High Legh Preschool Nursery

Inspection of High Legh Preschool Nursery Rosemead, Pheasant Walk, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6LN

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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 enjoy attending this warm and welcoming nursery. They are excited to begin their day and immediately seek out their friends and staff to share experiences with. Children are curious and motivated to learn and eagerly participate in the array of age-appropriate activities provided for them. Young children develop their creative skills as they use glue and collage materials to create pictures. Older children show fascination in the natural world around them as they hunt for worms in the garden using magnifying glasses. Their mathematical understanding grows as they have plentiful opportunities to count and compare shapes and sizes. Children are encouraged to test out their ideas and theories. For example, they create a structure for cars to travel on using lengths of plastic piping. Together, they calculate whether the pipes should be placed flat or on an angle to enable the cars to move.

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The provision is good

Leaders and staff have high expectations of what they want children to achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff are very aware of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children and are extremely sensitive to this. Children's personal, social and emotional development has been a strong focus. Subsequently, children are confident in social situations. They are resilient and show high levels of self-esteem.

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need to do better?

n Overall, children behave very well. Staff working in the pre-school room use continuous positive reinforcement to help children to understand what is expected of them. They carefully explain to children why some behaviours are not welcomed. They model kind and patient behaviour themselves and gently encourage children to share and take turns. However, staff working with younger children are less skilled at implementing the nursery's expectations with regard to children's behaviour. For example, they do not always acknowledge when children are engaging in potentially unsafe play, or offer clear and consistent reminders to help young children to understand right from wrong. n Children thoroughly enjoy listening to stories. Young children choose their favourite books and snuggle together with staff. Children are encouraged to turn the pages independently and talk about what they see in the pictures. Staff

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need to do better?

working with older children ask open-ended questions that encourage children to think and develop their language skills. Furthermore, staff model conversations and ensure that children hear a rich variety of vocabulary. However, as children write familiar letters from their names, staff do not always accurately model the correct pronunciation of letter sounds. n Children's emotional well-being is given high priority. On a daily basis, children are encouraged to identify how they are feeling and share this with staff and

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need to do better?

25 February 2022 friends. Children talk about feeling happy and sad. This helps children to acknowledge and regulate their feelings. Furthermore, through these discussions, children develop empathy for one another and show kindness and concern as they discuss how they can make their friends feel happier. n Children thoroughly enjoy exploring and investigating the wonderful outdoor areas. They engage in daily physical and energetic play, regardless of the weather. They climb, run, jump and balance, developing their large-muscle skills. They learn about living things, grow vegetables and develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe when playing outside. n The management team, including the committee, support the staff well. Staff are well qualified and are passionate and enthusiastic. Staff participate in regular team meetings and supervision sessions, and have good access to training to help advance their professional development. However, the acting manager,

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need to do better?

who is relatively new in her post, is yet to explore how staff can learn from one another and share best practice. That said, both she and the co-chair have a clear vision for improvement. They are dedicated and committed to achieving the very best possible outcomes for children. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents welcome the information that staff share about their children's learning and development and how they can further support this at home with a variety of activity suggestions. Furthermore, they explain how staff have supported them to manage their children's behaviour at home through the sharing of resources and strategies. Parents are extremely complimentary. Their written responses highlight the progress and achievements that their children have made since attending, describing them as 'thriving'.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have a strong commitment to safeguarding children's welfare. They accurately describe the potential signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Furthermore, staff confidently explain the procedures they would follow should they have concerns about a staff member's practice or conduct. Staff receive regular and purposeful training to ensure that their knowledge and skills remain up to date. Safeguarding scenarios are discussed during staff meetings and their knowledge is regularly checked by the acting manager. Staff ensure that children are able to play in a safe and secure environment through the completion of regular risk assessments and audits of the provision.

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should:

n support staff working in the baby room to consistently implement behaviour

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should:

25 February 2022 strategies and promote expectations n develop staff's confidence in supporting children's literacy skills so that children always hear the correct pronunciation of letter sounds n develop strategies for staff to learn from one another and share best practice.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY559113 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 10190112 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 26 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person High Legh Pre-School Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01925756061 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

High Legh Preschool Nursery registered in 2018. The nursery operates from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The nursery employs nine members of staff. Of these, eight hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early 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 her evaluation of the provider. n Discussions were held with parents, the acting manager, co-chair, staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n A learning walk was completed with the acting manager to discuss the curriculum intent and how the provision is organised. n The manager and inspector completed a joint evaluation of an activity. n The inspector reviewed a variety of documents, including evidence of the suitability of staff, qualifications, first-aid certificates and policies and procedures. n The inspector observed interactions between the staff and children during activities and assessed the impact of teaching on children's learning.

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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

25 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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