Mary Seacole Day Nursery & Family Support Unit

Inspection of Mary Seacole Day Nursery & Family Support Unit MAPP Community Centre, 22 Mount Pleasant, Reading, Berkshire RG1 2TD

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a warm and nurturing staff team who spend time getting to know them. Staff celebrate children's cultural traditions, home languages and family backgrounds, which fosters their emotional well-being. Children express delight in sharing family photographs and information about their holidays. They are confident in their environment and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging.

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The provision is good

Children greet staff with a smile at the start of the day. They separate from their parents without hesitation and those children that need it enjoy their breakfast brought from home. Children in the pre-school and toddler room quickly engage in play with staff and their friends. They delight in building constructions and work well together to build a house. Children demonstrate good problem-solving skills as they discuss how to build a bridge for their cars. This builds on their developing mathematical skills well. Babies are settled and happily play alongside their peers. They excitedly roll balls to each other, which supports their developing relationships. Staff introduce an understanding of number and count with babies as they play. They praise them, which boosts their confidence and self-esteem.

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The provision is good

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.

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need to do better?

n The manager has made significant improvements since the last inspection. She provides staff with regular supervisions, where they talk about their key children and professional development. Staff attend training to build on their skills and knowledge, which has a considerable impact on the quality of teaching. Staff say their well-being is a high priority and they enjoy working at the nursery. n Staff provide care for a variety of children who speak English as an additional language. Recent training and ongoing support from the manager has had a positive impact on children's speech, vocabulary and language development. For example, they use a variety of resources, such as sign language and picture cards to make sure all children can communicate their needs. n Children play well together, are imaginative and take on different roles in the home corner. However, at times, younger children in the toddler room become a

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need to do better?

little overexcited and boisterous. On these occasions, staff are not consistent in building their understanding of behavioural expectations. This slightly impacts on older children's play and learning. n Staff accurately assess children's progress and have a good understanding of their next steps. However, planning in the toddler and pre-school room is not quite as precise as it could be. On occasion, staff do not use what they know about all children to consistently challenge their learning. For example, older

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need to do better?

25 August 2022 children listen to a story and recite the book through writing a letter. However, some children do not fully understand the concept of the activity and quickly lose interest. n Staff have strong partnerships with parents. They share regular information on children's development and hold daily discussions on children's care and well- being. This ensures continuity in children's learning. Parents are very complimentary about the good progress their children are making. They talk highly of how happy and excited their children are to attend the nursery. n The manager is mindful that not all children can access outdoor play at home. She ensures children can play outside every day, which helps to promote children's physical skills. For example, children build on their stamina as they jump in puddles. They use large apparatus and learn to take safe risks as they move over the equipment. n Staff effectively promote children's understanding of leading a healthy lifestyle.

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need to do better?

Children enjoy healthy snacks and nutritious home-cooked meals. They actively describe the textures and tastes of fruit and discuss foods that have nutritional benefits for their bodies. n Children demonstrate good independence skills. Older children put on their coats and have a go at doing up their buttons and zips. This supports school readiness. Babies confidently use cutlery at mealtimes. They learn to drink from an open cup at a young age and naturally wipe up any spillages.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and how to identify, record and respond to potential harm or abuse. They have attended a wide range of safeguarding training to strengthen their knowledge even further. There are good procedures in nursery to help keep children safe. For example, the manager records detailed information on children's record forms, including information on who has responsibility for children. Staff are deployed effectively and ratios are consistently maintained. The manager has a safe recruitment procedure in place and checks the suitability of new staff as well as the ongoing suitability of existing staff.

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should:

n develop staff skills to ensure that planning for children's next steps is precisely focused on what children need to learn next n support staff to provide a more consistent approach to behaviour management so that children understand the rules and know what is expected of them.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY297552 Local authority Reading Inspection number 10210695 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 52 Number of children on roll 24

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Name of registered person

Mary Seacole Day Nursery & Family Support Unit Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01183274349 Date of previous inspection 4 October 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Mary Seacole Day Nursery and Family Support Unit first registered in 1991 and has been registered in the current premises since 2006. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 5.45pm, for 51 weeks a year. The nursery currently employs eight staff who work with the children. The manager holds relevant qualifications at level 7 and five members of staff hold relevant level 3 early years qualifications. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the setting. n The manager showed the inspector around the nursery and explained how they organise the curriculum. n The inspector observed children playing and learning indoors and outdoors. She evaluated the impact of staff interactions on children's learning. n The inspector carried out joint observations with the manager. n Parents spoke to inspectors and shared their views on the nursery. n The manager showed the inspectors a range of documentation, including those relating to staff suitability. n The inspector spoke to staff and children at appropriate times during 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

25 August 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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