Woodlands Day Nursery

Inspection of Woodlands Day Nursery Weber Road, 106 Greenham Business Park, Greenham, Thatcham, Berkshire RG19 6HW

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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 and their parents are very happy at this nursery, as staff establish strong and affectionate bonds with every child. The nursery ethos of enabling children to get messy, experience things that they may not do at home, and become ready for their next steps in life, is embedded in staff practice. Babies dig in soil, toddlers pat their hands in flour, and older children make their own play dough with lots of mess. Staff are relaxed about doing this, which enhances the children's enjoyment as they freely explore different materials and use their senses to learn about the world around them.

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The provision is good

Children behave well. They develop friendships with their peers and enjoy each other's company. Older children clap each other's efforts as they confidently practise their nativity performance in front of the staff and visitors. All children are benefiting from the newly adopted 'in the moment planning', as staff focus on children's interests more effectively. Staff have also put a lot of thought into developing the outside area, which includes the vegetable garden and 'mini woodlands', where children can have fun hammering golf tees into pumpkins and building with real bricks. Young children become engrossed in water play, transporting water from one container to another, and they repeat this over and over again.

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need to do better?

n The managers and staff have worked hard to make positive improvements since the last inspection. They work well as a team and staff comment that they feel well supported. Staff report that recent training has helped to increase their confidence to plan 'in the moment' and enhance children's learning through their own curiosities. n Staff implement activities well overall, and confidently explain what they want children to achieve. During a play dough making activity, staff use lots of descriptive language to develop children's vocabulary. Children strengthen the muscles in their hands and arms as they pour and stir the ingredients, knead their dough and roll it out. n Children learn the importance of good health and hygiene through activities and everyday routines. For example, staff ensure that children have clean hands before eating. Even the babies wash their hands at a tabletop sink, which helps

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need to do better?

them to prepare for handwashing in the bathroom when they move up to the next room. All children brush their teeth after lunch as part of a fun activity. The nursery staff have reviewed the menu to reduce the amount of sugar in food provided. This helps to promote children's oral hygiene. n The effort that staff make to obtain information about children's backgrounds, cultures and experiences is not consistent across all the rooms in the nursery.

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need to do better?

28 November 2022 Some staff have introduced initiatives such as 'cultural backpacks' to send home to find out more about the children they care for. However, other staff have not yet considered how to gain the fullest possible picture about each child in order to enhance their cultural capital. n Children across the nursery demonstrate that they feel settled and secure. Babies are happy to show visitors their toys, and pre-school children invite visitors to listen to them sing. They show their growing communication and language skills as they sing Christmas songs, such as 'Little Donkey'. Staff praise them for their achievements, and it is clear that the children feel very proud. n Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak positively about the nursery and staff. They comment on the good communication, breadth of activities, and how every staff member makes an effort to know all the children. Some children

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need to do better?

attend other early years settings. However, the management team has not yet fully established an effective two-way exchange of information about children's development with these settings in order to promote consistency in children's learning. n Children are learning how to support their community by bringing in donations for the local food bank. They are holding a toy appeal to donate toys for Christmas to a local charity, and are also collecting clothes for the air ambulance charity. This helps children to consider the needs of others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The management team has safe recruitment procedures in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are fully aware of their duty to protect the children in their care. They can recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, as well as wider safeguarding issues, such as radicalisation. Staff are familiar with the nursery's whistle-blowing procedures and know what to do should they have any concerns about a child or the behaviour of an adult. Staff teach children about keeping themselves safe. For example, they explain that children might fall and hurt themselves if they do not sit on a chair safely.

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should:

n improve the consistency with which staff across the nursery gather information about children's backgrounds, cultures and experiences, to enable staff to have the fullest possible picture about each child and enhance their cultural capital n strengthen information-sharing with other settings that children attend to promote more continuity in their learning and development.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY349271 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 10218187 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 Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 102 Number of children on roll 79 Name of registered person Woodlands Childcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01635 33626 Date of previous inspection 7 December 2021

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Information about this early years setting

Woodlands Day Nursery registered in 2007 and is located in Thatcham, Berkshire. It opens from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 21 members of staff employed to work directly with the children, of whom 18 hold a relevant childcare qualification. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The joint managers and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Staff and children spoke to the inspector during the inspection. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with one of the managers. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspector.

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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 November 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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