Apricot Day Nursery

Inspection of Apricot Day Nursery Lescun Close, Pangbourne Road, Upper Basildon, Reading, Berkshire RG8 8LN

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children form positive relationships with staff and demonstrate that they feel happy and safe. They benefit from an interesting and well-organised environment as they develop good attitudes to learning. Staff have a secure knowledge of children's needs and what they want them to learn. Children show high levels of involvement in their play. They make many choices and explore interesting experiences inside and outdoors. Older children develop good listening and concentration skills in preparation for school. They listen attentively to stories and build with a purpose in mind. They source a range of materials to create a 'rocket' and use mathematical language, such as 'big' and 'huge', to accurately describe its size.

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The provision is good

Babies show enjoyment and natural curiosity. They are eager as they play with resources that spark their interest. For example, they enjoy exploring a jungle theme using their senses, with mini animal figures, soil, leaves and fresh vegetables. They show delight as they pop peas out of their pods and feel the texture of broccoli and kale. This supports their understanding of the natural world. Children understand the expectations for behaviour. They listen and respond to staff and willingly help with tasks such as preparing fruit at snack time and tidying up. Children show respect for one another. They offer kind gestures to their friends and offer a hand to comfort others. This helps children to feel included and valued.

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need to do better?

n Children develop a love of books, stories and songs. Opportunities for these are plentiful. Staff read and sing to children in an expressive way, which captivates them. For example, in the pre-school room, staff encourage children to join in with the story 'Chocolate Cake', and they do so enthusiastically. n Children are highly motivated and develop good physical skills through a range of stimulating experiences. For example, children actively explore equipment in the outdoor area. They delight in their achievements as they climb and balance across raised planks of wood. n Staff encourage diversity and children's understanding of other cultures well. Children are able to see other languages displayed. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language. This enables other children to learn new words in suitable ways for their ages. n Overall, the quality of the curriculum is good. Staff support children's

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need to do better?

communication and language skills well. They ask good questions and engage children in conversations to help them gain further knowledge. However, on occasion, some discussions are not pitched at the right level for children's understanding. n Partnerships with parents are good. Although parents spend less time on site due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, they speak favourably about the

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need to do better?

11 October 2021 nursery. Staff continue to share information with them about their child through regular discussions. In addition, staff invite parents to share information about their children's learning from home. They then extend on these skills within the nursery. Parents are positive about the support they receive for their children. n Although staff have recently changed the way they assess children's achievements, they have a clear understanding of what children need to learn next. Staff organise a broad curriculum that is based on children's interests and ideas. This helps to motivate the children in their learning. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. For instance, children spend one-to-one time with individual staff, who meet their needs well. n The manager regularly monitors the quality of teaching and provides staff with feedback about how they can further improve their practice. She continually

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need to do better?

reflects on the provision to identify further ways to build on good practice. However, there is an oversight in some records in ensuring that all information relating to children's care is recorded. n Leaders support staff to ensure their well-being, and they are proactive in reviewing their workload. Staff show passion and enthusiasm for their work and enjoy being part of the team. They attend supervision sessions and team meetings to reflect on their practice and achievements and to identify further training needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand their roles as designated safeguarding leads. They attend relevant training to keep their knowledge up to date. There are robust recruitment, induction and ongoing supervision procedures to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are aware of child protection issues that might affect children in their care. They are vigilant and understand the possible indicators that a child may be at risk of harm. This includes the risk from wider safeguarding issues, such as extremist views. Staff know the actions to take to report any concerns and understand the procedures to follow regarding allegations made against staff.

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Due date

ensure sufficient information is held about each child, including information about who has parental responsibility. 22/10/2021

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should:

n support staff to plan activities that are pitched at the right level for children's understanding.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY317616 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 10207501 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 24 Number of children on roll 33 Name of registered person Apricot Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01491 671 044 Date of previous inspection 31 August 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Apricot Day Nursery registered in 2006. It is situated in Upper Basildon on the outskirts of Pangbourne, Berkshire. The nursery opens for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are Monday to Thursday from 7.45am to 6pm and Friday from 8am to 5.30pm. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three years. The nursery employs eight members of staff. Of these, seven hold relevant early years qualifications between levels 2 and 4, and one at level 5.

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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 took that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspector observed activities in the two main base rooms and garden. She talked to staff about the progress that individual children are making and what they want the children to learn. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the manager. The inspector observed interactions between staff and the children and the impact these have on children's learning. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation, including staff's qualifications, staff's records and evidence of paediatric first-aid training. The inspector had a

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Inspection activities

discussion with leaders about the evaluation of the setting and plans for improvement. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the manager. The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection.

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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

11 October 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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