Mains House Nursery

Inspection of Mains House Nursery West Lane, Chester-le-Street, County Durham DH3 3HL

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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 motivated and eager to learn at this extremely welcoming nursery. They benefit from a wide range of challenging and innovative activities and experiences that staff know will interest and excite them. For example, children build a wormery and care for ducklings they watch hatch from eggs in an incubator. They use real tools as they help staff build planters at the nursery allotment. In these, children help plant radishes, peas and carrots. They help staff water and care for the plants and watch them grow.

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The provision is outstanding

Children confidently explore using all their senses, for example as they mix paint with rice to explore textures. Children play imaginatively as they pretend to make fruit teas using real tea leaves, herbs and lemons. Younger children mix flour and water to make dough. Staff provide them with rich opportunities to explore independently with natural and tactile materials and resources. For example, they choose and add fresh herbs, feathers, sticks and pom-poms to their dough creations.

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The provision is outstanding

Relationships between children and staff are superb. Staff are very caring, sensitive and kind. They act as excellent role models. Staff model how to talk and act respectfully. They encourage children to use manners and be kind to others.

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need to do better?

n Staff implement the nursery's very strong and clear curriculum, which supports children to embed and build on their skills and knowledge, across all areas of learning. The quality of teaching is consistently high across the nursery. n Children take part in enriching real-life experiences. For example, they learn first hand about the life cycles of frogs and insects. Children explore where food comes from as they plant seeds and grow vegetables during trips to the nursery allotment. Staff take children to the local supermarket and greengrocer to see how plants, similar to those they grow, are sold. n Staff plan excellent support for children's physical development through rich opportunities for moving, stretching and climbing. Younger children develop balance as they splash in paddling pools. Older children build strength and flexibility through activities such as weekly swimming sessions. n Children develop their smaller muscles and coordination through activities such

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need to do better?

as threading beads and using real tools in the garden. They wash their own hands and learn to use tongs to serve their food independently at mealtimes. n There is outstanding support for children's developing communication skills. The manager uses additional funding superbly to support children's skills in this area. Staff have learned, through training, to encourage children to respond in detail to questions. This helps to strengthen their use of language and develop their

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need to do better?

18 May 2023 vocabularies. n Children attend storytelling sessions, craft sessions and trips to the local library to help instil a love of stories. A lending library is in place for children to take books home to share. n Staff encourage children to express themselves through arts and crafts and imaginative play. Each child has an 'artwork book', presented to parents when children leave. This captures the progress of their creations over the course of their time at the setting. n Children benefit daily from fresh air and exercise. They enjoy healthy, home- made meals that are tailored to meet children's specific dietary needs. Children learn about healthy lifestyles, such as how to look after their teeth. They have rich opportunities to taste new foods they might not otherwise try. n Partnership work is a real strength of the setting. Staff share detailed information with local schools. This helps ensure the move for children to the

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need to do better?

next stage of their learning is as smooth and well supported as possible. n There is excellent support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work closely with other professionals in education and health to provide a very consistent and well-planned approach to support for children. n Feedback from parents is excellent. Parents speak very highly of the setting. They say staff know their children very well. Parents say their children have developed rapidly in confidence and independence. They praise the 'exemplary communication' and 'frequent and in-depth' reviews staff provide on their children's progress. n The manager and staff are very reflective. Staff in each room are encouraged to record their thoughts and ideas on children's learning and experiences. The manager values the views of staff and parents and uses them to inform continuous improvements. n The manager provides excellent support for her highly qualified team. For

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need to do better?

example, staff attend whole setting training days to help upskill and strengthen their knowledge. The manager and nursery director are very clear in their ambitions for the nursery. Together with their staff, they are dedicated to the care of children and their future outcomes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The manager and staff have an excellent understanding of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They know what might concern them and the procedures to follow to keep children safe. The manager and staff keep themselves up to date with changes in legislation and all aspects of safeguarding through regular meetings and training. Staff know how to keep children safe on a daily basis. For example, they teach children how to use tools and utensils safely. Staff teach children how to assess their own risks. For example, they support children to judge what speed to take when riding on bikes down slopes in the nursery garden.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY551880 Local authority Durham Inspection number 10285600 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 36 Number of children on roll 91 Name of registered person Blue Sky Childcare Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0191 3889048 Date of previous inspection 11 October 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Mains House Nursery registered in 2017. The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. Six members of staff hold a qualification at level 6, including two staff with qualified teacher status and one with early years teacher status. The nursery opens 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 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 manager discussed with the inspector how the nursery organises and plans the curriculum and experiences for children. The inspector viewed the inside and outside space used by the nursery. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities and assessed the impact on children's learning. The manager and the inspector evaluated an activity together. n The inspector looked at a sample of the nursery's documents. This included evidence of training and suitability of staff. n The inspector held discussions with the manager and staff. She took into account the views of parents.

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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

18 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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