Mells Nursery

Inspection of Mells Nursery Mells Green, Mells, Frome, Somerset BA11 3QE

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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The provision is outstanding

Children thrive as they attend this wonderfully charming nursery. Staff develop incredibly positive and nurturing relationships with children. They are extremely passionate and committed to providing children with lifelong skills they need to succeed. Children are very content as they make independent choices in their play. The staff carefully organise the environment to enrich children's love of learning and inspire their curiosity and creativity. For example, children show high levels of interest as they explore real-life objects within their play, such as typewriters, rotary telephones and antique cameras. Children are incredibly confident, independent and happy. They stretch out their arms as wide as they can and say that they love the nursery 'this much'.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff work closely with families to ensure children feel safe and secure and settle quickly into the nursery; home visits by the manager and key person before children start help form the foundations for exceptional partnerships with parents. Children are excited to come to nursery. They quickly become immersed in the activities and opportunities available to them. Staff promote children's social skills and emotional well-being extremely well. Children develop an excellent understanding of their emotions, which strongly supports them to express their feelings and regulate these successfully. As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary. They have a clear understanding of the expectations at the nursery. Staff consistently praise children for their positive behaviour.

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need to do better?

n Children relish the outdoor opportunities available to them. They show perseverance and determination as they dig up weeds to create areas for new plants and vegetables to grow. Children work together to plant the seeds from the fruit they ate at snack time. Staff are highly skilled and make the most of every opportunity that the outdoor environment offers to promote children's learning. For example, they engage in forest school activities that support their understanding of risk in an outdoor environment. This includes foraging for plants in the woodlands to cook food on the fire. Children are fascinated with the bugs and natural elements they find under the wooden logs. They use the magnifying glasses to take a closer look. n Parents are extremely complimentary about the staff and the nursery. They comment on the fantastic experiences and opportunities on offer to children and feel that the staff provide 'the best possible start to their child's life'. Parents

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need to do better?

describe the environment as 'magical' and 'unique'. They feel that the 'staff, environment and fantastic leadership all contribute to a truly nurturing place where children really progress in their learning'. n Staff skilfully extend and consolidate children's individual interests through

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need to do better?

3 March 2020 careful interactions, observations and planning. The stimulating environment enriches children's learning through first-hand experiences and promotes their understanding of their local community. For example, children show excellent focus as they build stables for their farm animals using blocks. Children show confidence as they test out their ideas to establish the correct shape and size stable they need to build for their animals to fit in. Children show high levels of engagement as they create eggshells from play dough from which their plastic animals will hatch. n Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children with SEND receive exceptionally high levels of support to help them to meet their full potential. Staff show excellent dedication in working with other professionals and completing relevant training to ensure they can meet children's individual needs

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need to do better?

precisely. For example, all staff have completed training to implement effective strategies to support non-verbal children to communicate successfully. n The extremely passionate manager is fully committed to leading her team to excellence. Her inspiring approach gives the highest priority to staff morale and well-being. Consequently, staff are extremely motivated in ensuring high outcomes for every child. The manager provides staff with ongoing support and training to promote their individual strengths. Staff are enthusiastic to share the knowledge from various training opportunities with the rest of the team during regular staff meetings.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and deputy manager provide a huge amount of support to families and children to ensure their well-being remains high. They continuously listen to parents and children to help with anything they can. The manager and the staff have an excellent understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. They know the procedures they must follow should they have concerns about a child or the staff team. All staff attend regular safeguarding training to ensure their knowledge and understanding of child protection concerns, including wider safeguarding issues, remains up to date. Staff use detailed risk assessments to make sure the indoor and outdoor environment is safe for children to learn. Although the turnover of staff is exceptionally low, the manager demonstrates a very strong understanding of safer recruitment. This helps to ensure that staff who work with children are suitable to do so.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY348568 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10126109 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 22 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Mells Nursery Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01373 813978 Date of previous inspection 16 September 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Mells Nursery registered in 2007 and is run by a committee. The nursery opens each weekday from 9.15am to 3.15pm during school term times only. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. There are nine members of staff working with the children. Of these, two members of staff hold qualified teacher status. The remaining staff all have qualifications at level 3, six of them in early years.

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Inspection activities

n The manager guided the inspector on a learning walk around the setting, during which she discussed her ethos and how she implements this. n Parents shared their views with the inspector through discussions and in writing. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager in which she reflected on children's progress and the effectiveness of staff practice. n A range of documentation that supports the safe and efficient management of the nursery was viewed. This included evidence of suitability checks on adults working with children and a sample of policies and procedures. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at convenient times during the inspection. She observed the quality of education indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning and development.

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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

3 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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