Home From Home Childcarers

Inspection of Home From Home Childcarers Aneurin Bevan Centre, Garden Terrace Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 0AT

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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 are confident and quickly develop strong bonds with caring and considerate staff. Babies hold out their arms and older children are enthusiastically greeted by waiting staff. Children show high levels of interest in the wide range of exciting and colourful learning opportunities on offer. Very young children have fun taking part in activities that encourage them to use their senses. They show good levels of curiosity as they keenly explore textures, such as crushed breakfast cereal. Older children smell and touch slices of fresh lemon and orange floating in water along with herbs, including mint and basil.

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The provision is good

Children have fun learning about the local environment during regular walks and enthusiastically wave, saying 'hi', much to the delight of passers-by. Older children are able to recognise numerals on doors and number plates. Children are proud to see their peers' jubilee artwork displayed in a local shop window. They are very keen to let staff know when they find a picture of the Queen. Toddlers use their imagination as they spend prolonged periods of time playing, moulding dough into pretend cakes. Staff in the baby room are very calm and sensitive. They successfully encourage babies to communicate their wants and needs using simple sign language, gestures and, at times, single words.

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need to do better?

n Robust recruitment procedures help the provider to ensure all adults working with children are suitable to do so. The provider shows a strong drive and determination to continually develop the service. This is informed through a variety of means. For example, she seeks the opinion staff and parents through discussion and regular surveys. n Children who are in receipt of additional funding are supported well. Staff consult parents about the purchase of resources to support their children's learning needs, such as a new climbing frame to encourage children's physical development. All children are supported well to make good progress from their starting points in preparation for starting school. n The special educational needs coordinator works very closely with parents and a wide range of other professionals. This helps to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported to

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need to do better?

make the best possible progress. n Risk assessments are carried out in all areas that are accessible to children. Swift action is taken by the provider to ensure all hazards are minimised or removed. In addition, a review of risk assessments is carried out if an accident occurs. n The provider and her staff have risen to the challenge that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on children and families in the local and wider community. They have implemented new initiatives, such as a monthly Saturday play session

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need to do better?

31 May 2022 for children with SEND and their families. n Parents provide plenty of positive feedback about the nursery. They talk about how staff share important information that helps them to support children's learning at home. Parents say that staff 'go above and beyond their expectations' and how well their family has been supported. New parents report that they are happy with the security measures in place. Others comment, 'I love it. All of the staff are amazing.' They also report that their children 'love' coming to the nursery. n The provider places a strong focus on staff, children and families' well-being. Staff have opportunities to develop their professional skills and knowledge. However, the programme of professional development is not sharply focused on driving the quality of teaching to the highest level. n Staff do not always make the most of information gained from parents, and their initial observations of children to help them focus more precisely on what each

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need to do better?

child needs to learn from the very start. n Children are well behaved. They show care and consideration towards others, sharing toys and playing cooperatively. For example, they look at books together, pointing at pictures as they tell the story.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The provider shows a clear understanding of her responsibility for keeping children safe from harm. There is a designated safeguarding lead practitioner in place. All staff complete annual safeguarding training to support their ongoing knowledge and understanding. Information about updates is shared in a number of ways, including through regular meetings. Staff are very confident about the action to take if they have any concerns about a child's welfare. In addition, they know what to do if they have concerns about another member of staff's behaviour, or wider safeguarding issues.

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should:

n make better use of the information gained from initial assessments of children's abilities to help plan for what they need to learn from the very start n build on the already good practice and seek further ways to help all staff develop first-rate teaching skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY558624 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10190719 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 51 Number of children on roll 111 Name of registered person Reynolds, Linda Pauline

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reference number

Telephone number 07752549377 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Home From Home Childcarers registered in 2018 and is situated in Old Harlow. The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff, of whom 15 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, with the exception of two weeks at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. 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 provider received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and took that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The provider and inspector completed a learning walk of the nursery inside and outside. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the provider and, together, they evaluated this. n Children spoke to the inspector about what they enjoy doing when they come to nursery. n Parents and staff spoke with the inspector at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation, including the suitability checks of all adults working in the nursery.

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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

31 May 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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