Old MacDonald's Day Nursery

Inspection of Old MacDonald's Day Nursery 20-21 Heronsgate Road, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 5BN

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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 enjoy attending the nursery. They arrive and eagerly wait for staff to greet them at the door. Children begin to make friends from a young age. Babies enjoy interacting with one another. They pass toys to each other and smile as staff praise them for sharing. This helps the youngest children to begin to develop their confidence.

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The provision is good

The oldest children show high levels of respect for one another, such as when they complete a sinking and floating activity. They listen with interest as their friends make predictions about what will happen to the different objects. They wait patiently for their turn to drop items into the water. These high levels of concentration and engagement help to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

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The provision is good

Children from different cultures feel valued and included at the nursery. They learn about festivals that their friends and staff in the room celebrate. Toddlers begin to act out stories that they have recently heard. For example, children play with dolls from a story about Diwali. Their friends play musical instruments, such as bells. Children pretend to make the dolls dance around to the music as the characters do in the story.

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need to do better?

n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities skilfully. For instance, they adapt the way they communicate to support non-verbal children. They use visual cues and Makaton signs to prepare children for what is happening next. This helps children to understand routines. Children learn to use these signs to communicate back to staff. For instance, they use actions to show that they want to play with a toy helicopter. They respond positively when staff help them to find what they want. n Partnerships between staff and parents are strong. Parents share information about what children can do for themselves. They update staff regularly, such as when children move on to the next room. Staff recognise the importance of involving parents in the planning process. For instance, they find out what parents' aspirations are for their children. This helps staff to plan meaningful activities for children. Staff help and guide parents. For instance, they give them

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need to do better?

information on how to support children to stop using dummies. They talk to parents about the positive effects this has on children's speech development. Parents are grateful for the information they receive. n The dedicated management team recognises the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on staff and children. They kept in close contact with staff when the nursery closed due to local lockdowns and discussed their well-being. As a

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need to do better?

4 February 2022 result, staff feel valued and appreciated. Managers sent out home-learning packs for children during the pandemic. This helped to minimise any gaps in children's learning. When children returned, staff focused on children's social and emotional skills. This helped children to settle back in quickly. n Children develop their muscles during sensory-play opportunities. Staff encourage toddlers to use their hands to explore. Staff reassure and encourage them if they are unsure of the texture on their hands. Older children confidently knead dough. The oldest children have developed strong hand muscles and are ready to write. They learn how to hold tools, such as pencils correctly. They make marks on sheets of paper to record their findings during experiments. This helps them to understand that the marks they make have meaning. n Staff interact enthusiastically with children throughout the nursery. They talk to

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need to do better?

children about the activities that they complete. This helps children to build on their existing learning. However, the quality of staff's interactions with children across the nursery are not yet at a consistently high standard. As a result, children's learning experiences are not always as strong as they could be. Managers recognise the need to support less-experienced and less-qualified members of staff. Nonetheless, the support that staff receive is not yet highly effective.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They are aware of the signs that a child may be at risk of harm. The management team ensures that staff complete regular safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. Managers have a robust recruitment process in place. They discuss staff's ongoing suitability for their roles during supervision meetings. Any potential breaches in safeguarding are identified and swiftly addressed. For instance, managers review the security processes at the nursery to ensure that children continue to remain safe.

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should:

n support less-experienced members of staff to develop their professional knowledge and interactions with children to a consistently high standard.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY335504 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10127356 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 66 Number of children on roll 95 Name of registered person Old Macdonald's Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01923 286625 Date of previous inspection 3 September 2015

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Information about this early years setting

Old MacDonald's Day Nursery, Chorleywood registered in 2006. The nursery employs 26 members of childcare staff. Of these, three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 6. There are 17 members of staff, who hold qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 7pm. They operate all year round, except for public holidays. The nursery provides funded early education 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 began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the setting. n The inspector and the manager jointly undertook a learning walk. The manager spoke about how the curriculum is arranged and the impact of this on children's learning. n The inspector held joint observations of staff practice with the manager and deputy manager. They discussed the impact of staff's interactions on children's learning. n The inspector spoke to parents of children who attend the nursery. She took their views into consideration. n The inspector interacted with staff and children at appropriate times throughout the inspection.

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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

4 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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