on what children know and can do. Children are well prepared for starting school with essential skills and knowledge. They are keen to learn and concentrate well. They use a variety of tools as they play that help to develop their physical skills and hand-to-eye coordination. Older children rake pebbles in the outdoor construction area and dig with long-handled spades. They work together well, taking turns. They use numbers and mathematical words appropriately as they explain what they are doing with the stones.

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The provision is good

Babies and children enjoy a close bond with staff. They listen intently to books being read to them, and older children use the pictures in the books to retell familiar stories. Children behave well and show good manners, saying 'please' and 'thank you'. They follow safety rules, such as putting their chair under the table so others do not trip.

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The provision is good

Changes to the environment since registration include removing internal walls in the pre-school building to create one space. This space is thoughtfully arranged to provide children with a greater choice of activities covering all areas of learning. Children move safely around the room and flow freely between indoors and outdoors. This means children who prefer to learn outdoors on a larger scale benefit from more opportunities to be physically active in their play.

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need to do better?

n Staff know each child well. They regularly exchange information with parents, which helps to promote children's care and learning. Parents comment that a newly introduced system enables them to get information in 'real time'. They can also provide information and videos about their child's learning at home to support assessment. n Staff work effectively with parents and other agencies to swiftly identify and seek support for children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Information, including ways to manage the behaviour of individual children, is clearly shared to ensure consistency. n Sometimes the resources provided are not well matched to younger children's abilities and needs. For example, two-year-old children enjoy the sensory experience of smelling and feeling the Christmas tree branches. However, they are less successful at trimming them due to the limited range of scissors

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need to do better?

available. n Children's communication and literacy skills are particularly well promoted. Every day, staff purposefully provide activities to help children to develop the finger

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need to do better?

16 December 2019 skills needed for later writing. For example, children enjoy threading chenille sticks through the holes of a colander. Staff also create innovative ways for children to make marks and practise early writing. In addition to using paper and pencils, children run their fingers across a sequined fabric and through loose tea leaves. n Staff work together well to create a calm and reassuring atmosphere for children. Activities, including caring for the pet rabbits and guinea pigs, help children to learn about the needs of others. Children also visit a local rest home to talk and play games with the elderly residents. This helps children to build good social skills. n Children develop well physically. Babies have plenty of safe floor space to crawl and take steps when learning to walk. Older children practise climbing and learn to safely negotiate different levels in their garden. Children benefit from a

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need to do better?

variety of enjoyable activities, including dancing and swimming, led by local experts. n Babies and children frequently visit the station to look at the trains. They join events, such as searching for statues of nutcrackers in the town at Christmas. These, and other outings, help children to learn about their local community and the people who work in it. n The provider increasingly gathers and uses the views of children, parents and staff to evaluate the provision and make improvements. She meets with professionals from other settings to discuss childcare issues and share good practice. The management team observes staff regularly and provides feedback on their performance. However, the training that staff complete is not linked closely enough to their identified needs to build on the quality of education. n The provider failed to notify Ofsted of changes to the premises that affected the space available to children. Following discussion, Ofsted is satisfied that the

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need to do better?

requirement to notify had been overlooked. There has been no intent to deceive Ofsted. The building project was assessed for risks and managed around the needs of the children, so there was no impact on the care of children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Since registration, each staff member has completed appropriate safeguarding and first-aid training. Staff have a clear knowledge of how to identify and report child protection and wider safeguarding concerns. They have a range of clear procedures to follow to keep children safe and healthy, including when preparing food and when changing nappies. The manager regularly tests staff to keep their knowledge of safeguarding procedures refreshed and to help her identify where further training is needed.

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should:

16 December 2019 n make greater use of evaluations of staff practice to help to identify specific professional development opportunities that will further raise the quality of education n ensure the provision of resources is appropriate for the needs of each child enabling them to purposefully engage with the activity.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY547827 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 10132423 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 36 Number of children on roll 74 Name of registered person Seashells Day Nursery LTD

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reference number

Telephone number 01704 332391 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Seashells Day Nursery registered in 2017. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, eight hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one at level 4. The nursery opens Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm, all year. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector had a tour of all areas of the nursery and discussed how the curriculum is organised. n Two joint observations were carried out by the inspector and the deputy manager. n The inspector held discussions with children, parents and staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n A meeting was held with the nursery management team. n The inspector looked at a sample of the nursery's documents. This included evidence about staff suitability and training.

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Inspection activities

16 December 2019 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

16 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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