Children 4 Most at Squirrels Wood

Inspection of Children 4 Most at Squirrels Wood Children 4 Most, Cemetery Road, Audenshaw, MANCHESTER M34 5AH

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children feel happy, safe and relaxed in this nursery. They develop strong, warm bonds with their key person and other staff members. Children know what is expected of them and, for the most part, demonstrate wonderful behaviour. They listen respectfully, share resources and follow the rules. For instance, during lunchtime, children patiently wait until all their friends have received their food before beginning to eat. Staff offer children an abundance of praise, which helps children to feel confident and proud of their own good behaviour. Children are delighted to partake in exciting outdoor activities, such as a 'bear hunt'. Staff use such activities to promote children's physical development, literacy skills and understanding of the world. Children recall vocabulary from well-known stories and use this to describe the sounds they hear. For example, they talk about their boots 'squelching in the mud' and describe the wind as 'swishing and swashing'. Children

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The provision is good

squeal with delight and run away as they find a 'bear' hiding outdoors. Staff skilfully support children as they recreate this story, which helps support children to build a love for reading.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide children with many opportunities to build their independence and self-care skills. Pre-school children wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom. Two-year-olds help to put on their own aprons during messy activities. However, not all staff consistently follow expected hygiene procedures set by the management team. As a result, children are not always learning the links between good hygiene practices and their good health. The majority of children enjoy the nutritious, well-balanced meals provided by the nursery. However, when children refuse to try new foods or engage with lunchtime, staff are unsure of how to proceed. This means a small minority of children are not building healthy attitudes towards certain foods while at this nursery. n The management team and staff are committed to supporting children's well- being. Staff attend training to learn to support children's mental health and

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need to do better?

cascade this knowledge to all of their colleagues. As a result, children access 'frustration baskets', yoga sessions and calming sensory experiences. Staff use these activities to help children to successfully recognise and respond to their own feelings. This helps to support children's personal and emotional development. n The management team monitors staff performance through supervisions and appraisals. It works with staff to identify strengths and areas for development. Targeted training and continuous professional development are then accessed by all staff. This helps to continuously raise the quality of provision offered. Staff well-being is well supported. The management team shows appreciation for its

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need to do better?

10 March 2020 staff through 'awards ceremonies', where individual achievements are celebrated. Staff feel valued as a result. n Parents commend this 'brilliant' nursery. They appreciate that staff keep them well informed of their children's ongoing development and learning goals. They comment that the staff and management team 'cater to every child's needs'. n Overall, staff support children's communication and language development well. Staff narrate their own actions and use repetition to help support younger children's growing vocabulary. Pre-school children learn Spanish words and use descriptive words from their favourite books in play. However, some staff ask children questions which require one-word answers or do not allow children enough processing time in between questions. This does not support children's critical thinking skills. n The quality of education is good. Children of all ages explore different foods,

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need to do better?

developing their understanding of natural things. For instance, they are intrigued to feel the differences between 'smooth' melon rind and 'spiky' pineapple rind. Pre-school children develop their mathematical skills as they count different objects and solve simple problems. Younger children practise their drawing skills and explore traditional fairy tales such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff recognise the signs and symptoms which may indicate a child is being abused. They know their safeguarding responsibilities. For instance, staff confidently describe the steps they would take should they have concerns for the welfare of a child. Furthermore, staff understand the procedures to follow should they feel managers have failed to uphold their safeguarding duties or if they have an allegation against another member of staff. The manager, who is the designated safeguarding lead, has robust child protection knowledge. She keeps abreast of wider safeguarding issues, such as drugs trafficking and honour-based violence, all of which helps to keep children safe.

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should:

n strengthen the consistency of hygiene practices to help support children's understanding of the links between good hygiene and good health n consider ways in which to support children to make healthy choices around food to help promote their good health n strengthen the use of effective questioning techniques to help promote children's critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY225501 Local authority Tameside Inspection number 10109673 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 95 Number of children on roll 113 Name of registered person Children 4 Most Private Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0161 336 3221 Date of previous inspection 9 December 2014

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Information about this early years setting

Children 4 Most at Squirrels Wood registered in 2003 and is one of three nurseries owned by a Limited Company. The nursery operates in the Audenshaw area of Tameside. Sessions run from 7:30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The owners both have teaching qualifications specialising in Early Years with QTS. The management team are both Early Years Teachers with Level six qualifications. In addition to this there is a staff team of 33 and of these Two have a relevant Level six Qualifications. One staff has a level Four Qualification. Seventeen hold recognised qualifications at level Three and One has Level Two. 11 members of staff are working towards level Two qualifications. The nursery has a full time Qualified Nursery Cook and Cleaner. The nursery offers funded early education for two-, three and four year old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector considered parents' verbal and written feedback and experiences of the nursery. n The manager took the inspector on a tour of the nursery and explained how the curriculum is delivered and the impact this has on children's development. n The management team and the inspector held leadership and management discussions throughout the inspection. n Relevant documentation was viewed by the inspector, including evidence of suitability of staff. n A joint observation was conducted by the manager and the inspector, who evaluated the quality of education seen together. n Interactions between staff and children were observed and evaluated by the inspector throughout 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

10 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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