Just Imagine Day Nursery - Canvey Island

Inspection of Just Imagine Day Nursery - Canvey Island 1a Oak Road, Canvey Island SS8 7AX

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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 Good

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The provision requires improvement

Some children are settled and happy. However, the quality of care and education children receive is not consistent across the nursery. Children do not benefit from good quality planning. Some of the resources are not appropriately matched to meet the developmental needs of children and challenge them further. For example, older children have few opportunities to guide their own learning and express themselves creatively. Resources to facilitate this learning are not easily accessible. Some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language are cared for alongside much younger children. This does not provide them with an environment that stimulates them and engages them in productive learning. Children who attend more than one setting or who come to the nursery from another setting are not effectively supported. For example, through a flow of two-way information sharing

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The provision requires improvement

to ensure that all children reach their full potential. Children's interests are not always used effectively by staff to plan exciting, spontaneous or adult-led activities to enable children to fully explore their ideas.

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The provision requires improvement

Despite this, children have warm and affectionate relationships with staff. They receive cuddles and reassurance from staff who, generally, speak to them in a kind and caring way. Older children form small friendship groups and chat confidently as they make their dinosaurs roar at each other.

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need to do better?

n The quality of teaching is variable. The nursery has experienced a high turnover of staff, including a new manager over the past few months. As a result, the team is not yet working together to a consistently high level. n Children with SEND and who speak English as an additional language are often grouped with the youngest children in the nursery. This means that some of the resources and activities provided for those children are not well matched to their level of development and provide little or no challenge to help them to make good progress in their learning. n Staff do not facilitate children's learning consistently. Some thought and consideration goes into planning interesting learning. For example, children explore ice and creatures who live in cold seas and climates in line with the theme of winter. However, older children have few opportunities to access materials that enable them to express themselves freely.

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need to do better?

n When children attend more than one setting, or come to this nursery from a previous provision, there are no arrangements for key staff to share relevant information. This inhibits staff from being fully aware of the needs of children. It also prevents early years staff working together to share information about children who attend both settings, to help them to develop a consistent

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need to do better?

27 January 2022 approach to children's learning. n During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the manager, who at the time was the deputy manager, kept in regular contact with families who could not attend. For example, she read stories on social media and gave parents ideas for activities they could do at home. In preparation for the children's return, staff participated in a range of training to help them to meet the children's emotional needs. n Parents comment that they are happy with the nursery and feel that their children enjoy attending. Where there are concerns, parents state that the manager resolves them quickly. n Children explore counting, numbers and simple calculation when they participate in both planned and free play. They compare the size of wooden dolls, deciding which is bigger and which is smaller. n Children go for walks in the local area and visit places of interest. For example, they go to the shops to purchase items for the nursery. Children have some

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need to do better?

opportunities to play in the nursery garden where they explore mud, roll balls down guttering and ride small bikes. When the weather is too cold, they enjoy physical play in one of the large rooms on the first floor of the nursery building.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the types of abuse to be alert to. They are confident in identifying the signs and symptoms that might indicate that a child is being abused or mistreated, including signs relating to radicalisation. Staff regularly update their safeguarding knowledge, for example, through training and in-house meetings and discussions. New staff receive a clear induction to help them to understand the nursery's safeguarding and safety procedures.

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Due date

implement procedures for sharing information with other settings that children attend and working with other settings that children have attended previously 01/03/2022

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Due date

make more effective use of information about children's interests and abilities to provide challenging and enjoyable learning experiences for each child 01/03/2022

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Due date

27 January 2022 improve staff's understanding of planning to ensure that children are provided with a wide range of activities that help them to be creative and to think critically, enabling them to develop and follow their own ideas. 01/03/2022

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should:

n review how children are grouped to ensure that the resources, provision and activities are well matched to the individual children's abilities and learning needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY545732 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10221242 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 74 Number of children on roll 44 Name of registered person Just Imagine Nurseries - Canvey Island Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01268 699244 Date of previous inspection 19 December 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Just Imagine Day Nursery - Canvey Island registered in 2017 and is located in Canvey Island, Essex. The nursery employs eight members of staff, six of whom hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 or above. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am to 7pm. The nursery provides funded education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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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 the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspector viewed all areas of the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed their curriculum and what it is that they want their children to learn. n Children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation together. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of

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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

27 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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