Earls Barton Day Nursery

Inspection of Earls Barton Day Nursery 1a West Street, Earls Barton, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN6 0EW

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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 have close relationships with staff and arrive happy to see them. They settle quickly in the home-from-home environment and rapidly grow in confidence. Children enjoy developing their creative skills from a young age, and happily make choices in their play. They smile and giggle outside, as they use their whole body to paint on the wooden fence. They learn to dip their hands in paint and rub them together while discussing the different colours with staff. Children follow staff instructions to make marks on the fence and practise large physical movements, including stretching up high on their toes. They show deep concentration as they investigate a variety of different materials in the paint, such as pinecones and rice.

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The provision is good

Children listen closely to what staff ask them to do and are eager to try things for themselves. They learn good self-care skills from a very young age. Staff teach children to wipe their nose and wash their hands independently, making sure they put their tissue in the bin. Children develop a caring nature with encouragement from staff. Staff praise children as they hold hands and help each other get cups and plates ready for dinner. Children wait patiently for their friends before eating and say 'please' and 'thank you' when responding to each other.

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need to do better?

n Staff know the children's individual care needs and interests well. They spend time playing alongside children and observe them as they play to find out what they need to learn next. They plan strategies to support children with any gaps in their development, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff find out what learning and experiences children may not get elsewhere to be able to plan opportunities for them. n Staff plan activities based on what children are interested in. They focus on the different skills children, as a group, can develop during an activity. For example, staff cut vegetables up for children to paint with, as they have been talking about healthy foods during the morning. Children develop their hand muscles, squeezing out paint from a bottle and gripping different food items. However, staff do not always consider what children, as individuals, already know and can

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need to do better?

do. This means some activities are not challenging enough for some children, and they lose focus after a short period of time. n Staff support children to develop their communication and language, encouraging them to share their ideas with each other. Pre-school children discuss what they look like with staff, while they use play dough to make faces. Children confidently identify each others similarities and differences, such as their different hair and eye colour. Staff explain new vocabulary to them, including how an 'oval' looks like a rugby ball. n Children know and follow the routines of the day. They happily tidy away

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need to do better?

15 July 2022 resources and explain to visitors, 'it is time to tidy up now'. Children line up, without needing prompting, ready to go outside. n Staff teach children how to be polite to others. They say 'well done' as children hold the gate open for their friends. However, at times, two-year-old children struggle to understand what behaviour is expected of them as staff are not consistent in setting boundaries. Therefore, some children display challenging behaviour, such as running inside and distracting others during story time. n Staff work closely with parents and carers to support children with all aspects of their learning and development. Parents comment that 'communication is exceptional' and children are always 'treated with care and respect.' n Leaders are passionate about making sure children are ready for the next stage of their learning. They hold frequent meetings to find out what is working well

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need to do better?

for children, and identify any improvements they could make. Leaders provide staff with training about how children develop. However, leaders do not always identify the individual training needs of staff when planning development opportunities. Therefore, they do not always help individual staff improve further, to be able to deliver a consistently high-quality curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff and leaders have a thorough understanding of their responsibilities in keeping children safe. They attend regular training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff and leaders know the families and children very well. They demonstrate a good understanding of the signs and symptoms a child may be at risk of harm. Staff and leaders are confident in recording, monitoring and reporting any concerns to the relevant professionals. Leaders have a thorough recruitment procedure in place and continuously monitor the suitability of all staff. The nursery site is safe and secure, and has clear visitor procedures. Staff check the environment regularly to ensure it is a safe place for children to play. All staff receive first-aid training and know how to help children if they have an accident or become ill.

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should:

n develop a sharper focus on what staff intend children to learn during activities to provide more appropriate challenges for all children n develop staff's understanding of how to effectively manage children's behaviour to provide more clear and consistent behaviour support for two-year-olds n strengthen the monitoring of staff practice to provide more targeted professional development, enabling individual staff to develop the knowledge and skills they need.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2567574 Local authority North Northamptonshire Inspection number 10239314 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 96 Name of registered person Earls Barton Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01604 810709 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Earls Barton Day Nursery registered in 2020 and is managed by a limited company. It is located in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire. The nursery employs 14 members of childcare staff. All hold early years qualifications at level 2, 3 and 4. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 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 setting received since the COVID-19 pandemic. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provision. n The manager and inspector conducted a learning walk together, discussing the learning intention for children and how the environment is arranged. n The manager and inspector observed and evaluated an activity. n The inspector observed the manager and children of all ages throughout the setting. n The inspector held discussions with staff and leaders regularly during the inspection. n Parents' and carers' views were taken into consideration. n A sample of documents were reviewed, including paediatric first-aid certificates, suitability checks, and safeguarding policies and procedures.

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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

15 July 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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