The Secret Garden Children's Nursery

Inspection of The Secret Garden Children's Nursery Annandale House, 105 Eastgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1PY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Children have well-organised play spaces indoors. They can readily choose what they want to play with from the low-level storage units. Children engage well in activities of their choosing. For instance, pre-school children pretend they are 'animal doctors' and discuss how to make the toy dogs better. Younger children have fun developing their physical skills outdoors. They push the see-saw up and down and climb the steps to slide down the slide. Children have the chance to join in different activities such as yoga and joint physical games. They are developing skills for their future learning.

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The provision requires improvement

The new manager has made some significant improvements to the setting since starting. She has made structural changes to the play spaces that children use indoors, and has improved staff's skills in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify when children need extra support and make sure they access help to close gaps in learning. Children with SEND are making better progress and getting appropriate interventions and support. However, sometimes, staff miss chances to support children to talk more and extend their learning as well as they could.

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need to do better?

n The manager reflects well on practice and makes sure that staff access training and continuing professional development to improve their teaching skills. She has recognised the pressures on staff from the poor grading the setting has received in the past. She has changed how staff observe and assess children's achievements to support them better. Staff morale is higher now, and staff feel motivated to make suggestions and changes to improve environments and teaching for children. Staff are improving the accuracy of their assessments of children's achievements and increasingly making use of this information to plan appropriate next steps. This is starting to show in helping children to make better progress in their learning and development. n Staff are starting to use their new teaching skills in practice. However, although speaking and language have been highlighted as areas that need to improve, staff's communication with children is not yet as good as it could be. Staff miss

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need to do better?

chances to extend children's thinking further, and do not make the most of opportunities to encourage children to solve problems. Children are making progress, but this could be stronger with better interactions. n The new manager has worked hard to build good relationships between key persons and parents. Key persons always talk with parents at the end of the day to tell them what children have been doing and to share new achievements. Parents comment favourably on the support and guidance they receive to continue children's learning at home.

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need to do better?

14 January 2020 n Staff do not always explain well to children what they want them to do, such as at group times. Sometimes staff have not prepared the resources they need ready for the start of the group time. They do not provide consistent messages for children, to let them know that they need to listen and engage with the activity. Some children ignore staff and continue playing, so they do not learn well from the outset of the activity. n Children's attitudes and behaviour are varied. Older children concentrate well and show care for others. For example, they place pieces of toy pizza in the pretend oven to cook, then set a tray with the food and share it with their friends and the staff. Toddlers receive praise from staff as they collect water in different containers and pour it into the water tray. However, at times, as messages from staff are not clear, children lose interest and lack motivation to

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need to do better?

try things again. n Children have healthy balanced snacks and meals. The new manager is keen for the children to join in cooking activities to encourage a wider understanding of healthy food choices. Staff sit with children at mealtimes. They encourage children to serve their own food and drink, supporting children's independent and self-care skills. Staff promote good manners at these times, and children often say 'please' and 'thank you' as they pass the dishes to each other.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe. They know how to identify and refer concerns about children's welfare. The manager has good systems in place for recruitment and for ongoing monitoring to ensure staff remain suitable to work with children. She supports staff to continue their professional development to enhance their skills and knowledge and know how to keep children safe.

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Due date

improve the quality of staff interactions with children so that children make better progress in their learning 31/01/2020

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Due date

enhance the planning and organisation of group activities to ensure that all children listen and engage well from the start. 31/01/2020

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should:

n continue to implement behaviour strategies so that all staff provide consistent messages that help children understand what is expected of them.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY477661 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10124523 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 114 Number of children on roll 68 Name of registered person The Secret Garden, Children's Day Nursery

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reference number

Telephone number 01452 552108 Date of previous inspection 6 September 2019

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Information about this early years setting

The Secret Garden Children's Nursery registered in 2014 and is situated in Gloucester. The nursery offers care from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. It employs 21 members of staff, of whom 19 work directly with the children. Of these, one holds an appropriate childcare qualification at level 7, 10 hold appropriate qualifications at level 3, and four hold appropriate qualifications at level 2. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Anita McKelvey Hilary Tierney

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Inspection activities

n The manager carried out a learning walk with the inspectors and discussed how staff provide the teaching and learning for the children. n The inspectors talked to staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection to seek their views. n A leadership and management meeting was held with the manager and the deputy manager to discuss how the setting supports children with SEND or those who speak English as an additional language. Documents relating to risk assessments, safeguarding, recruitment, staff suitability and support were also examined and discussed. n The inspectors observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors, and talked with staff about how different activities met the needs of the children. n Two joint observations were completed with the manager to review the quality of teaching; one with the lead inspector in the pre-school, and one with the second inspector with the younger children.

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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

14 January 2020 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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