Swan Meadow Cottage Day Nursery

Inspection of Swan Meadow Cottage Day Nursery Delph Cottages, Slackcote Lane, Delph, Oldham OL3 5TW

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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 excel in learning and play with wonder and awe in this impeccable nursery setting. Staff use their passion to provide children with a breadth of experiences. Children's lives are enriched from the start. Babies gaze and reach up for bubbles during their daily 'wondrous session'. They babble and giggle, showing their true happiness and contentment in the Swan Meadow family. Children spend large amounts of time in the natural environment, where they climb, explore and investigate. Pre-school children work with the Wildlife Trust to help them learn how to care for the animals. Children's health and physical well-being are promoted consistently. They take part in yoga and breathing sessions to help regulate their body movement and promote a sense of calm. Additionally, pre-school children take part in dance shows in the outdoor amphitheatre. This helps to significantly increase their confidence. Children beam with pride as they perform the actions in

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The provision is outstanding

All children are highly valued by staff, who know them exceptionally well. As a result, activities and resources planned for children to engage with are purposeful. Each child shows a positive learning attitude, and they are excited to explore the nursery as soon as they arrive. Children's behaviour and manners are exceptional. Staff help children to understand instructions and make independent choices. Daily routines are seamless. As a result, children remain consistently happy and confident in their surroundings. Children show high levels of respect for each other and understand other people's differences and needs. For example, they know that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may need a little longer to join in with a circle time session. As a result, children are patient and wait for their friends to join the session.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have immense pride and ambition for the nursery and all children who step through their doors. They implement a well-sequenced curriculum, which progressively helps children to learn and thrive from the start. Leaders, staff and parents are fully involved in this process. All children make exceptional progress. Through close tracking of children, any gaps in development are swiftly addressed. n Children's learning experiences do not stop in the nursery. Leaders have established a range of links with the local community to help broaden children's knowledge even further. For example, children make their own musical instruments to march in the local 'Whit Walks' parade. Additionally, on inspection, a brass band visited the nursery. Babies enjoyed the new sounds the instruments made and bopped along to the tune. Older children joined in with songs and later discussed different parts of the instruments, such as 'valves'.

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need to do better?

1 June 2023 This helps children to learn new words in the correct context. n Parents comment on the outstanding provision and the 'first-rate support' they receive from staff and leaders. Families are invited into the nursery to take part in social events and stay-and-play sessions, such as 'chill and grill' for Father's Day. This helps parents feel valued. It also gives them an insight into their children's day at nursery. Additionally, staff share information with parents to help continue their children's learning and new interests at home. n Children are supported to move through the nursery with the help of the nursery's 'ambitions for transitions' strategy. This focuses on building children's independence and emotional security, as well as the key skills required for their next stage in learning. Consequently, children are extremely happy, assured and know how to negotiate a range of social and educational situations.

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need to do better?

n Communication and language are securely embedded throughout the nursery. Babies are exposed to a wide range of songs, sounds and words modelled by the highly skilled staff team. During outdoor play, children create their own bug hunt. They use descriptive words remembered from past stories, such as 'sharp claws'. Pre-school children chatter and hold meaningful conversations. Staff narrate, question and tailor their teaching exceptionally well. They ambitiously extend each child's learning. This helps to enhance children's imagination and vocabulary. n Opportunities for children with SEND are seamlessly tailored to accommodate their pace and ability. This helps to ensure that children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of the nursery. Leaders and staff work with external professionals and families to closely monitor children's progress and implement effective support techniques. Consequently, children with SEND are extremely

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need to do better?

happy and acquire lots of new skills. n Due to the exceptional leadership and management at this nursery, local training providers and apprentices come to visit. Leaders and staff model outstanding practice to help broaden the skills and knowledge of students and tutors. This partnership working supports the local childcare workforce and helps to promote better education for even more children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established robust recruitment and induction procedures to help staff know and understand the importance of keeping children safe. All staff know how to recognise risks to children and the procedures for reporting any concerns. The security of the nursery is rigorously monitored. Access can only be gained through fingerprint recognition on the external gates and doors. Staff know how to respond to accidents and have all achieved paediatric first-aid certification. Leaders monitor injuries and 'near-miss' incidents to strengthen their risk assessment procedures even further. This helps staff keep children safe at all times.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY449310 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 10264405 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 152 Number of children on roll 165 Name of registered person Swan Meadow Private Day Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01457877826 Date of previous inspection 14 June 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Swan Meadow Cottage Day Nursery registered in 2012. The nursery employs 31 members of childcare staff. Of these, 22 hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and above. The manager holds a level 6 childcare qualification. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am until 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 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, deputy manager, curriculum lead and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to staff at suitable times during the inspection and observed their interactions with children. n The nominated individual and leaders discussed the leadership and management of the nursery with the inspector and provided required documentation for the suitability of staff. n Parents shared verbal and written views of the nursery with the inspector. n The manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation and evaluated support procedures in place for staff's practice.

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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

1 June 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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