Castle Lane Day Nursery

Inspection of Castle Lane Day Nursery Castle Lane Nursery, 9 Great Bowden Road, MARKET HARBOROUGH, Leicestershire LE16 7DE

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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 their time at the setting. They excitedly talk about going to forest school and share their experiences of using a trap with a camera in to see images of animals that visit the site at night. Children behave well and there are clear expectations in place. For example, children are reminded to walk down the steps sensibly and safely to access the outdoor area.

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The provision is good

Children have strong attachments to staff and go to them when they need reassurance throughout the day. Younger children settle quickly when they arrive. They give beaming smiles to staff as they wake up from their nap and when staff praise them. Activities are planned for children which follow their interests and meet their next steps. Children explore the environment with confidence and older children help themselves to the resources they need to expand on their play.

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The provision is good

Children explore mark making with paintbrushes and delight in showing staff the picture they have made. Young children access sand and use moulds to make different shapes. They watch carefully as staff show them how to use a scoop to fill a mould with sand and tap the top before lifting it up. Children smile and clap their hands as they successfully do this for themselves.

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need to do better?

n Before children start at the setting, staff find out about children's likes and dislikes and the experiences they have at home. They sensitively consider this when planning activities to continue to broaden on children's experiences. For example, staff take young children who show an interest in zoo animals to the zoo. Children find out about different animals and where they live. Older children are curious about different forms of transport and visit the local railway station and travel on a train. They tell visitors about their trip to a local college to look at a plane. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents feel well informed about their children's development and know what they can do at home to support them. The setting provides additional support to families that need it. Parents feel able to speak to the setting if they ever have any concerns. They receive a daily handover from their child's key person and find out what activities their child has

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need to do better?

taken part in. Parents comment that all staff know their children well as individuals. n Children's early language skills develop well. Young children act out the story of 'The Gruffalo' with a member of staff and then take on different roles in the story. Staff read books to babies and praise them as they explore different textures on each page. Staff model language to children well and increase their vocabulary by talking to them during their play. For example, they provide cereal

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need to do better?

9 March 2020 for children to feed to pretend animals. Staff introduce new words such as 'crunchy' to describe the different textures. Children begin to copy the words adults use. n Children are provided with opportunities to develop their early mathematical skills. Inside, they enjoy pouring different liquids and making pretend cups of tea. Outside, they run around and find different shapes in the outdoor area. Staff talk to children about the shapes they can see on objects and ask them questions. However, sometimes staff do not provide children with adequate time to respond to questions before they move on. n Older children are encouraged to develop their independence skills. At mealtimes, there are clear routines in place. Children know to line up and collect their knife and fork. They carefully pour water to drink and carry their tray of food to their seat. Children put their coat and shoes on independently. However,

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need to do better?

opportunities are missed for younger children to develop their independence skills. On occasions, staff tend to help them before letting them have a go first. n Funding for children in receipt of early years pupil premium is used effectively. Staff consider the needs of individual children. Children are provided with the opportunity to attend forest school. Suitable clothing is purchased to enable children to do this. Funding for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is used well to provide extra adult support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a secure knowledge of effective safeguarding practice. They know who they would report their concerns to. Staff receive regular updates to safeguarding at staff meetings, which means their knowledge is always kept updated. For example, they have recently focused on increasing their awareness of wider safeguarding issues. There are clear procedures in place for reporting accidents and ensuring parents are informed. Children are supervised well and regular risk assessments are undertaken, which means children are kept safe. Managers have a robust system in place to recruit new staff and an induction process is in place.

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should:

n strengthen staff interactions to ensure children have time to consider their responses n provide opportunities for the youngest children to develop their independence skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY372240 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10074100 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

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inspection

Total number of places 90 Number of children on roll 230 Name of registered person Castle Lane Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01858 468 006 Date of previous inspection 19 January 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Castle Lane Day Nursery registered in 2008 and is located in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. The nursery employs 29 members of childcare staff. Of these, 17 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including three at level 6 and two with early years teacher status. The nursery operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year round. It has a before- and after-school club, which also opens for full days during school holidays.The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector and the manager completed a learning walk around the setting and discussed how the curriculum is planned to meet the learning needs of children. n The inspector completed two joint observations with the manager. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector spoke to parents to find out their views. n The inspector held a meeting with both managers to find out what they have done to improve since their last inspection and what they would like to improve further. n The inspector checked the suitability of all members of staff working at the setting.

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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

9 March 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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