Holly Cottage Day Nursery

Inspection of Holly Cottage Day Nursery Heathlands Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 3AP

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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 arrive eager to start their day at this friendly nursery. They separate easily from their parents and go with staff to find their friends. Children build good relationships with their key person and peers. They seek out their friends and give hugs and hold hands as they go off to choose where they would like to play. Toddlers enjoy sensory play and exploring different textures and shapes that they make with play dough. Babies learn to cruise around the furniture and grow in confidence in their physical abilities.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy an inviting and spacious environment that is ready and organised for them to play. Their learning and development is well planned and based on what they know and can do. Staff offer a variety of activities and resources, which are accessible to children. Children learn to make choices about what they would like to do. They understand and build positive relationships with their peers. Children share with their peers and seek each other out to join their games.

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The provision is good

Children show good attitudes to learning. They express themselves well in their play and can share and take turns easily when wanting the same toy as another child. Children communicate well and are confident to express their thoughts and feelings. Staff help children to practise and name different facial expressions. Children learn about a wide range of emotions and begin to recognise how others are feeling. Pre-school children talk about how they are feeling and what they could do to help each other to feel better if they are feeling sad.

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need to do better?

n Staff are proud to have developed a curriculum that centres around each individual child. They use 'reflection' sessions to monitor children's progress and to identify gaps in development. Staff are quick to adapt planning in response to children's changing interests. n Children have very strong bonds with staff. Babies crawl onto staff's laps to share books. They reach out their arms for a cuddle when they need reassurance. Older children enjoy when staff join them on the carpet area to share books and stories. They enjoy showing staff what they are looking at and talking about what they see in the pictures. n Staff promote children's language development. They sing familiar songs and share interactive stories. However, at times, staff do not consistently model language to support babies' emerging vocabulary. n Children are developing good physical skills and are learning to assess risk as they explore the forest school space. For instance, they enjoy discovering logs

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need to do better?

and fallen trees to climb and balance. Children benefit from plenty of exercise each day, spending time in the large garden space. They learn about the

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need to do better?

6 February 2023 benefits of fresh air and what being active does for their mood and their physical abilities. n Children play a role in developing healthy and balanced meals. For example, the cook changes the menu based on meals that she knows are popular and adapts these ingredients to make different meals. When new meals are offered to the children, the cook seeks feedback from them to learn what the children enjoy and like. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents say they are 'happy and reassured' that their children are confident and settled at the nursery. Parents comment on how quick staff are to respond to any questions or requests. For example, a dietary change was actioned immediately. The staff and the cook quickly arranged an alternative meal for lunch. n The manager is an effective leader. She is passionate about the families the nursery supports and her staff team. She evaluates the provision to drive

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need to do better?

improvement. Staff feel well supported and valued and show enthusiasm for their roles. However, the manager is not consistent in providing staff with supervision. This means that staff's professional development is not assessed for progress and areas for development. n Staff support children's emotional development during transitions to the next room well. However, they do not consistently support children's independence to empower them to move through the setting with confidence, ready for the changing skills and abilities in the next room. For example, children learning to walk do not have resources to support the cruising stage, to encourage physical development ready for the next room. n Staff interact with most children well. However, there are times when staff do not respond to children when they are trying to get the attention of adults. For example, babies will hold up a toy to show the adult, who does not recognise

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need to do better?

that the child is trying to get their attention.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager ensures that all staff receive mandatory training in child protection and safeguarding. Staff can demonstrate their knowledge of safeguarding and the processes they would follow if they had a concern about a child. Staff have a good understanding of the whistle-blowing policy and can demonstrate how they would follow the policy. For instance, they can report and document concerns in a timely manner and refer them to appropriate partner agencies. Staff understand their role in accordance to the 'Prevent' duty guidance and recognise signs and indicators that a child or family may be at risk of extremism or radicalisation.

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should:

6 February 2023 n provide more opportunities for younger children to develop their communication and language skills n ensure consistent and regular opportunities for staff supervisions, to support their ongoing professional development n organise the provision for babies, to support their developing physical skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 148607 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 10271335 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 81 Number of children on roll 120 Name of registered person Holly Cottage Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01344 761264 mob 07901 853868 Date of previous inspection 8 May 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Holly Cottage Day Nursery registered in 1998. The nursery is located in Wokingham, Berkshire. The nursery opens five days a week, throughout the year. Sessions run from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery offers funding to provide free early years education to children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 37 members of staff to work with the children. Of these, 18 hold recognised early years qualifications, including three members of staff with a level 6 qualification and one member of staff with early years qualified teacher status

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider 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 provider. n The manager and inspector took a learning walk and discussed the curriculum intent for each of the rooms. n The inspector and manager carried out a joint observation. n The Inspector observed children at play, indoors and outdoors. n The inspector gathered parents' views and took these into consideration. n The inspector held a leadership and management meeting with the manager and nominated individual.

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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

6 February 2023 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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