Barking Riverside Nursery School

Inspection of Barking Riverside Nursery School Renwick Road, Barking, Barking And Dagenham IG11 0FU

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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 flourish at this welcoming nursery. They arrive with big smiles, eager to start their day. Children are greeted warmly by familiar staff. They receive lots of attention throughout the day. This helps them to feel secure and settled. Children play happily indoors and outdoors. They thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. Older children learn to respect and care for the natural environment during outdoor activities. This includes growing food and learning about sustainable energy at a nearby community 'food forest'. Toddlers experience a variety of social situations on local outings, such as to a café. Afterwards they are keen to extend their learning, by cooking some of the foods they have seen.

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The provision is good

Staff aspire for all children to be successful learners. The environment and resources are carefully planned, to promote children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Babies use their senses to explore the colours and textures of collage materials. They develop their own ideas as they arrange them creatively. Children are motivated and keen to join in. Older children eagerly enjoy simple science experiments. They display a good range of skills and knowledge as they count, pour and recognise colours. Children confidently predict what might happen if they add milk or water to coloured sweets. They speak articulately about the sweets becoming smaller as the colours 'melt' and create 'rainbows'.

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need to do better?

n The nursery has a strong leadership team. Leaders constantly reflect on the provision, to provide high-quality care and learning. Staff say that they 'love their work'. They feel well supported by leaders and say there is a great sense of teamwork. Staff describe excellent access to training. They speak confidently about how they use what they have learned. For instance, staff have found additional ways to foster babies' resilience, to help them become confident and independent learners. n Leaders and staff create a broad and ambitious curriculum, to prepare children for school and for life within wider society. Staff quickly identify where children require support to make good progress. They work closely with parents to develop focused plans and seek support from other professionals when needed. The provider uses additional funding to help children access the full curriculum. This early intervention helps all children make good progress from their starting

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need to do better?

points. This includes children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. n Staff support children well, overall, with the skills they need for the next stages in their learning. They encourage children to lead their own play and to become independent with their personal care. Staff plan a good range of activities and the quality of education is good. However, sometimes staff do not consistently

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need to do better?

8 December 2021 support children's communication and language skills to their highest level. For instance, they occasionally use sentences which are too long and complex or do not explain the purpose of activities clearly to children. n Children's behaviour is very good. They listen to adults and learn to follow instructions and routines. Children begin to understand the 'golden rules' of the nursery. They play happily alongside each other and older children develop good friendships. Where children struggle to control their emotions, staff help them to develop useful techniques, such as controlled breathing. They share these strategies with parents, to provide consistency for children. n There is a strong focus on supporting healthy lifestyles for children. This includes admirable support for children's mental well-being. For example, children of all ages take part in yoga and sessions to promote mindfulness and relaxation.

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need to do better?

Children develop good strength and fitness from vigorous exercise, in the nursery garden and on outings to nearby green spaces. The nursery provides healthy meals, and staff encourage children to make positive choices about food. n Partnerships with parents are extremely effective. Parents comment on the exemplary support for children's learning. This includes schemes which allow children to take home books and activities to share with their parents. Parents describe the 'brilliant communication'. They say staff maintained regular contact with families when the nursery closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This sustained the close and caring bonds between staff and children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular safeguarding training to fulfil their roles. They supplement this with frequent discussions about issues that might affect children's safety and well-being. This includes the risks to children when online or from exposure to extreme views and behaviours. Staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. They are familiar with procedures for reporting allegations about adults working with children. The provider ensures there are robust checks for the suitability of staff. Staff assess potential risks in the environment, to help keep children healthy and safe.

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should:

n extend opportunities for children to develop their communication and language skills to their highest level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2509408 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10194481 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 53 Number of children on roll 75 Name of registered person The London Early Years Foundation

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reference number

Telephone number 0203 959 9989 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Barking Riverside Nursery School registered in 2018. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, throughout most of the year. The provider employs 19 staff to work with the children. Of these, 14 have a childcare qualification at level 6 or level 3. The nursery offers funded early education for children aged two, three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the provision. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. They discussed the curriculum and how the nursery is organised. n The inspector observed a range of learning experiences indoors and outdoors, and evaluated the quality of education and the impact on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation and evaluated the quality of education together. n The inspector took account of parents' views from discussions and written feedback. She spoke to staff and children during the inspection and considered their views and experiences. n A range of documents, including staff suitability checks, paediatric first-aid certificates and safeguarding policies were reviewed by the inspector.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector met with leaders to discuss issues such as staff recruitment, supervision and training.

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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

8 December 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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