Positive Steps Shellingford

Inspection of Positive Steps Shellingford Home Farm, Church Street, Shellingford, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 7QA

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children are happy and clearly feel safe at the nursery. They have adapted well to changes of routine due to the pandemic. For example, children enter the nursery confidently and separate from their parent with ease. They enjoy a range of activities indoors and outside which provide them with varied learning experiences. Children of all ages confidently move around their nursery rooms making choices about what they would like to do. Overall, staff engage with children positively as they play. This helps to keep children involved and interested. Children's communication and language development is successfully supported by staff. Staff model language well. For instance, they sing with children, read stories, and speak clearly to them throughout discussions and play. Children enjoy being physically active. They enthusiastically join in with action songs and have fun exploring on climbing equipment.

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The provision is good

Children who received additional funding and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively. Staff implement effective methods and strategies to support these children and help them move on in their development. Staff monitor children's progress effectively. They understand what they want children to learn and carefully plan activities and learning experiences. This helps children to good progress from their starting points and develop skills for the future.

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need to do better?

n The management team and staff work well together to provide a varied and interesting curriculum for the children to experience and enjoy. Activities are plentiful and cover the seven areas of learning well. For instance, children learned about compassion and care when they sent a birthday card to the Queen and a get well message to the Prime Minister. n Staff support children to learn about the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle. For example, children eat nutritious meals and snacks and have regular outdoor play. They learn about where vegetables come from, for example by growing these in the nursery garden. Children follow good hygiene routines and older children learn to manage their personal needs by themselves. They develop their independence well. For example, older children line up to collect their meals to take these to their table. n Children are confident at the nursery and have a good sense of belonging.

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need to do better?

Overall, children behave well. However, at times, some children do not receive consistent messages from staff to help them manage their behaviour. In particular, about how their actions might affect others. Staff praise children regularly, which promotes their self-esteem and confidence well. n Transition arrangements are effective. The staff have created areas which are

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need to do better?

17 June 2021 similar throughout the nursery. This offers children a familiar environment as they move rooms. For example, children have named pegs for their personal belongings. In addition, tyres are used to store resources outside in the garden, which enables children to continue to select their own resources. n Parents have positive views about the nursery. They comment on the good progress their children have made and the effective communication that they receive. Staff make good use of daily discussions to inform parents about their child's day. Key persons help children to feel secure and this supports them to settle swiftly at the nursery. Staff support children's emotional development and give comfort to them. For example, staff use family books with pictures of the children's families to help children to continue to feel connected to their family. n Staff have supervision meetings to support them. They comment that they feel

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need to do better?

well supported by the management team. Staff undertake some professional development opportunities that help to support some aspects of their practice. For example, staff have attended training in wider safeguarding matters. However, less focus is given to develop other skills, to help enrich their practice and raise the teaching to an even higher level. n Staff and the management team use many methods to evaluate the provision. For example, they seek the views of parents and gain the children's voices by having a committee meeting with them. This helps them to reflect on what they are offering and identify improvements linked to the children's ideas.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff know and understand their responsibilities to safeguard children and to keep them safe from harm. They are aware of the signs and indictors that may mean a child is at risk. The premises are safe and staff complete risk assessments to ensure security. Older children are helped to develop their understanding of safety, including completing their own risk assessments before starting to play. Recruitment and ongoing suitability checks are robust to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children

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should:

n enhance practice further, including through relevant professional development opportunities, to maintain and build further on the good-quality provision n provide more consistent support for children, to help build on their understanding of how to manage their feelings and behaviours.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY283818 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10127862 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 55 Number of children on roll 38 Name of registered person Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01367 718888 Date of previous inspection 7 October 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Positive Steps Shellingford registered in 2004 and was taken over by the Busy Bees Chain in 2016. It operates from a purpose-built, single-storey building in the village of Shellingford, Oxfordshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 7.45am to 6.15pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. There are seven members of staff working with the children. Of these, five hold relevant early years qualifications between level 2 and level 6.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager explained the nursery curriculum during a learning walk with the inspector. n The manager and the inspector completed a joint observation of an activity together and discussed the quality of teaching and learning afterwards. n Children spoke to the inspector about the activities they took part in. n Parent feedback about the nursery was obtained through face-to-face discussions, emails and telephone calls.

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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

17 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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