Pennington Nursery

Inspection of Pennington Nursery Pennington Memorial Hall, Pennington, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 0RT

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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

The nursery prioritises building positive relationships. The babies cuddle with the adults and watch wide-eyed as the adults talk to them. The older children chat to the staff about their experiences, share snacks and play cooperatively. Children at this nursery are happy and settled. They enjoy playing with their friends. Children take their lead from the staff and demonstrate good manners, high levels of concentration and positive attitudes to learning.

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The provision is good

Leaders have thoughtfully planned and arranged the new building to ensure that children have a clean, safe and stimulating environment in which they can thrive. Staff consider the children's interests and abilities when providing activities so that children are always engaged. Children move freely between the indoor and outdoor areas, accessing meaningful learning through play. Throughout the nursery, children are accessing a broad range of opportunities to develop their skills, confidence and independence ready to move on to school.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and staff have a good understanding of the way children learn. The environment is set up with activities to suit the children's interests and that builds on their existing skills and knowledge. Staff know the children well and identify any gaps in learning quickly and effectively. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. n Children play independently and focus for extended periods in self-focused play. For example, children extend their own learning as they search for bugs in the outdoor area, toddlers play together in a playhouse and older children solve problems at the water tray. Children throughout the setting are becoming self- motivated, confident learners. n Leaders prioritise communication and language. Staff speak with the babies, modelling new words and celebrating early speech. Children hear stories, share songs and talk about all they do. The pre-school room is alive with chatter and

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need to do better?

children can be heard telling stories of their experiences, sharing ideas with the whole group. Children make good progress with their speech and learn to speak in full sentences from an early age. n Mathematical skills are promoted well. Children build on their mathematical knowledge and understanding as they move through the nursery. Staff use language for size as babies play with different sizes of dinosaurs. Children count bugs and recognise numbers in various contexts. Children talk about full and empty containers and use positional language in their 'bear hunt' game. Children at the nursery have the mathematical language and skills they need for the next stage of their education. n The professional staff team work together to build close relationships with the

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need to do better?

19 June 2023 children and provide warmth, courtesy and challenge. The children respond with good behaviour, kindness to their friends and a willingness to have a go. On the occasions where a child struggles, strategies are put in place to help them learn the skills and self-regulation needed. Staff undertake additional training so they can better understand and support children's emotions. As a result, all children are making good progress and are able to access the curriculum. n Leaders consider staff well-being when devising their policies. They have a comprehensive induction process which enables staff to understand the expectations. Staff feel supported and work well as a team, helping each other develop as practitioners and improve their skills over time. Staff are well qualified and happy in their work. n The nursery has an effective key-person system. Leaders prioritise the attachments the children have with adults and have a personalised approach.

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need to do better?

This helps all children to settle quickly, including when they make the transition from one room to another. As a result, the children are secure in their attachments and have continuity of adult support throughout their time in nursery. n Leaders and staff have a close working relationship with the local primary school, offering before- and after-school care. They arrange visits to ensure a smooth transition to school. As a result, the children talk with excitement about their forthcoming adventure. n Staff demonstrate expertise in extending children's learning through play. However, staff do not always consider the needs of all children precisely enough when planning adult-led activities. Furthermore, staff are not always clear about what they want children to learn from these activities. This means that, on occasions, children lose interest and do not build on their knowledge and skills at those times.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have effective policies and practices to keep children safe. Staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities, and they work with parents and external agencies to promote children's welfare. The new building is clean and well maintained to promote the good hygiene, safety and well-being of staff and children. Leaders have systems to check that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff are aware of the signs that indicate a child could be at risk of abuse and know the procedures of how to respond to any concerns about a child's welfare.

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should:

n support staff to strengthen the planning and implementation of adult-led

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should:

19 June 2023 activities, so they are more precisely linked to what children need to learn next.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 317571 Local authority Westmorland and Furness Inspection number 10288872 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 111 Number of children on roll 91 Name of registered person Pennington Nursery Committee

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reference number

Telephone number 01229 582 212 Date of previous inspection 3 November 2017

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Information about this early years setting

Pennington Nursery is based in Pennington Memorial Hall Grounds, Ulverston. It registered in 2001 and moved into new buildings on the same site in 2021. The nursery employs 19 members of childcare staff. Of these, 16 hold appropriate early years qualifications at levels 2, 3 and 5, including the manager who holds a relevant qualification at level 6. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday for 51 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm, during term time and 8am to 5pm during school holidays. The nursery provides funded early education places 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 This is the first inspection since the provider moved into new buildings on the same site. The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the new premises. n The deputy manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to children, to find out about their time at the setting. n The inspector spoke to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke to the manager, who is also the nominated individual, and the deputy manager about the leadership and management of the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education provided, indoors and outdoors,

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Inspection activities

and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the deputy manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager showed the inspector documentation to demonstrate the suitability of staff. n The inspector observed interactions between the staff and children throughout the setting.

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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

19 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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