Children 1st @ Meir Park

Inspection of Children 1st @ Meir Park Meir Park Day Nursery, Lysander Road, Stoke On Trent ST3 7TW

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is outstanding

Children are highly independent and demonstrate that they feel exceptionally safe and secure in this inspiring setting. They are welcomed each day to an environment and activities that ignite their excitement and curiosity. For example, children deeply engage with a junk modelling activity. They excitedly show staff the progress they make with their models. Children benefit from warm relationships with staff and their peers and initiate conversations with their friends. They are confident communicators. A culture of respect is fostered through the way staff and children speak to one another. Communication and language is a key focus, and staff narrate children's play effectively. During whole-group sessions, children practise their phonics and notice how their mouth moves with different letters.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children respond well to opportunities for responsibility. For example, a dinner monitor is appointed daily to lay the table ready for lunch, and children serve their own food. Children take turns brilliantly. They wait patiently to scrape their dinner plate at the sink one at a time and stack them neatly. The curriculum is excellent, and children's attitudes towards their learning are outstanding.

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need to do better?

n Leadership and management are exceptionally strong. The manager provides a robust induction and prioritises staff's ongoing performance to maintain high standards. Staff's well-being is given high priority, and there are welfare strategies in place to support this. Staff access plenty of training, such as speech and language. This helps staff to develop a deeper understanding of how children learn and their role in enabling this. n Staff know children exceptionally well. They diligently observe and assess their abilities. They plan and provide a wide range of interesting experiences to build on what children know and can do. Children are highly challenged in their learning and well supported to reach their full potential. The manager works closely with schools to help children prepare for this eventual move. For example, uniforms from local schools are available for children to explore in the role-play area.

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need to do better?

n Children develop a love of reading. Staff read stories to children consistently throughout the day. The manager has introduced a story-swap station. Children enjoy bringing in a book from home and exchanging it for a different one. n Babies confidently explore the environment as they begin to make sense of their world. For example, they are fascinated by sensory experiences, such as water and bubbles. Their social skills are supported to the highest level. This is demonstrated when babies sit together, share sponges and pat the water to make the bubbles squirt.

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need to do better?

27 April 2023 n An excellent partnership with parents is in place. Parents speak so highly of the setting and cannot praise the staff enough. They comment on how the children are fully supported and always learning new things. The staff settle any new children with great care, ensuring they have a rounded understanding of their individual needs before they start. Parents are extremely positive about the effective, ongoing communication between the highly valued staff and themselves. Staff work closely as a team and put the needs and interests of the children and families first at all times. Relationships between everyone involved are respectful and warm. n Highly qualified and experienced staff provide exceptional opportunities to promote children's communication, language and listening skills. For example, staff plan language activities with a parachute to help expand children's vocabulary on directional and positional relationships, such as 'high and low',

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need to do better?

'stop and go' and 'fast and slow'. Children listen intently to instructions from each other and respond accordingly. n Reflective practice is exemplary. The manager has a clear and ambitious vision for the setting. She constantly questions herself and reviews all elements of the provision. She takes account of the views of staff, children and parents in setting targets and aims for the future.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The premises are safe and secure. Staff are trained and can identify a cause for concern and know the action to take to protect children. Staff teach children how to be safe within the rooms. For example, staff ask children to wait for their friends to move from the bottom of the slide before other children slide down, and they teach children what might happen if they swing their arms around in a busy, small space. Managers implement safer recruitment processes, and staff are suitable and inducted effectively. Ratios are maintained, and children are supervised well. Staff deployment is effective to keep children safe. Risk assessments are carried out, and equipment and resources are safe.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491582 Local authority Stoke-on-Trent Inspection number 10280809 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 97 Number of children on roll 0138 Name of registered person Breedon House Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01782388353 Date of previous inspection 27 September 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Children 1st @ Meir Park registered in 2015 and is in Stoke-on-Trent. It is part of Breedon House Nurseries Limited. The setting employs 17 members of childcare staff. Of these, 13 hold appropriate childcare qualifications between level 2 and level 6, including one who has early years professional status. The nursery operates from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. It 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 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 the inspector completed a learning walk together and discussed the curriculum. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the manager. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector had discussions with staff and parents and took their views into account. n The inspector held discussions with leaders 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

27 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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