Discovery Nursery School (Portsmouth)

Inspection of Discovery Nursery School (Portsmouth) St Marks Church, Derby Road, Portsmouth, Hants PO2 8HR

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Children confidently enter the setting and seek out cuddles from their key person. They know the routine well and quickly hang their coats on pegs before excitedly greeting friends. Children happily explore in this welcoming and friendly setting. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. For example, they involve staff in their play and laugh as they join in with them waving flags to celebrate the King's coronation.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from an interesting curriculum that is designed to meet their individual needs. The curriculum that staff deliver offers challenge and encourages children to develop their confidence and independence skills. For instance, children decide to make a cake for a 'coronation picnic'. They work together cooperatively to add ingredients to a bowl. Children use a sand timer to check when the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven and make a 'Ching, Ching' sound to indicate the cake is cooked. Children speak to each other with respect as they pass each other cooking tools to achieve the desired result.

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The provision is good

Children are confident communicators. They enjoy listening to stories that staff read to them and excitedly repeat the words, showing they know it well. Children enthusiastically sing a welcome song to their friends and smile and wave to each other. They finish the song and jump up quickly before heading off to play with toys together.

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need to do better?

n The manager leads her team well. She values staff well-being, and they speak of the positive support they receive. Effective staff supervision sessions are in place. The manager holds regular discussions with staff to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. This enables staff to access appropriate training to support children in their care. For example, staff have completed training on behaviour management and implemented new strategies to support children with how to manage their emotions. n Staff provide an engaging curriculum. They take into account children's ideas and their previous learning. Staff have a good understanding of what children need to learn next. They assess children's progress and plan interesting and engaging activities. The manager and her staff have a clear vision for the setting and are passionate about encouraging children to be confident and kind to each other. Children behave well and show determination as they work together to

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need to do better?

move coloured rice from one area to another. They discuss the different coloured rice, and staff support this by telling children that the colours represent the coronation. n Children demonstrate a love of creative activities. For instance, they join in with

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need to do better?

3 May 2023 group activities, such as potato printing, and choose their preferred colour of paint. Different-aged children explore with the paint and mix colours to create new ones. However, staff are not fully effective at adapting the activity to maximise the involvement of younger children. For example, they do not consider beforehand the amount of resources needed to fully promote their involvement and attention. This impacts children's enjoyment of their learning. n Staff support children to develop effective communication skills. They tailor their interactions with children well, such as by using different types of questioning techniques to check children's understanding and encourage them to use new words. For example, when children find a feather, staff encourage them to describe it. Children successfully use words such as 'soft', 'white' and 'fluffy' to describe it accurately. This demonstrates their growing vocabulary.

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need to do better?

n Parents speak very positively about the setting. They comment that they are happy with the care their children are receiving and talk about the warm and supportive staff. Parents appreciate the regular communication they receive and state that their children are making good progress with their learning and development. They speak of the support they have received when the manager has involved other professionals, such as speech and language therapists. n Additional funding is used appropriately to enrich the curriculum, and this has a positive impact on children's development. For example, children have recently learned about the life cycle of animals through real-life experiences that they otherwise would not have had. This helps them to learn about living things and how to care for them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. The manager ensures that all staff have regular safeguarding training to keep their knowledge up to date. All staff demonstrate a clear understanding of what to do if they are concerned about a child or a member of staff. They are aware of the possible signs and symptoms that may indicate that a child is at risk of harm. The manager follows safer recruitment procedures to ensure that the staff who directly work with children are suitable to do so. Detailed risk assessments are in place to promote children's safety.

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should:

n review the organisation of group activities to promote the involvement of younger children.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2622195 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 10264471 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 40 Number of children on roll 43 Name of registered person Carousel Nursery School (Hilsea) Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 02392174280 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Discovery Nursery School registered in December 2020. It operates in Portsmouth, Hampshire. It is open on Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 4pm, term time only. The nursery receives funding to provide free early years education to two-, three- and four-year-old children. There are nine members of staff. Of these, six hold qualifications at level 3 and above.

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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 nursery. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about the curriculum and what they intend for the children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this was having on children's learning. n A meeting was held between the inspector and the manager. The inspector looked at relevant documentation and saw evidence of the suitability of staff. n The inspector talked to staff and the children at appropriate times during the inspection. n Parents shared their views of the nursery 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

3 May 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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