Unicorn Day Nursery

Inspection of Unicorn Day Nursery 131 High Street, Princes End, TIPTON, West Midlands DY4 9JE

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children enjoy the time they spend at this nursery. They make good progress from their individual starting points. They eagerly take part in a range of activities which are set out to enable them to make choices in their play. Children learn about animals and how to care for them. They thoroughly enjoy looking at the Giant African snails. They hold them on their hands and observe them through magnifying glasses. Staff extend children's learning as they talk about the differences between snails in the garden and the African snails. Children know that the African snails cannot go outside and that they have to spray them with water to keep them moist. Children follow good hygiene procedures as they wear gloves to hold the snails and wash their hands afterwards. Children develop independence in readiness for school. They learn to use a knife and fork correctly when eating their lunch. They serve themselves and others to food and pour gravy and drinks

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The provision is good

with dexterity. Children form lovely relationships with staff and their friends. They seek staff out for a reassuring cuddle if they feel a little overwhelmed or tired. They call to their friends to join in their games and happily share and take turns. Children learn to negotiate and staff support them to sort out minor disagreements between themselves.

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need to do better?

n The nursery benefits from a strong leadership team. The provider and the manager work well together to support staff and identify areas for improvement. They look at the nursery from a child's perspective and try to make the environment as child friendly as possible. Staff work closely with local authority advisers and an early years consultant. They value their input and implement their suggestions to help the nursery move forward and raise the quality of teaching and experiences offered to children. n Staff observe children and monitor their progress. They plan activities based on children's next steps for learning. A new system to observe targeted groups of children over a five-week rolling programme has recently been introduced. However, this is still very much in its infancy. It needs to be carefully monitored to ensure that it is embedded in practice and that all children, especially those who are not in the targeted group, continue to make good progress.

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need to do better?

n Children's dietary requirements and allergies are given high priority. Each child has a colour-coded table mat which shows if they have an allergy or a specific requirement, such as no meat or fish. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals. The nursery staff are currently taking part in a new research initiative to monitor how nutritious their food is and how much exercise children get. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are exceptionally well supported and this is a real strength within the nursery. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator is experienced and enthusiastic

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need to do better?

13 February 2020 about their role. They have introduced new initiatives to ensure that SEND children are given the very best support. Staff use sign language and symbols and work closely with other professionals to help children achieve to the best of their capabilities. Funding is used effectively to provide children with additional support and to ensure that staff receive appropriate training. n Children take part in group times where they cook, talk about special events such as Valentine's Day and receive additional support to help their communication. However, the organisation of these groups does not consistently support all children to participate fully and they sometimes become distracted by other children and activities. In addition, staff sometimes speak quickly and do not provide children with enough time to process their thoughts and answer questions for themselves. n Parent partnerships are strong. Staff provide parents with information about

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need to do better?

their children's progress and ideas to help them support children's learning at home. Parents are pleased with the nursery. They say that the interaction between staff and children is really good, that staff are approachable, and they recommend the nursery to others. n Children enjoy playing musical instruments. They develop mathematical concepts as they compare the size of the drums and can say which is the tallest and shortest. Children look at books. Younger children sit comfortably with staff as they turn the pages of the book and point to familiar pictures. Children have fun as they explore the 'tinker table'. They use keys to work out how to unlock padlocks and chains. They discover how magnets work and use screwdrivers to investigate how to take apart old speakers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have an in-depth working knowledge of how to protect the children in their care. They are fully aware of the signs of abuse and neglect. They attend training to ensure that their knowledge of safeguarding is up to date, including preventing children from being drawn into extreme situations. Staff understand the whistle-blowing procedure and know how and where to raise any concerns they may have about a child or the conduct of a member of staff. The premises are safe and secure and there are robust systems to prevent unauthorised persons entering the nursery.

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should:

n embed and monitor the newly introduced procedures for observing targeted groups of children to ensure that all children's individual learning needs are consistently met

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should:

13 February 2020 n consider the organisation of activities to enable all children to participate fully and not become distracted n provide children with time to process their thoughts and respond to questions.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY457677 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 10075353 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care Age range of children 1 to 8 Total number of places 49 Number of children on roll 91 Name of registered person Sandwell Supply Nursery Services Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0121 557 0011 Date of previous inspection 5 January 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Unicorn Day Nursery registered in 2012. The nursery employs 13 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above, including two who hold qualified teacher status, one who holds a qualification at level 6, three who hold qualifications at level 4 and five who hold qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, except for the week between Christmas and New Year and bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors was observed, and the inspector assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector completed a joint observation and a learning walk with the nursery manager. n The inspector spoke with the staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n A meeting was held with the nursery manager and the provider. The inspector looked at relevant documentation, including children's details and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n The views of parents were taken into account during the inspection.

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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

13 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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