Acorn Day Nursery

Inspection of Acorn Day Nursery 25 Wessex Place, Somerton Business Park, Bancombe Road, Somerton, Somerset TA11 6SB

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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 come confidently into the nursery and are welcomed by the warm and friendly staff. Staff welcome parents in, helping children to settle quickly and to feel safe and secure. For example, toddlers look at photos of family members and talk about them with staff and parents before saying goodbye to their parents and moving off to join in activities. Children new to the setting are reassured by a familiar key person. Children form positive and trusting relationships with their key person and other staff. They confidently speak to staff to share their experiences or to ask for help.

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The provision is good

The setting's curriculum is broad and ambitious, and staff support all children to make good progress in their learning and development. Children are keen to engage with the learning opportunities that staff offer and show their curiosity in exploring different resources. For example, pre-school children explore the real china tea set and talk about what drinks they will make. Babies show curiosity exploring flowers, pulling off petals and feeling the different textures. Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and put clear plans in place to support their individual needs and ongoing development.

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need to do better?

n Staff encourage children's speech and language development well. They sing songs and rhymes and share stories with children. Staff engage in conversations with children and introduce them to a breadth of language and concepts. For example, older children confidently join in with familiar stories and suggest what comes next. Younger children show an interest in insects, and staff develop their learning further by going on a 'bug hunt' in the garden and talking about what they find. n Staff know the children well and mostly identify the areas where children need to develop further. Staff plan activities around these areas to support children's continued development. However, they do not support older children more to interact with others who are playing alongside them or involve other children in their play. This would develop children's social skills and build their confidence when interacting with their peers.

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need to do better?

n Staff model positive behaviour and polite manners and have clear expectations for children's behaviour. For example, they refer to the golden rules before reading a story, and children confidently talk about the rule of listening and what this means. n Children respond promptly to requests, such as being asked to tidy away. However, at times, children across all age groups are sat for longer than necessary while waiting for other children to be ready. As a result, some children become bored and disengage.

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need to do better?

14 April 2023 n Children receive good encouragement from staff to be independent and learn how to care for themselves. For example, younger children learn to roll their sleeves up and wash their hands independently. n Staff involve children in making choices and value their opinion. For example, older children are able to vote on which story they would like, and they choose their own fruit at snack time. Younger children choose between a story or singing. This helps them to learn about making choices and listening to others. n Parents are highly complimentary about the setting. They value the 'home-from- home' feel of the nursery and the feedback they get from staff about how their child is developing and what they could do at home. This enables them to further support their children's learning at home. n Staff meet regularly to review the provision and make changes. Leaders and managers encourage staff to share ideas from training and use these to improve

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need to do better?

the provision. For example, following training, staff have introduced chairs at story time for the older children that has improved their focus and engagement with stories. n Leaders and managers work with other professionals to support all children. For example, they work with the local schools to ensure children are prepared for the move on to school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff recognise the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. The provider has clear processes in place for recording and reporting concerns, and staff are confident in following the processes, including where there are concerns raised relating to other members of staff. Leaders and managers know their responsibility for safeguarding children and acting on any concerns. They ensure recruitment processes include checking that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff routinely assess risks in the environment and in the activities they offer to ensure that children are safe.

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should:

n ensure the organisation of routines across all age groups minimises delays so that children remain in meaningful play n provide opportunities for older children to engage in play with their peers, to further develop their social skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY345531 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10280541 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 56 Number of children on roll 85 Name of registered person Bennett, Katryn

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reference number

Telephone number 01458 273705 Date of previous inspection 24 August 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Acorn Day Nursery registered at the current premises in Somerton, Somerset in 2006. The nursery employs 19 members of staff. Of these, one holds an early years qualification at level 6 and one at level 4. A further 13 staff are qualified to level 3, two hold qualifications at level 2 and two are unqualified. The nursery is open every weekday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery receives funding to provide 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 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 joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The manager and inspector completed a joint observation of an activity. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

14 April 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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