The Wishing Tree Children's Nursery

Inspection of The Wishing Tree Children's Nursery 14 Carden Avenue, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 8NA

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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 are helped to feel safe and secure. Staff are kind and calm with children and provide reassurance, as and when needed. This helps children to settle well and to enjoy their time at this homely and welcoming nursery. For instance, staff tune into babies' needs. They rock them in their arms and talk to them soothingly. As a result, babies develop good bonds with the attentive staff. They have fun discovering how to operate resources, such as successfully pressing buttons to pop open lids on play kettles and pots.

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The provision is good

Younger toddlers' emerging language skills are well supported. For example, they enjoy the repetition of favourite stories and copy what staff say. They successfully use good-quality resources related to the story and learn the meaning of new words, such as over and under. Older toddlers enjoy imaginative play; they use phone handsets to pretend to talk to family members.

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The provision is good

All children demonstrate that they are developing good physical skills. They have fun exploring outdoors. Pre-school children use their imaginations well. For instance, following on from a discussion about Noah's Ark, they decide to make an obstacle course, using bricks to climb to their ark. They demonstrate good balancing skills and work together as a team.

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need to do better?

n Leaders work hard to ensure that they maintain good standards. They continually reflect on what is working well and what they need to do to improve. They support the staff team to develop their knowledge and skills in understanding about how children learn. For instance, there is a focus on how to support children's natural curiosity during their play. This contributes to the planning of activities and the building of children's knowledge. n The passionate staff follow children's interests to build on what they already know and can do. For instance, children's comments about weather changes lead to them learning about animals that live in colder climates. Staff gently introduce the topic of climate change, which extends children's language and their understanding of the wider world. n Staff help children develop a love of reading. For instance, children have cosy places to relax in and enjoy listening to the stories being read. They choose

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need to do better?

books to take home and share with their families. This supports children's early literacy skills. n Children go on regular outings in the local community. Staff link these outings to the curriculum. For example, older children visit residential care homes and enjoy visits to a local shop. Children learn about road safety on their trips. Younger children visit the nearby park and enjoy watching vehicles on the way.

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need to do better?

29 November 2022 These outings help children to gain an understanding of people and their community. n Staff plan activities to widen children's experiences. For instance, most children have fun joining in with the organised ball games and a well-led music and singing session. However, these operate at the same time, which means that some children find it too noisy and quickly loose interest. Therefore, some activities do not entirely promote children's development and engagement at the highest level. n Children are helped to respect each other and to behave well. Any unwanted behaviour is managed calmly and effectively by the attentive staff. Staff act as positive role models for children. They are consistent in their approach and work closely with parents to help resolve any issues. n Overall, staff support children's emerging communication skills well. Staff join in with their play and introduce new words to younger children. Older children are

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need to do better?

encouraged to discuss their ideas and share their thoughts. Staff ask questions to extend their learning. However, on occasion, some staff do not give children enough time to think and respond in order to share their knowledge and understanding. n Parents speak highly about the nursery. They say that their children have 'blossomed' since attending the nursery and that their children are always excited to attend. Parents value the continual communication they receive. They feel very welcome in the nursery and enjoy the parent activities, such as fundraising events.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities to ensure children are safe. They know the signs and symptoms that may be a concern and the procedures to follow. Staff ensure that any concerns are raised with the designated safeguarding lead and, if needed, appropriate referrals are made to outside agencies. They are aware of their duty to follow up on concerns as needed. Staff's skills and knowledge regarding safeguarding are kept up to date through regular discussions and training. Leaders follow secure recruitment and induction procedures to help ensure that staff are suitable for their roles.

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should:

n strengthen staff's skills in supporting children to have more time to think and respond to questions and demonstrate what they know and understand n review the planning of activities to match the stage of development of all children consistently so that they are engaged.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY283126 Local authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 10228354 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 86 Number of children on roll 137 Name of registered person Lewis Wood and Jayne Wood Partnership

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reference number

Telephone number 01273 551515 Date of previous inspection 7 December 2016

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Information about this early years setting

The Wishing Tree Children's Nursery registered in 2004. It is situated in Brighton, East Sussex. The nursery operates throughout the year, except for bank holidays, between the hours of 8am and 6pm, from Monday to Friday. There are 38 staff employed and, of these, 28 hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 2 or above.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the setting 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 setting. n The inspector and one of the managers had a learning walk together. The inspector observed staff practice and considered the impact on children's play experiences. n Discussions were held with the leadership team about the management of the nursery, and joint observations of practice took place. n Parents spoke to the inspector and shared their views on the care and education provided. The inspector took these into account. n The inspector spoke to children, engaged in their play and observed the interactions of staff with them.

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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

29 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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