Summertime Nursery & Preschool

Inspection of Summertime Nursery & Preschool Thomas Hardye School, Queen's Avenue, Dorchester DT1 2ET

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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

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming, friendly nursery and play happily with their friends. Staff are caring and help children to feel safe and gain a good sense of emotional well-being. Children go happily to staff for a spontaneous hug. Leaders and staff provide a broad curriculum to motivate children's interest in learning and to help them make good progress from their starting points. Children enjoy playing outdoors and benefit from regular exercise. They pedal their ride-on toys around a marked circuit and learn to control their direction. They like digging in the mud to find 'buried treasure'. Children have fun pretending to be 'sleeping bunnies' and then excitedly 'wake up' and smile as they hop and jump around.

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The provision is good

Babies show great delight as they enthusiastically splash their hands and faces in a water play activity. Toddlers start to recognise their name cards and like using these to self-register their attendance. Pre-school children concentrate very well when cutting and sticking. They tell staff they are making a sunshine picture to try and make the rain go away. Children begin to recognise numbers of personal significance, such as their age, and tell a visitor, 'I'm not two, I am four'. Children learn to be kind to each other from a young age. They willingly help staff to put their toys away. Children benefit from the frequent praise staff give them for their achievements, and they develop good self-esteem.

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need to do better?

n Leaders support staff well in their professional development. For example, staff have completed training that has helped them with assessing children's progress more effectively. They have also learned some simple sign language to support all children's communication and promote inclusion. n Children behave very well. Staff are good role models, encouraging children to learn how to share from a young age. Children listen well to instructions and learn appropriate boundaries. Staff get to know children well and understand how to help them manage their own feelings. n Leaders and staff continue to develop the provision they offer. For example, they have decorated the playrooms to create a calmer environment. In addition, they have obtained low, sturdy wooden furniture for the babies, to support their independence and social skills more effectively. n Parents speak very highly of staff. They comment that staff are fantastic, very

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need to do better?

approachable and keep them well informed about their children's progress. Staff offer parents ideas for activities to support their children's learning at home. However, staff have not liaised with other providers that children attend in order to, for example, share children's developmental next steps and provide a more consistent approach for their care and learning. n Staff monitor children's learning from their observations and plan activities to

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need to do better?

2 August 2023 support children's interests and enjoyment through their play. For example, pre- school children experiment with the colour frames and shapes in their science area. They confidently ask a visitor about her favourite colour and find the related blue shape. Toddlers become absorbed when exploring different textures, such as mixed sand and oats. Babies help to choose songs and clap their hands excitedly as staff sing a favourite counting song about a fish. n Staff support children's early independence and social skills effectively. For example, staff encourage babies to drink from lidded beakers. Toddlers learn to pour their own drinks and smile as they sing their 'hello' song to their friends. Pre-school children help to cut up fruit for their snack. Children enjoy healthy snacks and talk with staff about foods that are good for them. n Staff promote children's interest in books. For example, they encourage children

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need to do better?

to use their imaginations when reading a story about space. Children put their hands together above their heads and pretend to be rockets. They eagerly join in when counting down from 10 to 'blast off'. Staff introduce more complex vocabulary to challenge children's language skills. However, at times, they do not always reinforce this, or explain the meaning of words and phrases, to develop and extend children's understanding and vocabulary consistently well. n Children enjoy learning about the world. For example, they enjoy going on outings with staff to a local library, or on a train to the beach, where they build sandcastles and paddle in the sea. They like visiting the residents of a local care home and share a story or singing session there. n Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. They adapt activities and the play areas to enable all children to make

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff continue to develop their understanding of safeguarding and are clear about their responsibilities to protect children's welfare. Leaders understand their roles and follow appropriate procedures in the event of any concerns arising. Leaders follow clear recruitment procedures to help assess staff suitability, which includes ongoing supervision meetings and support to help staff in their specific roles. Staff complete daily risk assessments and ensure the premises are kept secure.

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should:

n strengthen systems for sharing information with other providers children attend to provide a more consistent approach for their care and learning needs n support staff further to make more use of opportunities to extend children's knowledge and understanding of vocabulary.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY493659 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 10299632 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 35 Number of children on roll 65 Name of registered person Summertime Nursery & Preschool

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reference number

Telephone number 01305 257756 Date of previous inspection 31 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Summertime Nursery & Preschool registered in 2015. This committee-run nursery operates from premises within the grounds of Thomas Hardye School, in Dorchester, Dorset. The nursery is open Monday to Thursday, from 7.30am until 6pm, and Friday, from 7.30am until 5pm, all year round. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 18 members of staff employed, including an administrative officer and a cleaner. The manager holds early years teacher status, and 14 staff hold childcare qualifications up to level 4.

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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 and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector observed children's interactions in play, indoors and outdoors, and had discussions with staff about the activities provided. n The inspector viewed a sample of documentation, such as proof of staff suitability. n The inspector completed two joint observations with the deputy manager and a room leader and discussed the quality of education provided. n The inspector took into account the spoken and written 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

2 August 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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