St Francis Family Centre

Inspection of St Francis Family Centre 34 Wades Place, Poplar, London E14 0DE

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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 are confident and self-motivated learners. They have close, trusting relationships with staff. Staff help children to feel valued and secure, for example, by displaying their work attractively and praising children for their efforts. Staff display photographs of the children's families and this helps children to feel a strong sense of belonging at the nursery.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy a broad variety of activities. They use sponge rollers, paintbrushes and a range of textures and materials to create different effects on paper. This supports their creative development well. Children have good physical skills. For example, they climb and balance on planks and use balls and bats to develop their coordination skills effectively. Children develop small-muscle control, for instance, by handling different tools in creative activities. Children have good mathematical skills. Staff count musical beats with children using different instruments and sing counting songs. They point out different shapes in the environment and teach them shape names. Children behave in safe ways. For instance, they tuck their chairs under the table to help prevent hazards. They handle tools with care and caution.

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The provision is good

There is breadth and balance in the curriculum. All children make good progress and gain valuable skills in preparation for school.

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need to do better?

n Staff teach children good communication, language and literacy skills. For example, staff use a range of story props to engage children well with stories. They sing a wide range of songs and rhymes to teach children new words. Children find their names and match it to their coat pegs when they arrive each day. This supports children's communication, language and literacy skills well. n Staff teach children about difference. They play musical instruments and sing songs from around the world. Staff explain significant religious or cultural events and celebrate these with the children. n Staff help children to gain understanding about their emotions. They teach children the names of different feelings, read stories about them and ask children how they are feeling when they arrive in the morning. This supports children to understand their emotions and those of others. n Children are able to do things for themselves. For example, they serve

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need to do better?

themselves at snack time and help to tidy up at the end of play sessions. Children learn to put their coats and shoes on. Children learn how to take care of themselves. For instance, staff teach children about the need to wash daily and wear clean clothes as children bathe dolls and wash their hair.

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need to do better?

16 August 2022 n Children behave well. Staff have high expectations of children. They talk to children about the reasons why some behaviour is not acceptable and use praise to encourage positive behaviour. n Staff work successfully with parents. They spend time each day talking with parents to give feedback on children's well-being and development. Staff provide ways for parents to support children's learning, such as by giving them books to read with their children at bedtime. n The manager provides good support to staff. She meets with them individually to review how their work is going and to provide support where needed. The manager spends time in the nursery to observe and feedback to staff and this supports the development of their skills. Staff have attended different courses, including a course on supporting children with autism spectrum disorder which has led to better awareness in this area.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide children with healthy routines. They give children fresh fruit and nutritious snacks to support healthy eating. Staff promote children's awareness of good oral hygiene. For instance, they provide dummy-mouth models for children to practise brushing teeth and they read stories about good oral hygiene. They teach children about food and how some foods can help to build strong teeth. n Overall, children develop good understanding of the world. For example, staff teach children about aquatic life and how sea creatures live. However, this area has not been consistently developed to cover how things change in the natural world. n Children concentrate well and enjoy the activities provided. However, at times, staff do not enable children to try to solve things for themselves when they come across difficulty while playing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff view children's safety as highly important. They have good understanding of what to be alert to that could indicate that a child might be at risk of abuse. Staff have full knowledge of the procedures to follow to report concerns to protect children from harm. They undergo regular training to keep their safeguarding skills up to date. The manager ensures that staff are suitable for their roles by carrying out robust background checks. Staff ensure that the nursery is safe for children's use by carrying out daily checks to reduce hazards throughout the nursery, indoors and outdoors.

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should:

n develop children's understanding of the world further, particularly in relation to

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should:

16 August 2022 how things change in the natural world n provide more ways to develop children's problem-solving skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY483549 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 10219640 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 Sessional day care

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inspection

Total number of places 16 Number of children on roll 22 Name of registered person Catholic Children's Society (Westminister)

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reference number

Telephone number 020 7987 8257 Date of previous inspection 15 August 2016

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Information about this early years setting

St Francis Family Centre nursery opened in 2014. It is located in Poplar in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 12 pm and 1pm to 3.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year and is closed on public bank holidays. There are three staff, including the manager, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives funding for free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 setting. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n During the inspection, the inspector went on a learning walk around the nursery with the manager. n The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children and spoke with children, when appropriate. n The inspector checked some documentation and held a discussion with the manager. n During the inspection, the inspector considered the views of staff and parents.

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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

16 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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