Stanstead Mill Day Nursery

Inspection of Stanstead Mill Day Nursery Stanstead Mill Day Nursery, 2B High Street, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 8AB

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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

The nursery's warm, welcoming environment supports children to feel happy, safe and secure. This helps babies and children to settle quickly. Children develop strong emotional bonds, and parents say that staff 'deeply care' for children and the nurture is 'second to none'. Brightly coloured resources and books capture children's interests and promote meaningful conversations. Toddlers hold pictures of vehicles to talk to staff and their friends about their favourite vehicles. While talking to others, toddlers are full of enthusiasm and animation as they recreate their favourite vehicle sounds. Older children talk to visitors in depth about their drawings and imaginary games in the role-play area. Outside, children sponge paint rainbows on the wall while singing the rainbow colour song.

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The provision is good

Staff promote children's independence skills, for example by encouraging them to clear their own plates and wash their hands, and provide support when needed. Babies develop resilience to setbacks as staff support them to build brick towers and praise them for their persistence. Children listen and respond well to adults' requests, such as when it is time to finish an activity. This helps children to develop concepts of time. Staff also respond positively to children's requests, such as repeating stories and songs. This demonstrates the positive relationships and mutual respect established within the nursery.

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need to do better?

n Leaders work well with schools and other settings to aid transitions and provide continuity of care. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to make good progress in their learning and development. n Staff feel well supported by leaders and managers and report a healthy work-life balance. This is due to staff's confidence in the leadership team and flexible working arrangements. Staff receive regular supervision, ongoing peer support and training opportunities. This supports their continuous professional development well. n Although children behave well, some expectations for their behaviour are not carried out consistently by all staff. For example, rules around the use of outdoor resources are enforced by leaders but not by other staff members. As a result, not all children demonstrate a firm understanding of behaviour expectations as they are not consistently applied or fully explained.

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need to do better?

n During small-group activities, there are times when the most confident children dominate the discussions. Staff do not always recognise when quieter children have not had the same chances as others to share their thoughts and what they have learned. This means that some children do not always have the opportunity to develop their confidence and self-esteem to speak in a group. n Staff know how to plan enjoyable and appropriate activities based around

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need to do better?

19 August 2021 children's needs and interests. They also incorporate specialist educational programmes into daily activities to boost children's development and broaden their learning experiences. Staff use their professional knowledge well to assess children's learning and plan what they need to learn next. Parents feel well informed and regularly updated about their children's progress and achievements. n Across the nursery, staff develop children's literacy development well. Babies sit comfortably on their key person's lap, babbling happily as they share a story together. Toddlers eagerly call out 'read it again' when their favourite story comes to an end. Additionally, toddlers express their delight by exclaiming, 'I love this one.' Pre-school children access cookery magazines in the home corner and refer to them during their play as 'food books'. n Staff encourage children to recall the knowledge and skills they gained from

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need to do better?

previous learning experiences, such as blackberry picking. Then they extend children's learning by providing blackberries in the mud kitchen to promote further discussion and exploration. Staff also remind babies of the purple flowers they saw during their walk when they see the colour in a story. Photos of children and their families at home are displayed throughout the nursery to promote children's sense of belonging. n Leaders work in partnership with local services to access training and support to raise teaching standards and improve children's outcomes. Leaders are highly committed to supporting staff's mental health and well-being and provide multiple sources of support. Leaders also support parents to increase their knowledge and understanding of how to support children's learning at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers seek regular training opportunities to keep staff's safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff are alert to the risks and signs of broader issues, such as county lines. Staff know how to identify the signs of child abuse and the correct procedures to report concerns in a timely way. The nursery operates a strict online safety policy and supports children to protect themselves from risks of abuse online. Staff feel confident to follow the nursery's whistle- blowing policy and know how to correctly manage allegations made against an adult.

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should:

n support staff to consistently apply behaviour management strategies to support children's deeper understanding of what is expected of them n review the organisation of small-group activities to support all children to

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should:

19 August 2021 express their ideas and develop their confidence to join in.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2505402 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10194408 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 33 Number of children on roll 62 Name of registered person Stanstead Mill Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01920871505 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Stanstead Mill Day Nursery registered in 2018. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery operates from Monday to Friday all year around, except for bank holidays. Sessions are from 6.30am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 nursery. n The nursery owner and the inspector had a learning walk to see how the curriculum is organised. They also discussed the security and safety of the indoor and outdoor areas. n The inspector observed interactions between adults and children, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery owner. n The inspector held discussions with nursery owner, manager, staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector viewed relevant documents and records, including safeguarding policies and procedures. n A number of parents provided verbal and written feedback and the inspector

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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

19 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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