Willow Tree Day Nursery and Nursery School

Inspection of Willow Tree Day Nursery and Nursery School 152 Broad Road, SALE, Cheshire M33 2FY

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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 arrive at the nursery happy and confident. They receive a warm welcome from staff, which helps them to settle quickly. The strong relationships between the children and their key workers ensure that children's self-esteem and confidence are well supported. Children are confident communicators and are eager to engage in conversations as they play. Children benefit from an exciting environment which captures their interest and motivates them in their learning. The child-focused environment is welcoming and vibrant.

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The provision is good

Children behave well and show high levels of concentration. They respond well to the clear routines and boundaries set. Their behaviour is further enhanced because staff are very good role models and have high expectations for all children. Staff provide a curriculum that fully supports children's independence and social skills. Activities are tailored to cater to the individual needs of all children. As a result, children have a strong sense of belonging and unity at the nursery. The staff team has an inclusive approach. This helps children to develop a valuable understanding of themselves and other cultures beyond their own.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and managers have a strong vision for the nursery. For example, they ensure that staff provide an exciting curriculum. This helps to enrich children's experiences through well-planned activities, both indoors and outside. n Leaders provide an inclusive environment that meets the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, they make good progress from their starting points. n All staff feel supported and enjoy their role within the nursery. This has a positive impact on children's care, learning and progress. n Staff offer children wholesome foods, which helps them to learn about healthy food choices. Children also experience sociable mealtimes as they sit and talk to their friends and key workers. These experiences contribute to their communication skills and personal development. n Children benefit from wider learning opportunities. For example, they take part

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need to do better?

in extra-curricular activities, such as music, football and forest-school sessions. Children also have good opportunities to learn about their local community through regular outings, such as trips to the retirement home and visits to the local library. n The manager and staff work closely with parents to promote children's well- being. They listen carefully to parents' views when children start at the nursery and continue to involve parents in their children's learning. n Parents' professional skills are fully utilised as they visit the nursery to talk about their different roles. For example, a parent who is an architect taught the

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need to do better?

28 July 2022 children how to build their own village. These meaningful experiences help children to gain awareness of different occupations and ways of life. n The environment for babies does not consistently support them to develop the highest levels of engagement. This is because the limited space affects the range of activities provided. Furthermore, the limited space means that sleeping arrangements do not provide the most restful and undisturbed sleep for babies. n Communication and language are a strength throughout the nursery. For example, babies babble and are beginning to use single words. Older children use complex sentences and recall past events as they look at photos. Children also learn an array of new words, such as 'elder shrub' and 'wriggling', which widens their vocabulary. n Strategies for early screening of communication and language are used to help identify any potential gaps in the children's development. This helps to speed up

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need to do better?

the referral process should any early intervention be required. n Leaders prioritise training and development to support staff to continually extend their qualifications and expertise. Staff are making very good use of knowledge gained from recent training to support children's communication and language. Occasionally, staff knowledge of how to promote aspects of literacy are not as strong when children are wanting to learn to write. n Children are well behaved and show respect to their friends, such as when they they take turns and share resources. They are eager to join in with activities and demonstrate a can-do attitude. This helps children to develop their resilience and deal with challenges. These are important skills that set them up for future learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are confident and do their utmost to safeguard children. They have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff also have relevant and up-to- date safeguarding training and they know who to contact in different situations. Robust recruitment procedures are followed, and checks are made to ensure the ongoing suitability of staff who work at the nursery. Staff complete ongoing risk assessments to ensure that children are kept safe during outings in the local community. They also attend regular assessment reviews and child-in-need meetings. This means that staff have a clear understanding of how best to help children who may need a little support.

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should:

n organise the environment for babies to further enhance their care and learning needs

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should:

28 July 2022 n strengthen leaders' intentions for delivering a wide curriculum in all areas of learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2556446 Local authority Trafford Inspection number 10239208 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 61 Number of children on roll 127 Name of registered person Elmscot Group Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01619800003 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Willow Tree Day Nursery and Nursery School registered in 2020 and is based in Sale, Manchester. The nursery operates Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are 26 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds qualified teacher status, two hold early years teacher status, two hold appropriate level 6 qualifications, one holds level 5, nine hold level 3 and one holds level 2.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the nursery 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 nursery. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n Children communicated with the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector.

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Inspection activities

n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff.

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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 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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