Ducklings Nursery Sandiacre

Inspection of Ducklings Nursery Sandiacre 69a Derby Road, Sandiacre, Nottingham, Derbyshire NG10 5HY

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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 enter the nursery with enthusiasm and settle quickly. They move around the nursery with ease and are very familiar with their surroundings. They can independently help themselves to toys that capture their interest. Children develop their physical skills well and learn to take risks as they play. Babies roll, crawl and walk as they explore sensory items around the room. They use spoons and make loud and soft noises as they bang the metal bowls. Toddlers carefully hold onto the rail to help them negotiate the stairs to go outside. Pre-school children climb, run, jump and scramble through tunnels on the pirate ship.

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The provision is good

Children behave well and are very eager to learn. They happily engage in activities of their choice and develop their curiosity. Children relish taking part in various messy play activities. This is evident as pre-school children make ice creams out of shaving foam. They work out how to squirt the shaving foam and scream with delight as it sprays all over the table. Children use their imaginative skills as they shake sprinkles with excitement and pretend to eat their ice cream. They count how many scoops of ice cream they have altogether and estimate who has the most and which one is the biggest. Children are keen to talk about and share their experiences of a recent visit to the nursery from an ice-cream van.

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need to do better?

n The provider and manager review the quality of the nursery thoroughly. They check the quality of education and children's learning. They provide staff with training to help enhance children's learning. For example, staff are attending a course on developing children's language skills. Staff explain that this course is helping them to improve children's speaking skills. They are modelling language, repeating words and not asking too many questions. n Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They make good use of their observations of children's play to identify what they need to learn next. Staff successfully help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise with a range of other professionals to put plans in place to support their learning. n Parents speak highly of the manager and staff and are particularly impressed by the progress their children make in their learning. They share information about

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need to do better?

children's interests at home. Staff use this information well to enhance children's experiences. For example, staff plan activities for children to learn about life cycles. Children watch duck eggs hatch into ducklings and see how tadpoles turn into frogs. These activities help children to understand how some creatures grow and extend their knowledge about nature. n Staff encourage younger children to make marks using various opportunities, such as painting, to develop their small-muscle skills in readiness for holding a

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need to do better?

4 August 2021 pencil. However, staff do not provide enough support for older pre-school children to help develop these skills further. For instance, older children choose to participate in making marks in the sand, but staff fail to recognise how to extend their early writing skills during this activity. n Staff promote children's health. They provide plenty of opportunities for children to play in the fresh air. They benefit from homemade meals and know some foods are healthy for them to eat. For example, the cranberries in their fruit loaf that they have for snack. Children enjoy chopping and slicing vegetables for their snack and learn how to use knives safely. n Children are developing their personal skills. Older children know the routine for washing hands and younger children learn to rub the germs away. Children develop their independence skills. They know where to put toys when they tidy away and older children pour their own drinks and collect their cutlery at lunch

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need to do better?

time. These activities help children develop their independence skills and future learning. n Staff promote children's behaviour well. They encourage children to share the toys and take turns. Children learn to cooperate and play well together. This is evident as children share the construction toys and work together to build a garage to fix the car. They place bricks together and wait for their turn to join in.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have a good understanding of how to protect children. They understand who to contact and the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. This includes understanding the procedures for protecting children from extreme behaviours. The manager and staff attend regular training and are vigilant about children's safety. Staff know what to do should they have concerns about the conduct of a colleague. The provider and manager follow robust recruitment procedures to ensure staffs' suitability. Staff make careful risk assessments to ensure the safety of children attending the nursery.

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should:

n provide staff with information to help develop their knowledge of how to support older pre-school children to extend their early writing skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2496793 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 10194439 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 47 Number of children on roll 45 Name of registered person Sojourn, Medusa Anamika

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reference number

Telephone number 0115 939 0105 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Ducklings Nursery Sandiacre registered in 2018. It operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 6pm,except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It employs eight members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold an early years qualification at either level 2, 3 and 5. The manager holds a level 6 qualification in early years.

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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 her evaluation of the provider. n The inspector completed a learning walk with the manager and discussed how she organises and implements the curriculum. n The provider and inspector took part in a joint observation. The inspector considered the quality of education during activities and the impact this had on children's learning. n The inspector spoke with the provider, manager, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. The inspector observed interactions between the staff and the children and considered the impact these have on children's learning. n Parents spoke to the inspector over the telephone. The inspector took account of the views of parents and how they communicate with the nursery staff.

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Inspection activities

n The provider and the inspector had a discussion about professional development for staff and how she evaluates her practice. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of the staff.

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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

4 August 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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