Plantpots Jesmond

Inspection of Plantpots Jesmond The Northumberland Club, North Jesmond Avenue, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland NE2 3JU

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is outstanding

Children run in enthusiastically and very happily start their day in this outstanding nursery. Older children have daily access to the extremely stimulating 'outdoor classroom' in the on-site forest area. Children immediately become deeply engrossed in exciting and challenging activities. For instance, they develop their hand-to-eye coordination and concentrate intently when they use hammers and saws in the 'woodwork hut'. Children understand that they must wear goggles and gloves to keep themselves safe when handling tools. Staff have high expectations for children. They plan many opportunities for children to investigate. Children are highly motivated. They enthusiastically play and explore with a vast range of natural and everyday resources. For example, staff provide real pots, pans and large cutlery with herbs and vegetables. Younger children eagerly cut up onions, grate carrots and add them to mud and water to make their own concoctions.

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The provision is outstanding

Children's behaviour is excellent. They are extremely happy and safe in the nursery. Children happily take turns without prompting. For example, children wait to have a go on a large swing without prompting, and take turns at pushing each other. Staff provide many activities to encourage children to manage their own behaviour and recognise their emotions. Children look at themselves in mirrors, read books and play with 'emotion stones' to help them to recognise how they are feeling. Children spontaneously tell the inspector that they 'love nursery'.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan and successfully implement a broad curriculum, which enables all children to thrive and make the best possible progress. Through their detailed observations, all staff have a thorough knowledge of children's stages of development and interests. Staff use this information to plan exciting and stimulating activities, which take account of what each individual child needs to learn next. n Staff offer children many activities that help them to gain a deep understanding about themselves and to respect others. Families bring in resources and books from their own cultures, or from when they have visited a different country. Staff carefully consider the resources on offer to make sure that they reflect diversity and the home lives of children. n Children who are learning English as an additional language are extremely well supported. Staff learn key words in children's home language and use visual

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need to do better?

prompts and well-thought-out language to support them. Many staff in the nursery are bi-lingual and children are constantly exposed to different languages. Older children confidently count and name animals in Spanish as they play. n Staff skilfully plan activities that challenge children to develop their literacy and

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need to do better?

1 July 2021 early writing skills. Younger children make marks in mud, paint and water. Older children make meaningful marks using pencils and clipboards when they play. Staff display carefully chosen books indoors and outdoors to encourage children to develop a love of reading. n Staff support children to develop excellent levels of independence. Older children confidently pour their own drinks and clear away after meals. Younger children ably wash their own hands. Mealtimes are a highly sociable occasion where staff and children eat healthy, home-cooked food together . n Children have superb opportunities to develop their mathematical skills when they play. For example, staff encourage younger children to count shells and match them to reflective numbers outdoors. Children investigate with magnifying glasses and comment that things get 'bigger' and 'smaller'. Older children make patterns with peas and slices of carrot. Staff successfully extend their learning

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need to do better?

by encouraging children to make repeating patterns. n Staff plan exceptional opportunities for children to learn about the world around them. Children plant vegetables in their greenhouse and understand that they need to water them. They enjoy helping to care for the nursery's rabbits, who hop around as children play. Older children investigate ice and water and proudly tell staff that polar bears live in Antarctica. n Staff comment that they receive excellent levels of support and guidance from the managers. They all feel valued and are extremely happy working in the nursery. Staff comment that the introduction of peer observations has greatly helped them enhance their practice. Managers continually provide staff with ways to extend their knowledge and practice. For example, they encourage staff to further their qualifications and gain accreditation in forest school activities and the Montessori method of teaching.

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need to do better?

n Staff have highly effective partnerships with parents. They share a wealth of information with them about their children's development. Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, some of the activities that are usually offered to parents have been limited. Staff and parents are looking forward to resuming an open-door policy and 'experience days', such as forest school activities and visiting for afternoon tea, when guidelines allow.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers implement excellent procedures to keep children safe. They make sure that staff can confidently recognise how to identify children who may be at risk of harm. They understand the action to take if they have a concern about a child in their care. Staff teach children of all ages about how to keep themselves safe. Younger children learn the importance of good hygiene and know that they are 'washing the germs' away when they clean their hands. Older children learn the importance of safety when they sit around the campfire and cook soup, beans and sausages.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY561782 Local authority Newcastle upon Tyne Inspection number 10194172 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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Total number of places

Number of children on roll 54 Name of registered person Mcqueen, Tamasine Louise

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reference number

Telephone number 01912810007 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Plantpots Jesmond registered in 2018. It employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 5, four hold early years qualifications at level 3 and one member of staff holds early years teacher status. The nursery opens all year round from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It provides funded early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children and follows the principles of Montessori teaching.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The manager discussed with the inspector how staff organise and plan the curriculum, environment and experiences for children. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n The inspector and the manager evaluated children's learning together. n The inspector held a meeting with the managers. She looked at relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery and their qualifications. n The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection. She spoke to parents and carers during the inspection and took account of 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

1 July 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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