The Balsam Nursery

Inspection of The Balsam Nursery 1b Alfred's Way, Wincanton Business Park, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 9RU

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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 are happy and busy throughout the day. The provision is well organised to enable children to make independent choices in their play. Children show curiosity and confidence as they move around the environment. They demonstrate good attitudes to learning and are keen explorers. For example, young children squeal with delight as they splash in the water tray. They eagerly explore how to transport water from one container to another. Staff continuously promote children's sense of belonging and emotional well-being through positive interactions. Children have formed secure emotional attachments with all staff, not only their key person. Children behave well. Staff skilfully support children to understand boundaries and develop an awareness of and respect for their peers. Children are kind and friendly and take time to listen to each other.

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The provision is good

The manager and staff warmly welcome the parents and children at the nursery entrance. Parents do not come inside, due to the setting's COVID-19 risk assessment. However, staff utilise the outside space to share detailed information with parents about their child's day. This means daily discussions can take place with appropriate social distancing. This helps to ensure that parents feel fully involved in their child's learning. Children are happy to separate from their parents at the nursery entrance.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide a range of activities to support children to develop and strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers in readiness for early writing. For instance, children use small paintbrushes to create different marks in flour. Children show concentration as they practice using scissors to cut out different shapes for their pictures. n Staff support children who speak English as an additional language effectively. For instance, staff create picture cards in a variety of different languages to support children to use their home language during their play and learning. n The provider and manager are passionate about providing children and families with the highest level of care and learning. They are good role models for staff. They interact and engage well with the children, demonstrating effective teaching skills. The management team use additional funding effectively to support children with a variety of needs. The special educational needs

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need to do better?

coordinator works closely with other professionals to seek advice and support to ensure all children make progress. She provides staff with a range of strategies and resources and helps them to make changes in the environment to consistently support children's learning and development. n Staff feel well supported by the management team and say that they feel listened to and valued. During regular supervision meetings, staff are able to

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need to do better?

11 January 2022 reflect on their practice and consider areas of professional development. They benefit from opportunities to attend courses to develop their knowledge and skills, which supports better outcomes for children. n Leaders and staff have a good understanding of their curriculum and what they want children to learn. Staff know their key children well and plan activities based on their interests and abilities. Staff evaluate the impact of activities on children's progress. All children make good progress from their starting points in learning. n Staff promote children's language and communication skills well. They repeat words and sentences back to young children correctly and provide a narrative during their play. Children enjoy singing action songs and listening to stories. However, at times, the types of questions staff ask children can sometimes be too repetitive, which restricts their thinking and engagement.

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need to do better?

n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents describe the staff as 'excellent'. They comment on the high levels of support in place to help children learn and develop. Parents feel that their children have made good progress since starting at the setting and there is a good two-way exchange of communication and information. Staff use effective monitoring and assessments to identify what children need to learn next and share these with parents. However, staff do not always provide parents with specific information or examples of activities on how to promote children's individual learning at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider and manager ensure that all staff keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date through regular training. Leaders and staff understand their responsibilities in helping to keep children safe. For example, effective staff deployment ensures that children are well supervised. Staff have a good understanding of child protection policies and procedures, including wider safeguarding concerns. Leaders and staff work together to carry out regular risk assessments to ensure the setting is safe and secure for all children.

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should:

n further develop the use of staff's questioning techniques to enhance children's thinking skills and engagement to a higher level n provide parents with more specific information about their child's next steps and ways in which they can support their child's learning at home to help them make even better progress.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2545530 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10217101 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 85 Number of children on roll 101 Name of registered person Green, Robert Eric

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reference number

Telephone number 0196331688 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

The Balsam Nursery registered in 2019. It is situated in the Wincanton Early Years Centre, in Wincanton, Somerset. The Balsam Nursery is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round, apart from bank holidays and Christmas. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 20 members of staff, including the owner. Of these, one has a qualification at level 6, two have a qualification at level 5, one has a qualification at level 4, 11 have a qualification at level 3 and three staff have a qualification at level 2.

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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 provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n Leaders explained the nursery curriculum during a learning walk with the inspector. n The inspector observed the quality of education and the impact this has on children's learning. n Consideration was given to parents' views. The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection. n The inspector checked evidence of the suitability of staff working with children. n The provider and the inspector carried out a joint observation.

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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 January 2022 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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