Merryvale Day Nursery

Inspection of Merryvale Day Nursery 50 Merrivale Road, Halesowen B62 9RL

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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 Outstanding

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The provision requires improvement

Children arrive happily at the setting as they receive a warm welcome from the kind and friendly staff. Children are confident as they approach new people to show their toys to, showing that they feel safe and secure in the nursery.

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The provision requires improvement

Children are quick to join in with the activities on offer. However, staff do not ensure that activities provided for children are focused sharply enough on their interests or what they need to learn next. The quality of teaching is variable. At times, staff do not interact with children during their play to extend their learning. They sit away from children and take a supervisory role. This has an impact on the progress that children make in their development. That said, babies share stories with staff. Two- and three-year-old children enjoy splashing in water and manipulating play dough. Older children repeatedly transport items down pipes to explore movement.

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The provision requires improvement

At mealtimes, older children serve their own food onto their plates. However, this takes a very long time, and some children sit waiting for too long. Teaching is not flexible enough to encourage children to make choices about their play and learning. Staff do not always recognise when children are deeply engaged in their learning. For example, older children are stopped immediately when playing with play dough to move on to the next part of the routine without giving them time to finish their work.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and managers carry out observations of staff. They are alert to some weaknesses in teaching and practice. That said, managers have not acted quickly enough to provide staff with the necessary coaching and professional development opportunities to improve the quality of their practice and promote the interests of all children. n Self-evaluation has not been successful in identifying all areas of improvement, with particular regard to weaknesses in staff practice. Consequently, the overall quality of provision has decreased since the last inspection. n Staff get to know children well through making regular observations and assessments of them. However, they do not use this information purposefully to plan activities that challenge children and fully support their learning and development. Staff complete a progress check for children at age two, to identify gaps in children's learning. However, they do not respond swiftly to their

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need to do better?

findings to provide support for children who are falling behind in their learning and development. There are some avoidable delays between identifying concerns about children's development and providing support or intervention. This means that children's needs are not supported well enough, and they are at

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need to do better?

15 December 2021 risk of falling further behind in their development. n The quality of teaching is variable. For example, some interactions with children do not have a positive impact on their communication and language development. Staff do not recognise the importance of children learning the correct pronunciation of words. They model shortened language and accept children calling a banana a 'nana' or saying 'ta' instead of thank you. n Parents speak positively about the nursery. They commend the relationships their children have with staff and say that their children are very happy attending. Parents welcome the regular information they receive from staff regarding their child's care, learning and development. They use this to build on their child's learning at home. n Children, generally, behave well in the nursery. Older children learn to take turns as they pass a doll around a circle. They understand that they must wait until it

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need to do better?

is their turn to hold the doll and to talk. n Children enjoy a range of healthy meals and snacks. They know that sweetcorn is a vegetable and talk about vegetables being healthy. This contributes towards children leading a healthy lifestyle. n Staff obtain information about children's health when they start at the nursery. When children require medication, they obtain the required information from parents about the child's health. This helps to meet the individual needs of children. n There are appropriate arrangements in place for managing accidents and injuries. Staff understand how to respond to accidents or injuries children sustain. They maintain written records and inform parents of this. There are enough qualified paediatric first-aid trained staff on site to respond in an emergency, which helps to keep children safe.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and managers complete regular child protection training to keep their knowledge up to date. They can identify signs that could indicate a child is at risk of abuse or neglect. They know how to report their concerns to other professionals in line with the nursery's comprehensive child protection procedure. Managers understand the procedures to follow if an allegation is made against a member of staff. Managers implement a robust process for the recruitment of staff and gather relevant information to assess their suitability to work with children. Staff deploy themselves effectively to supervise children and ensure their safety.

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Due date

15 December 2021 ensure that the supervision and monitoring of staff practice is effective in providing coaching, guidance and professional development opportunities to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently good level 31/01/2022

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Due date

improve the use of planning to ensure that children consistently receive challenging and enjoyable experiences that take account of their individual needs and stages of development to support them in making progress in their learning 31/01/2022

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Due date

improve the arrangements in place, including the use of the progress check at age two, to provide swift and effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 31/01/2022

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should:

n strengthen self-evaluation to identify and promptly respond to weaknesses in practice as they arise.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY540492 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 10217096 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 50 Number of children on roll 60 Name of registered person Merryvale Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01214227025 Date of previous inspection 28 January 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Merryvale Day Nursery registered in 2017. The nursery is located in the Halesowen area of Dudley. The nursery opens from 7.15am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. There are 15 members of childcare staff employed, all of whom hold relevant qualifications at level 2 or above. 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 setting received since the COVID-19 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 inspection was carried out following the risk assessment process. n The deputy manager, a director and inspector completed a learning walk to gather information about how the provision and curriculum are organised. n The deputy manager and inspector carried out a joint observation to evaluate the impact of teaching on children's learning. n Parents and children spoke to the inspector and gave their views of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of teaching indoors and outdoors to assess the impact of this on children's learning. n The inspector held a meeting with the deputy manager and a director and looked at relevant documentation and evidence of staff suitability.

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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

15 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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