Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery

Inspection of Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery 56 St. Mary Street, CHIPPENHAM, Wiltshire SN15 3JW

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children show that they are happy and safe in this welcoming and friendly nursery. Babies and young children settle quickly with their special adults. Babies know that these adults are nearby for reassurance when needed, as they confidently explore the toys and activities on offer. Children show curiosity as they explore different textures that aid their sensory development. Children tap the xylophone and know that it makes noises. They catch and pop bubbles and use their hands to squash and pat jelly. Children spend long periods exploring, showing a positive attitude towards their learning.

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The provision is good

Children flourish in this nursery as the curriculum is based on children's individual needs and backgrounds. Staff work very closely with parents to follow children's home routines and incorporate their interests into their day. Staff have high expectations of young children. They encourage them to feed themselves, choose their breakfast and drinks, and share and take turns. They praise the children regularly for having a go at tasks. This means that children are confident to persevere and learn new skills.

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The provision is good

Partnerships with parents are very good overall. Parents report that the nursery treats their children as individuals and that the small groups help their children become confident in their social skills. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have not had face-to-face meetings with staff or entered the nursery, although they are kept informed about their children's day and progress. Some parents are not aware of their children's individual targets for learning so they can fully support these at home.

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need to do better?

n Managers offers staff professional development opportunities and have clear priorities for improvement in the nursery. Following a 'babbling babies' course, staff have improved their interactions with the youngest children. Through providing a language-rich environment and reinforcing hand signs, staff help babies' communication and understanding to progress very well. Managers check staff's emotional well-being regularly and are flexible to ensure that staff have a manageable work-life balance. n Staff know the children and their individual needs very well and place a strong focus on developing children's language, physical and social skills. Children make good progress in the areas of learning. Staff quickly identify any possible delays in children's development and work closely with parents and other professionals to help close any gaps in learning. n Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, managers have reorganised the settling-in

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need to do better?

sessions for new children and their families. Staff recognise that children have

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need to do better?

28 February 2022 had fewer social interactions and they have extended the times children visit the nursery. This has aided children's ability to form secure attachments with staff and offered reassurance to parents when leaving their children for the first time. n Staff promote children's communication and language very well. They provide a narrative to the young children about what they are doing and explain the routines, so they learn to understand what is happening next. Staff reinforce new words and offer praise when children use new language. Children become confident in their attempts to communicate with staff and other children. n Children develop good physical skills. Babies quickly progress from crawling to cruising and walking as staff offer plenty of space and equipment to encourage these skills, inside and outside. Young children take managed risks as they climb over and under obstacles and crawl through tunnels. They confidently climb

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need to do better?

steps, negotiate space and walk up and down slopes. n Children's behaviour is very good. Staff offer the children lots of praise and positive reinforcement for what they do well. They talk to children about their emotions calmly, asking if they are 'sad' or 'need help' with a task when they communicate their frustration. n Staff are very enthusiastic when storytelling. They use lots of actions and intonations to capture the children's interest. Young children sit and listen and join in with the actions, such as blowing and knocking. Staff have not thought of more creative ways to develop children's concentration when singing favourite rhymes, to support their learning even further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Managers monitors children's welfare carefully and liaise with outside agencies to put in place family support where needed. They keep detailed records to help them recognise any emerging issues. Staff are generally confident in their knowledge of child protection and wider safeguarding issues. They know where to report concerns about children's welfare or about the conduct of a colleague. Recruitment procedures are robust, and managers check the ongoing suitability of staff regularly. Staff check the safety and security of the premises daily and remove any possible risks to children.

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should:

n train staff to implement new ideas to maintain and extend children's concentration and learning even further, particularly during singing sessions n develop partnerships with parents even further so that all parents know their children's individual next steps and can support their learning and development at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY461482 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 10210353 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 29 Name of registered person Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01249 465993 Date of previous inspection 23 August 2016

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Information about this early years setting

Snowdrop Cottage Day Nursery registered in 2013. The nursery is open each weekday between 8am and 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It is closed for one week between Christmas and New Year. The nursery employs 12 staff to work with the children. One of the managers holds early years professional status, one member of staff holds qualified teacher status, two staff are qualified at level 4, five staff are qualified at level 3, and two staff are qualified at level 2.

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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 manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector spoke to staff at appropriate times during the inspection. n Parents spoke to the inspector and gave their views on the nursery, which the inspector considered. n The inspector spoke to management about the leadership and management of the nursery. The inspector sampled some documents, including suitability checks and training and qualification certificates. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and the impact this was having 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

28 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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