Castle House Day Nursery

Inspection of Castle House Day Nursery Blackfriars House, West Street, WARWICK CV34 6AN

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children who attend this nursery are happy and settle well. They are confident to voice their ideas and share their achievements. Pre-school children chat happily to visitors and are keen to show them the pictures they have drawn of a Pterodactyl. They successfully initiate their own play as they draw a map and pretend to swim through the water to hunt for treasure. Children are generally motivated and eager to take part in activities. Babies are enthusiastic to take part in a singing activity, and wait with great anticipation to see which picture comes out of the song bag. They are encouraged to copy simple actions and demonstrate their excitement as they bounce up and down, screaming with delight and clapping their hands together to pop Tiny Tim the turtle's soap bubble.

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The provision is good

Children develop close relationships with staff and their peers, and actively seek them out to join in their play. They develop self-esteem as they receive copious amounts of encouragement and praise from staff. Children behave well. They learn to share and take turns in their play. All children make good progress in their learning from their individual starting points. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.

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need to do better?

n The nursery benefits from a strong, cohesive management team. Although they have only been in post for a short time, they have already made significant changes. They are forward thinking and have a clear vision for the future. Managers continually evaluate and monitor practice and set pertinent action plans to ensure that quality continues to improve. Although several changes have already been put in place, these need to be fully embedded into practice. n Managers work to staff's strengths and are wholly supportive of them. They encourage staff to attend training to enhance their professional development. Managers have high expectations of the amount of training staff are expected to undertake. Staff cascade what they have learned to the whole staff group so that all staff develop a well-rounded and broad knowledge. Staff say they feel supported and have noticed positive changes in the past few months.

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need to do better?

n Managers have a clear view of the curriculum and what they expect children to learn. They have recently introduced a new planning system and are monitoring the impact of this to ensure that it is effective in enhancing children's learning and development even further. n Most staff interact positively and fully engage with children. However, occasionally, staff working with the older children do not fully involve themselves during group time to explain the purpose of the activity or model active learning. Consequently, children do not participate fully as they are unsure what is expected of them.

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need to do better?

10 January 2022 n Relationships between staff and children are caring. Children seek staff out for a cuddle if they are upset or need reassurance. New children are provided with lots of support and attention to help them settle. Even the newest members of staff know their key children well. They know how they can support them and how to move them forward in their learning. n Staff help children to learn about the importance of being kind to their friends. Older children listen to a story that teaches them that hands are not for hitting. They talk about how they feel if someone is unkind to them, and staff reinforce the need to speak to someone they can trust if they are frightened or worried. n Managers act on concerns that are raised and implement changes to practice in response to these. Significant changes have been made to the start of the day and parents are now informed of the ratios that must be adhered to.

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need to do better?

n Children who have allergies and/or dietary requirements are exceptionally well supported. Each child has a coloured table mat so that staff can immediately tell whether they have an allergy or a dietary need. n Managers are working hard to develop more positive relationships with parents. They have introduced 'meet the managers' sessions and an open-door policy to actively encourage a two-way flow of communication with parents. Furthermore, they have introduced a new online system to share information and keep parents up to date with their child's learning. Parents spoken to are vigorous in their praise for the new managers and are exceptionally pleased with the changes that have already taken place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a clear overview of the signs that may indicate a child is being abused. All staff regularly attend safeguarding training. They know the procedures to follow to raise any concerns, including if they have concerns about a member of staff. Managers regularly test staff's knowledge, through questions and scenarios, to gauge their responses and ensure appropriate training is implemented if needed. Safeguarding is given high priority during the induction of new staff so that all staff are secure in their knowledge. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that everyone working with the children are safe and suitable to do so.

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should:

n embed further the recent changes to ensure that practice remains consistently strong and continues to improve n support staff in the pre-school room to organise and model group time activities more effectively, to ensure all children are able to fully participate and understand what is expected of them.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY414078 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10218488 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 106 Number of children on roll 69 Name of registered person MPM Childcare Ltd.

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reference number

Telephone number 01926 419262 Date of previous inspection 20 June 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Castle House Day Nursery registered in 2021 and is situated in Warwick. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, 12 hold an early years qualification at level 2 or above, including eight who hold level 3 and two who hold level 6. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, all year round, except for bank holidays and a week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides early education funding 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the setting and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the managers. n The inspector looked at a selection of documentation and checked the suitability of staff working with the children. n The inspector spoke to children, staff and parents at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector carried out two joint observations with the manager. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together. They observed staff's teaching practice during activities.

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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

10 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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