Apple Tree Nursery

Inspection of Apple Tree Nursery Priestley CP School, Prince Charles Drive, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 8TG

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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 Good

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The provision is outstanding

The management team has made inspirational changes to benefit all children. It provides a well-organised curriculum that focuses on key areas of development, where children engage in fulfilling experiences and gain essential knowledge that they may not experience outside of nursery. The curriculum incorporates key values, including learning through play, exploring the outside world, healthy and nutritious diets and embracing the world we live in. The curriculum is carefully organised to ensure all children become confident learners from the start, with the support of their nurturing key person. Children build strong connections, feel safe and seek comfort when they need to. Staff carefully observe children and track their development to ensure they are meeting their milestones.

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The provision is outstanding

Children are developing their communication and language skills excellently. They speak clearly and informatively to reflect the staff's excellent language modelling. Children aged as young as two years follow instructions, such as to tidy up, with quick and effective listening skills. Staff are supporting communication with babies, and children who find speech difficult, by learning sign language. This has demonstrated impressive improvements in communication for all children. Staff provide a fully inclusive environment. Children learn some simple words in other languages. This means they communicate well with their friends who learn English as an additional language. Children have a deep understanding of how to keep their bodies healthy. For example, they grow their own vegetables to understand their growth and how to prepare them for eating. The inspirational management team invites a nutritionist to visit the children. Children carry out fun, food-related

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The provision is outstanding

activities to deepen their understanding of how nutritious food supports them to grow healthily. This is supported by visits from dentists and examples of how to brush teeth properly. This helps children to understand which foods promote good dental care and which damage teeth.

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need to do better?

n Children are extremely engaged in all age groups. Babies explore sensory equipment with quiet, calm focus. Toddler-aged children enjoy exploring sand, gently being reminded by staff not to throw it. Pre-school children explore the resources available and make their way around the activity stations, inside and outside of the setting. All children are happy and confident to engage with their peers and share equipment exceptionally well. Children are extremely busy as they investigate their thoughts and ideas. For example, pre-school children decided to pour water down some drainpipes. They confidently used their initiative to collect water in buckets from the outside tap. They carried buckets of water across the garden, poured them down the pipes and squealed in delight. They made puddles on the ground and excitedly jumped up and down

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need to do better?

3 May 2023 to splash in the water. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have an exceptional support network around them. A special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works directly with the children in the setting's engaging sensory room. The exceptionally nurturing SENCo has built a trusting relationship with the children to enhance their sense of belonging and build their confidence to learn and reach their expected milestones. The SENCo carries out detailed assessments of the children and creates engaging activities to ensure children make incredible progress. For example, she plays an interactive speech and sound game where children listen and guess what might be in the bucket, supporting children to think, challenge themselves and use sounds and words to develop their key targets. The SENCo liaises extremely well with parents, key people, management and outside agencies to ensure all children are receiving exceptional support in

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need to do better?

their well-being and development. n The inspirational leaders and managers continually motivate staff to progress their own development. Staff complete the annual required training and choose their own learning pathway to enhance their early years skills. This ensures they are continually improving and acquiring new knowledge to support children's development. n Staff and leaders have developed a positive community spirit to enhance the children's sense of belonging in their local area. The staff make use of a six- seater pushchair for babies to enjoy outings. Staff use the community as a learning tool for children as they often visit the library, parks and nature reserves. Children are safely involved in the local litter picking service to understand the importance of taking care of their planet. Visitors, such as police officers, come into the setting with the important aim of children developing an

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need to do better?

understanding that they are trusted people. n Staff and children embrace the celebrations of various cultures and religious events, embedding a deep and meaningful respect for the diversity of all people. Parents visit the setting to discuss their culture with the children and share stories and cultural resources to give children an insight into the differences in the way people live. Parents are very welcome into the setting to discuss their occupations and give children an additional view of diversity in families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have developed excellent knowledge of how to safeguard children. They are trained to a high standard to acknowledge the signs and symptoms of a child potentially being at risk of harm. Staff have the professionalism to act appropriately when dealing with safeguarding concerns. They know who to report to if they have concerns for the safety of children and understand the whistle-blowing policy to report concerns involving a colleague. Confidential reports are stored securely, with a clear system to ensure children are not at further risk of harm.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY311880 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 10285534 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 53 Number of children on roll 131 Name of registered person Appletree Early Years Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01249 819082 Date of previous inspection 10 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Apple Tree Nursery registered in July 2005. It operates within Calne Children's Centre in the grounds of Priestley School in Calne, Wiltshire. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm, all year round. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 21 members of staff. Of these, one holds a relevant early years qualification at level 5, one at level 4, eight at level 3 and one at level 2. Seven staff are unqualified. Three members of staff have achieved early years professional status.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine 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 provider. n The inspector spoke with parents to seek their views of the setting. n The inspector observed the children and reviewed the impact of the learning experiences and adult interactions. n The inspector spoke with staff and children at convenient times during the day. n A leadership and management meeting was held to review relevant documents, including disclosure and barring records and paediatric first-aid certificates. n The manager joined the inspector in carrying out a joint observation to review staff practice and the impact activities have on children's development. n The managers took the inspector on a tour of the setting to discuss the curriculum as part of the learning walk.

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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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