Acorns Nursery School Ltd

Inspection of Acorns Nursery School Ltd 10 Park Street, CIRENCESTER, Gloucestershire GL7 2BN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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The provision requires improvement

Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure at the setting. Staff provide a welcoming learning environment. Children are confident to access resources independently and make choices in their play.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff implement effective strategies to support children's positive behaviour. They encourage children to talk about their feelings and emotions, and to share and take turns. Older children show respect for adults, their peers, and resources. They develop friendships and play well together.

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The provision requires improvement

Children develop their self-care and independence skills. They benefit from healthy food. Babies learn to feed themselves. Older children show competence using cutlery and can put on their coats and wellington boots before they go outside to play. Staff sit with children and babies during snack and mealtimes and chat to them to promote language and social skills.

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The provision requires improvement

All children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors. They develop their physical skills. Babies crawl over low apparatus and pull themselves to standing, strengthening the muscles in their legs. Older children kick balls, climb in the tree- house and balance on logs. Staff support pre-school children effectively to develop their small-muscle skills, for instance, as children use scissors to cut out pictures for their farm maps.

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The provision requires improvement

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the nursery has reduced the time parents are in the setting, to keep children safe. Staff share information with parents about their children's care, learning and development using an electronic system, alongside discussions on arrival and collection.

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need to do better?

n The provider encourages managers and staff to develop their knowledge and skills. They receive regular supervision meetings and appraisals. The provider is aware of the main pressures that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on staff and provides them with ongoing support. The provider and manager reflect on the quality of the provision regularly to identify and make improvements. There are plans to enhance the outdoor area to further support children's learning across the curriculum. However, the provider and manager have not identified weaknesses in practice in the baby room. n Staff work with parents effectively to meet babies' care routines to provide continuity. However, staff do not consistently deploy themselves well enough to engage with babies to increase their enjoyment and learning. At times, some babies spend long periods with no interaction from staff and play alone or move

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need to do better?

28 July 2021 aimlessly around the room. n Staff do not always use what they know about babies to plan and provide purposeful and appropriately challenging activities. For instance, on the day of the inspection, staff had set up a mark-making activity with inappropriate tools for babies' developmental stages and babies quickly lost interest. n Pre-school children are motivated to learn. Staff use their interests and what they need to learn next, to plan a range of interesting activities to help them achieve. For example, children recognise written numerals on sticks and count out acorns to match the numbers. Staff role model mathematical language effectively and encourage children to think about capacity. Children say they need 350 spades of sand and they laugh together when staff ask them if they can think of a smaller number. n Staff make good use of opportunities to develop pre-school children's understanding of the world. Children show high levels of curiosity as they

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need to do better?

examine a spider with staff and talk about its characteristics. Staff extend children's thinking skills well, such as when they ask them why they think the spider can climb up the post without falling off. n Older children develop good listening and concentration skills in readiness for school. They learn to recognise their names and are beginning to form letters and sound out phonics. Staff encourage children to take pride in their achievements to boost their levels of self-esteem and confidence. n Pre-school children gain good communication and language skills. Children develop their imaginations and engage in role play with their friends. For example, they pretend they are princesses and queens, and say they are making dark chocolate when they mix water and mud together. They listen well as staff read stories. Staff extend children's thinking and language skills, such as asking them what will happen next. Staff share books with babies, although they do not

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need to do better?

always use the correct words for things to fully support babies developing language. Nevertheless, babies enjoy song times and explore musical instruments enthusiastically.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider uses robust recruitment processes to ensure the suitability of staff for their role. Staff have a suitable knowledge and understanding of child protection and wider safeguarding issues. The designated safeguarding lead is proactive in her role. Staff know what to do and who to contact should they have any concerns about a child or adult. Staff show children respect. For example, they give babies an explanation about why they need to change their trousers because they are wet from water play and talk to babies as they change their nappies.

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Due date

improve staff deployment in the baby room, to ensure staff engage with babies to extend their learning and development 03/09/2021

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Due date

support staff to improve planning in the baby room to ensure activities are purposeful and pitched at the right level to meet their individual next steps in learning. 03/09/2021

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should:

n ensure staff use the correct words when talking to babies to support their developing communication and language skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY369943 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10202744 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 66 Number of children on roll 77 Name of registered person Acorns Nursery School Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01285 655 505 Date of previous inspection 29 September 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Acorns Nursery School Ltd registered in 2005 and is situated in the centre of Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The nursery opens on Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5.45pm, all year round. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff, including the manager and deputy manager. Of these, 12 hold relevant early years qualifications from level 3 to level 6. The owner has a teaching qualification and early years professional status. The nursery also employs a chef and a maintenance person. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The provider and the inspector completed a learning walk together around the setting. n The inspector observed activities and the quality of staff's interactions with children. She talked to the provider, managers and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the provider. n Children talked to the inspector about their play and activities. n The inspector viewed a range of documents, including Disclosure and Barring Service records, paediatric first-aid certificates, the safeguarding policy and children's records.

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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

28 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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