Tops Devonport

Inspection of Tops Devonport Green Ark Childrens Centre, Leander House, Devonport Family Centre, Fore Street, Devonport, Plymouth, Devon PL1 4DW

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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 feel safe and secure and confidently explore the variety of spaces inside and outside at this nursery. Children choose what they want to play with and staff encourage them to be active in their own learning. For example, children use their imagination to make bridges out of bricks or pizza out of play dough. Babies and toddlers enjoy playing with water and planting seeds.

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The provision is good

Children are well behaved and understand the expectations of the setting. They respond well to the staff and remind each other of the rules as they play. Babies form attachments to staff, who support them and follow their personal routines.

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The provision is good

The setting has high expectations and staff support children well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress in their learning and development. This helps to prepare children with the necessary skills and knowledge for later learning.

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The provision is good

The setting has made some changes as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic to ensure children's safety. For instance, parents do not enter the building but they are kept informed via email and staff talk to them about their children outside at collection time.

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need to do better?

n The newly appointed manager has a strong ambition to deliver high-quality care and education for all children who attend the setting. She uses additional funding to give children access to outdoor learning at forest school sessions. She has made good progress in her short time at the setting and staff feel well supported. n Staff provide children with a range of opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, babies take part in tummy time to support them to crawl and older children use a variety of tools to dig or paint. n Children have opportunities to learn about the world around them. Babies watch tractors with interest and then play with toy tractors and pretend farms. Older children identify animals and talk about their features. n Staff encourage children to be independent in their self-help skills and, as a result, children are learning how to take good care of themselves. For example,

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need to do better?

children pour their own drinks into glasses and serve their own food. n Staff are responsive to the children and follow their interests. Staff believe that children learn best through their own play and they allow them to do this uninterrupted. Children can access activities that staff plan for them, however, it is not always clear what the staff want the children to learn from these. n Children can choose to listen to stories with an adult and they talk

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need to do better?

10 June 2021 enthusiastically about the characters in the story. Younger children learn the actions to songs which they repeat at home with their parents. n Staff are warm and caring towards the children and they treat them with affection. When babies are upset, staff give them cuddles and reassurance. n The setting has seen a high turnover of staff recently. Leaders have taken swift action to recruit new staff and support them to understand their roles. Staff are beginning to get to know the children and develop strong relationships with them. However, staff are not as confident about identifying what children know and can do, and using this knowledge to plan suitably challenging activities. n Parents are complimentary about the setting. They praise staff for supporting the routines of babies and sharing behaviour management strategies. They are happy with the opportunities their children have at the setting.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide a healthy diet and parents can choose from hot or cold menus for their children at lunchtime, depending on their preferences. n Children are making good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. Staff provide safe spaces for children to reflect on their feelings and emotions. n The setting is committed to environmentally friendly practice. They offer reusable nappies for babies and bamboo toothbrushes for all children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure staff keep their child protection knowledge up to date. Staff know the signs that may indicate a child is at risk from harm. They understand how to report concerns about a child's welfare or about a member of staff. When recruiting new staff, leaders follow a thorough process to ensure staff are suitable for their roles. Staff ensure that children are safe in the setting and respond quickly to identify and remove any potential hazards.

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should:

n improve the consistency with which staff support children to achieve their next steps n improve staff knowledge and understanding of individual children's development and what they need to learn next.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY562907 Local authority Plymouth Inspection number 10190947 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 53 Number of children on roll 126 Name of registered person Tops Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01752 565156 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Tops Devonport registered in 2018 and is located in Plymouth. The nursery is part of the Tops chain of nurseries. The nursery employs 14 members of staff. Of these, one member of staff holds a recognised early years qualification at level 6, seven members of staff hold qualifications at level 3 and three members of staff hold qualifications at level 2. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round and offers flexible booking times.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection of the setting since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The manager and the inspector went on a learning walk across all areas of the pre-school and discussed how the early years provision and curriculum is organised. n The manager and the inspector jointly observed and evaluated an activity. n The nursery manager discussed the leadership of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector spoke to children and parents to gather their views.

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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 June 2021 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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