The Old School Nursery

Inspection of The Old School Nursery The Old School, Bersted Street, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 9QE

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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 Good

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The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at the nursery. They have warm and affectionate attachments with staff and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure. Children respond positively to praise and reassurance, which supports their emotional well- being.

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The provision is good

Children are eager to learn, and they behave well. Older children understand concepts such as turn taking. For instance, they negotiate with their peers when playing with toy cars. Younger children are supported to learn to share. For example, when digging in the sandpit, they are encouraged to share the spades.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy being active and develop good physical control while climbing on the soft-play equipment. They use a range of equipment outside that promotes balancing, such as stilts. Children are supported to develop their self-care skills well. They wash their hands before mealtimes, eat independently and pour their own milk. Children demonstrate good table manners and are kind, sociable and polite.

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The provision is good

Babies are surrounded by lots of textures and sounds to stimulate their imagination. For instance, they happily touch different-textured materials and enjoy posting them into a box. Babies respond positively to staff as they talk to them. They crawl towards toys that interest them and pull themselves up to a standing position, using well-placed furniture.

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need to do better?

n Staff support children's developing communication and language skills at every opportunity. They speak clearly and model good language. The children enjoy reading outside. Staff read stories with enthusiasm and use good questioning skills. Children ask lots of questions, which staff take the time to answer. Children develop good communication and language skills. n Children are encouraged to count and recognise amounts and quantities. For example, staff help babies to explore shapes and count when building with blocks. Younger children learn about 'more' and 'less' when filling pots with sand. Older children talk about size, number and count in sequence during play. This enables them to practise and develop their understanding of mathematics with support from the staff. n The key-person system is effective, and staff have a good knowledge of their key children and how to support their learning and development. They know

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need to do better?

their key child's starting points and plan pertinent next steps that are unique to each child's learning needs. However, at times, staff are not fully effective in planning and organising group times for the older children. On occasion, during

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need to do better?

5 October 2022 these activities, children do not join in, and they begin to lose interest. This has a negative impact on the progress that they make. n Staff plan opportunities to broaden the experiences children receive at home. For example, they arrange for the farm to visit the nursery to give children the opportunity to look at and learn about how to care for animals. n Parents value the experiences that their children receive at the nursery and the close relationships that staff build with families. They comment positively on how the nursery shares their children's learning with them. Parents feel that the nursery provides a welcoming home-from-home environment. n The leaders have a clear vision for the future and promote effective teamwork. They are committed to ensuring that staff are happy and feel supported in their roles. Staff benefit from regular team meetings and one-to-one supervision. The

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need to do better?

leaders provide ongoing coaching and support, which enables less-experienced staff to develop their knowledge and teaching skills effectively. n Staff provide a stimulating learning environment for children of all ages. However, since repurposing one of the rooms, staff have not fully considered how to ensure that younger children can easily view and take part in their activities. This means that they do not always have the support and stability they need to fully enhance their physical movements. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are suitably supported. The leaders and staff work closely with parents and consult with other professionals to obtain the support children need. The provider uses additional funding appropriately to train staff and obtain resources to support children's learning and exploration.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The leaders and staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They know the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. Staff are confident in the processes to follow in response to a concern about a child in their care or an allegation about an adult. The provider has a thorough recruitment process and induction procedure to ensure that staff working with children are suitable. They carry out regular fire drills and conduct daily risk assessments to ensure that the environment and premises are safe for the children.

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should:

n review the planning and organisation of large-group activities for older children, considering the needs and abilities of the children in the group, so that all are equally engaged, and their learning is maximised

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should:

5 October 2022 n review the implementation of the curriculum in the younger children's room and ensure that all children can easily view and take part in their activities, to fully promote their physical skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY281596 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 10228350 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 68 Number of children on roll 104 Name of registered person The Old School Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01243 840755 Date of previous inspection 5 December 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Old School Nursery registered in 2004. It operates from an old school building in Bersted, Bognor Regis, West Sussex. The nursery employs 20 members of staff. Of these, 17 hold early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday for 48 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 8am to 5pm. 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 nursery received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The deputy manager and the inspector had a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children spoke to 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 inspector spoke with the nominated individual, registered individual and deputy manager about the leadership and management of the nursery. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out joint observations of group activities with the deputy manager and room leader.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

5 October 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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