Chestnut @ Cottenham

Inspection of Chestnut @ Cottenham Cottenham Nursery, Lambs Lane, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24 8TA

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is outstanding

Children flourish in this extremely welcoming nursery. The dedicated and committed management team have created a highly stimulating environment. They have thoughtfully planned the playrooms to encourage cooperative play and enhance children's language and social skills. Staff display resources very attractively, so children can easily access them and make choices about their play. This, along with staff's high-quality interaction, successfully supports children to become highly confident and independent learners. Children happily skip into the nursery, excited to start their day. The friendly and caring staff greet the children and their families warmly. Throughout the nursery there is a calm atmosphere as children become engrossed in their play, exploring the wealth of enticing activities planned for them. Staff make brilliant use of activity trays and babies eagerly explore a superb range of resources.

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The provision is outstanding

Children benefit from an extremely exciting and ambitious curriculum, based on stories. It offers a wealth of learning activities and experiences that capture children's interests and builds on their knowledge and skills. Older children learn about healthy foods as they enjoy the book about 'Oliver's Vegetables'. They eagerly explore real vegetables in the role-play areas. Toddlers thoroughly enjoy listening to the story about 'The Boy Who Switched Off the Sun'. They become fascinated with rockets and 'going into space'. Staff extend children's vocabulary, as they explain words, such as 'solar-powered', 'dazzling' and 'spiralling'. They expertly prepare older children for school. For example, they take children to meet their teachers and visit their classrooms before they start.

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need to do better?

n Staff give children's emotional well-being their highest priority. They have created a culture in which children can freely discuss their feelings. Staff provide children with key vocabulary and relevant resources that will help them to identify and label their emotions. They use stories, role-play situations and discussions to support children to reflect on their experiences. n The manager successfully monitors and reviews the quality of the nursery provision and the progress children make. Any gaps in their learning are swiftly addressed. Staff provide highly effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They attend specific training, and work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children receive tailored, individual programmes of support. The manager makes excellent use of additional funding to enhance individual children's nursery experiences.

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need to do better?

n There is a strong ethos in the nursery that encourages children to care for each other and their environment. Staff are excellent role models and have extremely high expectations of all children. Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff provide

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need to do better?

20 July 2023 clear and consistent boundaries to help children understand what is expected of them. For example, they warn children that they have 'five minutes left to play before tidy-up time'. n Children develop their excellent mathematical skills through hands-on activities. They weigh fruit and vegetables, discovering if they are 'heavy' or 'light'. Staff continually introduce simple mathematical concepts in children's play. For example, children make play-dough pizzas, cutting them into halves and quarters and counting the pieces. n Children learn about the wider world through a superb range of play resources and visitors to the nursery. Exotic creatures, such as snakes, tarantulas and geckos, are brought into the nursery to meet the children. Children enjoy learning interesting facts about them. n Children quickly become independent. Babies and toddlers find their own drinks and feed themselves very well. Older children confidently use their knives and

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need to do better?

forks and put them together on their plates to show they have finished eating. They scrape their plates and wash them up. Staff support older children to use knives safely as they make fruit kebabs. Children show high levels of perseverance as they cut up their fruit and thread the slices onto skewers. n Parents are extremely complimentary about the nursery and the exceptional progress their children are making. Staff encourage them to be actively involved in their children's learning. Parents are keen to attend events, such as open days, stay and play sessions and special occasions, including 'Father's day breakfasts'. Parents appreciate the excellent support they receive when seeking interventions for children with SEND. The strong partnerships with parents mean that children's learning is supported in the nursery and at home. n The management team has high expectations of the staff and provides them

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need to do better?

with excellent support and training opportunities. The manager has exceptional leadership skills and is extremely proud of the enthusiastic and hard-working staff team. Her regular supervision and monitoring of staff practice has resulted in consistently outstanding practice across the nursery. All staff say that they thoroughly enjoy working at the nursery. They comment that feel highly valued and extremely well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is an important part of everyday life in the nursery. The management team and staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the signs that may suggest a child is at risk of harm. All staff receive appropriate safeguarding training and know to refer any concerns to the designated safeguarding leads in the nursery. The provider and manager use robust recruitment procedures to ensure the suitability of all staff. They complete thorough risk assessments that cover all areas used by the children, to identify potential hazards. Fire drills are practised monthly, on different days and at various times, to ensure that all children and staff experience the evacuation procedures.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2645545 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 10295778 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises Registers Early Years Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 51 Number of children on roll 57 Name of registered person Chestnut Nursery Schools Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 07515170491 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Chestnut @ Cottenham registered in 2021. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 and above, including two staff who hold a level 6 qualification. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, all year round. It 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 has received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provision. n The manager showed the inspector around the areas that children access. They discussed how staff organise the nursery and plan the curriculum and experiences for children. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the nursery manager. n The inspector held discussions with staff, children and parents at appropriate times during the inspection. n The inspector looked at a sample of the nursery's documents. This included evidence about 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

20 July 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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