Ministars Day Nursery

Inspection of Ministars Day Nursery 125 Leigham Court Road, London SW16 2NX

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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 Outstanding

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The provision is good

Children form warm, strong bonds with this stable, very caring staff team. Staff are very attentive to each child's needs and value each child highly. For instance, they find out about children's individual interests and reflect this in activities which children greatly enjoy. Staff take great care to settle babies in securely. For example, they find out about babies' home care routines, which are maintained to ensure familiarity and to help babies to feel secure.

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The provision is good

The curriculum is challenging and interesting. Children make good progress and gain valuable skills in preparation for school. Children learn about difference. For example, staff teach children about famous people of colour and read stories that have multicultural characters. Children learn to do things for themselves. For instance, they help to set tables, serve themselves at mealtimes, and pour their own drinks. Children develop a strong understanding of the world. They plant and grow an abundance of fruit, herbs and vegetables in the garden, such as lavender, pumpkins, pears and figs. Staff teach children how to care for the nursery pets, which include a water turtle and rabbits. Staff have high expectations of children and use praise and reward to encourage children to behave well. They use a calm, fair and consistent approach. Children learn to share and take turns.

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need to do better?

n Staff provide good support to children's physical development. For example, children balance along planks and climb on frames with skill. Babies enjoy crawling through tunnels and rolling balls along the ground. Children have good opportunity to practise a wide range of physical skills. n Staff teach children good communication, language and literacy skills, for example they use sign language throughout the day. This supports all children, particularly for those who speak English as an additional language or with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff read stories to children who participate using props. They ask children to describe interesting items they select from a box and children learn new words. n Staff support children's creative development effectively. For instance, children make their own play dough to create their own models. Children use toy animals and paint to make footprints on paper. Babies greatly enjoy using a variety of

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need to do better?

musical instruments to explore different sounds. n Staff have very strong links with parents. Parents describe the staff as 'wonderfully enthusiastic, knowledgeable, patient and caring'. They keep them very well informed of children's progress and activities in highly effective, flexible ways, for example, by secure electronic communication and daily verbal feedback. Parents borrow a range of toys and books from the nursery resource library to share with their children at home to support their learning well.

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need to do better?

2 August 2023 n The manager places high value on each member of the long-serving, stable staff team. She meets with them individually to discuss work and offer support where needed. The manager ensures that staff have access to a broad variety of courses, such as supporting outdoor learning to promote best outcomes for children. She supports staff well-being effectively, for instance she provides day trips for staff and staff have access to a counsellor if needed. n Staff help children to gain good understanding of different feelings. They ask them how they are feeling during group time discussion and use visual props to name and describe different feelings. n The manager reviews the nursery's performance regularly and identifies key areas for improvement. For example, she plans to integrate the use of technology more fully to support children's learning. n Children develop good mathematical skills. Staff make the most of everyday

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need to do better?

opportunities to teach children about number, for example, by counting plates and cups at mealtimes. Staff sing number songs and rhymes with children and teach them about different shapes as they build with bricks. n Overall, staff ensure that children have healthy routines. The cook provides fresh, nutritious appetising meals and snacks for children, which meet special dietary needs. Staff ensure that children have daily opportunities to develop their physical skills. However, staff do not help children to gain awareness of the value of eating well in a consistent way. n Staff have begun to teach children about oral hygiene. For example, they sometimes talk to children about the need to brush their teeth regularly. However, this area has not been developed to support children's awareness of oral hygiene more fully.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff regard children's safety as highly important. They ensure that routines for outings have robust procedures to keep children safe. The manager carries out comprehensive background checks on staff as part of the recruitment process. All staff check all areas of the nursery, toys and resources to ensure that they are safe for children's use. Staff have good safeguarding knowledge. They can identify whether a child might be at risk of abuse and are aware of procedures to follow to protect children from harm. Staff go on regular safeguarding update training to maintain good knowledge.

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should:

n strengthen children's understanding of the benefits of eating nutritious food more consistently

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should:

2 August 2023 n develop children's awareness of oral hygiene further.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY552343 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 10301124 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 36 Number of children on roll 58 Name of registered person Mini Stars Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0208 6788600 Date of previous inspection 11 January 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Ministars Day Nursery opened in 2004. It is located in Streatham Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year and is closed on public bank holidays. There are 11 staff, including the manager, nine of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. This includes one staff member who holds a Master's degree in early years and two staff members who hold early years professional status. The nursery receives funding for free early years education for children aged two, three and four years.

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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 setting. n The manager carried out a joint observation of a group activity, with the inspector. n During the inspection, the inspector went on a learning walk around the nursery with the manager to discuss the aims of the curriculum. n The inspector observed the interaction between staff and children and spoke with children, when appropriate. n During the inspection, the inspector held a meeting with the manager and sampled some documentation. n The inspector considered the views of staff and parents during the inspection.

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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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