The Secret Garden Day Nursery

Inspection of The Secret Garden Day Nursery 82 High Street, Dunsville, DONCASTER, South Yorkshire DN7 4BX

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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 warmly welcomed by the nurturing and kind staff. Staff know the children very well and understand their differing emotional needs. The nursery provides a welcoming and homely feel, which helps children to settle quickly. Children demonstrate excellent manners and behaviour as they watch and learn from the behaviours of the staff. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy a sequenced curriculum that is appropriate for each stage of their development. This builds on what children know and can do. For example, while babies navigate the soft-play steps and crawl through the tunnel, toddlers balance across the obstacle course. Pre-school children ride their bicycles around the path and explore the wooded area. These activities develop and strengthen children's gross motor skills to support their balance, walking and control of their movements.

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The provision is good

Children enjoy listening to and learning new stories. They join in the book 'Meet the Parents' and take it in turns to tell their friends what they enjoy doing with their parents. For example, they pay when they go to the shops and go swimming. Children gain confidence talking in groups and recalling home-life experiences.

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need to do better?

n Staff are fully aware of children's learning needs and how they learn. They assess children's development successfully, which enables them to plan effectively for what children need to learn next. This means that children make good progress in their learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n From an early age, children are encouraged to explore their senses. For example, when children question what chocolate smells like, staff provide children with cocoa powder to paint with. Children describe the texture as 'smooth' and 'soft' and smell the powder as they mix it in the water. n Staff introduce numbers and mathematical language from an early age. For example, babies enjoy banging with the tambourines as the staff member counts 'one, two, three'. Toddlers fill pots of sand to 'half full' and 'full' as they explore measure. Pre-school children create repetitive patterns, using beads.

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need to do better?

This helps children to make good progress in their mathematical learning. n Throughout the day, staff work in small groups with the children. This enables staff to make the most of learning opportunities as they arise. Children benefit from focused time with staff, which builds their confidence and develops their speech and language skills. n The manager ensures that the food provided is healthy, and mealtimes are a social event. However, at times, staff carry out tasks for the children that they can do for themselves, such as serving themselves and pouring their own drinks.

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need to do better?

4 May 2023 This does not always support children to be independent. n Staff use additional funding effectively to provide children with opportunities to broaden their experiences. For example, new resources and books enable children to share their experiences and interests with others. The impact of any additional funding is regularly reviewed to ensure that gaps in children's learning and development are narrowing. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comment how much progress their children make at the nursery. They value the home-from-home feel that the nursery and staff provide. Parents are kept up to date with what their child is learning. Ideas to continue children's learning and development at home are shared with parents to enable children to make even better progress. n Managers support staff well. For example, all staff have supervision sessions to discuss their professional development needs. Regular peer observations and

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need to do better?

discussions help to identify any areas for development, which staff say they find helpful. Highly qualified staff act as mentors to apprentices in the nursery.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe and well. They are able to recognise the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Staff know who to contact and the procedure to follow if they have a child protection concern. Regular training and highly effective reflection ensure that staff's knowledge is current. The nursery has comprehensive policies and procedures that meticulously support safeguarding practice. All staff are paediatric first-aid trained. Daily safety checks are carried out to ensure that the children are safe and secure when at the nursery.

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should:

n ensure that children are provided with every opportunity to develop their independence skills, especially at lunchtimes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491233 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 10287627 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 38 Number of children on roll 82 Name of registered person Robinson, Stephanie Marie

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reference number

Telephone number 01302 883291 Date of previous inspection 18 April 2018

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Information about this early years setting

The Secret Garden Day Nursery registered in 2015 and is based in Doncaster. It is privately owned and managed. The nursery employs 15 members of staff, including the provider and a cook. Of these, 10 members of staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2, 3, 4 and 6. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first inspection the nursery 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 and the inspector had a learning walk together to understand how the early years provision and curriculum are organised. n The inspector made observations throughout the inspection of children's experiences in the nursery and assessed the impact on their learning. n Children spoke to the inspector about their experiences in the nursery. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector. n A meeting was held with the manager. This included a review of relevant documentation, including evidence of staff suitability and training.

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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

4 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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