Allexton Day Nursery

Inspection of Allexton Day Nursery Ltd West End SureStart Children's Centre, Catesby Street, Leicester LE3 5PB

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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 are eager to start their learning as soon as they arrive at the nursery. They rush in excitedly to see what new objects of interest have been left in the reception area. Children are curious to explore the old typewriter that staff have added to promote discussion. Children are happy and engage confidently with staff, who know them well. They have formed strong attachments with their key person. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Children show kindness towards each other and they behave well. All children receive good levels of support and reassurance from the staff. This has a positive effect on children's confidence, behaviour and emotional well-being.

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The provision is good

Children take part in a wide range of activities to encourage their physical development and strengthen their muscles, such as play dough disco, squeezing oranges to make juice and using pipettes to transfer liquid. Staff are highly skilled in planning a challenging curriculum for each child to support their individual needs. Babies love listening to stories. They show excitement when their favourite part is read, and they cover their eyes in anticipation, ready for peekaboo. They laugh and giggle and repeat the action again and again, asking for 'more' at the end. Pre-school children use books as a reference. They search for their favourite dinosaurs and use vocabulary such as 'mammoth', 'herbivore' and 'carnivore'.

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need to do better?

n Staff work in partnerships with parents and a wide range of other professionals to promote children's learning and development. Parents take part in weekly 'cook and eat' sessions with their children where they learn about nutrition and portion size. They comment that this has improved their child's eating habits and helps the children to understand how to develop healthy lifestyles. n During the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, staff remained in contact with parents through daily calls to offer support and advice. They provided activity ideas and food parcels. This helped to support children's learning and well-being. When the nursery reopened, staff noted some delay in children's development. Staff have focused on helping children to catch up in their communication, self- care and social skills to reduce the risk of any long-term developmental delay. Children make good progress in readiness for their next stage in learning. They

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need to do better?

become confident and eager to learn. n Leaders have high expectations for the children. The curriculum they provide helps children to develop the skills they need for starting school. Staff help to broaden children's knowledge of the world around them and provide active experiences, such as taking the children into the local community. Additional funding is used for various trips, such as to the zoo, farm and seaside, to offer some children experiences they would not usually be able to access.

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need to do better?

16 February 2022 n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who may need extra help in their learning and development are exceptionally well supported. There is strong support for children who speak English as an additional language. Staff use facial expressions, signs and symbols and key words in the child's home language to enhance their communication. n Staff provide a welcoming environment with a wide range of experiences for children. During activities, staff engage with the children and help them to learn new skills, such as cutting with scissors. However, occasionally, staff do not make the best use of spontaneous opportunities to extend children's learning. For example, when cutting flower stems and picking petals with tweezers, staff do not provide children with information to further enhance their knowledge about flowers. n Staff report high levels of well-being and feel very well supported. They are

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need to do better?

encouraged to share their views and ideas of the provision offered. Staff receive regular training and attend meetings to further develop their knowledge and skills. As a result, the provision is continually improving to ensure the very best outcomes for children. n Staff support children's independence skills well. They provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to move on to their next stage of learning. For example, children put on their coats and shoes for outdoor play. Staff show children how to zip up their coats and praise them for having a go themselves.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of possible abuse and what to do should they have concerns regarding a child's welfare. They understand what to do if they have concerns about the practice of their colleagues. There are clear procedures to report child protection concerns, which are in line with the local authority procedures. All staff have completed safeguarding training, which ensures that children's safety and protection are a priority. Staff with first-aid qualifications are deployed effectively to meet the needs of children and ensure their safety.

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should:

n support staff to make the most of spontaneous opportunities to further challenge the children's thinking skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY347961 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 10138418 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

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

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inspection

Total number of places 86 Number of children on roll 147 Name of registered person Allexton Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 0116 2252230 Date of previous inspection 15 January 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Allexton Day Nursery Ltd registered in 2007 and is situated in Leicester. The nursery employs 25 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including two with early years degrees. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year- old children. It supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the leadership team and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The inspector spoke with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n Joint observations were carried out by the manager and the inspector. n The inspector held a meeting with the leadership team. She reviewed a variety of documents, including first-aid certificates and policies. n The inspector observed interactions between staff and children during activities and assessed the impact of teaching on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents and took account of their views.

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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

16 February 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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