Haystacks Nursery

Inspection of Haystacks Nursery Haystacks Nursery, Durham Way North, Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe, Durham DL5 6HP

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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

Children are happy and confident in the nursery. Staff have a kind and caring approach that puts children at ease and helps them to feel safe and secure. Children are keen to join in and enjoy a range of appealing activities. Staff plan carefully, overall, to help children to build on what they already know and can do. They have, generally, high expectations for children, which contribute to children's good achievements. However, during some activities, they do not provide enough challenge for the most-able children.

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The provision is good

Managers and staff share a vision to support all children to develop good life skills, strength of character and resilience. Children develop good independence and perseverance, for example, as they put on outdoor clothing and wellington boots. Effective strategies for managing behaviour help children to understand and manage their feelings. They are polite, respectful and form early friendships. For example, children dash back into the garden to say goodbye to each of their friends before they leave.

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The provision is good

Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and staff. They commend them for excellent communication and feel very involved in their children's learning. They say staff are extremely attentive and know their children very well.

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need to do better?

n Staff understand how young children learn. They observe children at play and accurately assess their skills against typical expectations for their age. Generally, they use their findings well to help children to learn more. Occasionally, however, during some activities, staff do not challenge the most-able children to make even better achievements. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an addition language are supported well. Staff form effective relationships with parents and other professionals, which help to ensure children's care and learning is consistent. Children learn new skills quickly and achieve well. n The manager is committed to ongoing development. She supports staff to continue with their professional development, which helps to enhance the quality of teaching. Current improvement plans include specialist training for staff about

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need to do better?

outdoor learning and development of the garden area. Staff feel valued and morale is high. n Children listen and concentrate well. Staff incorporate children's interests when planning activities. This ignites their curiosity and they are keen to learn. Children particularly enjoy messy activities and staff provide plenty of opportunities for them to be freely creative. For example, children explore colour

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need to do better?

5 February 2020 mixing and stay at the activity for most of the afternoon. n Staff plan very well for children's physical development. Babies climb ramps and steps as they become increasingly mobile. Toddlers run up and down hills, climb and ride bikes in the garden. Older children develop good small-muscle skills in readiness for learning to write. n Children are very imaginative during their play and they are supported very well by staff. Children deal with an 'emergency' when a bus breaks down during their pretend play. Other children make an 'Ofsted badge' from paper and string so that they can pretend to be an inspector. n Staff help children to learn about different cultures and lifestyles in an age- appropriate way. For example, they listen to music from different countries. n All children very much enjoy stories. Staff read with enthusiasm, which helps to ignite children's interest in books. They ask questions about the story and

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need to do better?

predict what might happen next. Staff's consistently skilful interactions with children help them to build on their vocabulary in readiness for later reading. n Staff include numbers and simple problems during nursery routines and activities. This contributes to children's good mathematical skills. For example, toddlers exclaim that they have two hammers. Older children count beyond 10 accurately. n Children benefit from plenty of fresh air, exercise and nutritious meals. This helps to promote their good physical health. However, staff do not give children consistent messages about good hygiene practices, such as handwashing, in order to help them to develop a greater understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers keep up to date with relevant guidance about safeguarding, for example, through training and contact with the local authority. They share information with staff, which contributes to their secure knowledge of how to identify children at risk from harm. They know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. Robust arrangements for recruitment and ongoing checks help to ensure that staff are suitable for their role. Visitors to the nursery are informed about safeguarding procedures and are always supervised. Staff regularly check rooms, toys and equipment to ensure that they are safe and suitable for children to use.

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should:

n refine teaching strategies for the most-able children to ensure that they are consistently challenged to achieve even more in their learning n help children to develop an even greater understanding of hygiene routines that contribute to their good health.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY553356 Local authority Durham Inspection number 10143623 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 68 Number of children on roll 94 Name of registered person Reeve, Adele Catherine

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reference number

Telephone number 01325315108 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Haystacks Nursery registered in 2017. The nursery operates all year round, Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, except for bank holidays. There are 16 members of staff. Of these, 14 hold a relevant early years qualification at level 3 or above, including three who hold qualifications at level 6 and a qualified teacher. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The deputy manager showed the inspector around the nursery. She talked about how the nursery is organised and about the curriculum. n The inspector observed teaching in all rooms and outdoors. She assessed its impact on children's learning and development. n The manager observed and evaluated an activity alongside the inspector. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. She spoke to a number of parents and took account of the views of others through written feedback provided. n The manager, deputy manager and inspector met to discuss management and leadership. The inspector looked at a range of documents, including evidence of suitability checks carried out on staff and their qualifications.

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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

5 February 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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