Clive Vale Nursery School

Inspection of Clive Vale Nursery School 29 Clive Avenue, Hastings, East Sussex TN35 5LN

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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 and their families are warmly greeted at this happy and friendly setting. Children are met by familiar staff and are eager to play with their friends and explore the activities on offer. Children settle well. Staff promote children's independence. Children wash their own hands and set up for snack. Staff promote children's thinking skills well. For example, they support children to consider how they can make the train track bigger. This encourages children's problem-solving skills. Staff encourage children to keep themselves safe. For example, children know that they should wear warm clothes when playing outside in the cold. They remind each other to put on their coats. This helps promote children's self-care skills.

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The provision is good

Staff ensure children have access to a wide range of opportunities to develop their learning. For example, older children spend a long time playing in the role-play café, choosing items from the menu and talking about how much they cost. Younger children count out their snacks. This supports children's mathematical knowledge effectively. Staff promote children's positive attitudes to learning. They encourage and praise children. When babies say words for the first time, staff delight in celebrating with them. This encourages their self-esteem. Children behave well. Younger children share their toys with their friends, encouraging them to play. Older children help tidy up. This develops their confidence well.

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need to do better?

n Staff successfully target gaps in children's learning. They develop the learning environments to support key skills. Children enjoy listening to stories with staff, snuggling up on the sofas. Younger children spontaneously sing favourite rhymes. This encourages children's vocabulary and supports a love of reading. n Babies benefit from being cared for by staff who are attentive and interested in them. They are cuddled and comforted by staff who know them well. Staff display family photos to help babies settle. Babies enjoy exploring their lunches with staff who are kind and caring in their approach. This helps babies to feel secure and content. n Staff support children to communicate using signs and picture cards. However, some staff have a slightly less secure understanding of the precise needs of individual children than others. This particularly relates to children who speak English as an additional language. Some staff do not know all of the languages

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need to do better?

that children speak and hear at home. This does not support them to use this information when building on children's interests and extending their play. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. n Staff plan interesting and motivating activities that are tailored to meet children's needs. They are well trained to help children make good progress. Overall,

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need to do better?

30 November 2023 planning is effective. However, some aspects of the daily routine are not fully effective. This is particularly the case around mealtimes, when staff are completing domestic tasks and children are not as engaged as they could be. This impacts on their behaviour at these times. n Leaders and managers ensure effective partnerships with external agencies. They proactively seek advice from the local authority to support staff's knowledge and skills. They use funding effectively to develop the outside environment, investing in new play equipment to support children's physical skills. n Communication with parents is good. Staff provide information to help parents support their children's learning at home. For example, staff support parents with their children's behaviour and toilet training. Parents appreciate staff's focus on their children's well-being. Partnerships with parents are effective. Children

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need to do better?

have made progress in their confidence, language and counting skills. Parents talk highly of the staff. n Staff are well supported in their roles. They take on additional training to support families. For example, staff take on additional courses, such as in adult mental health, to enhance their knowledge and understanding. Staff appreciate the regular supervision and staff meeting opportunities they have. They appreciate leaders' and managers' focus on their well-being. They enjoy their jobs. n Staff promote children's wider experiences. Children benefit from wildlife visits, where they learn about caring for animals and recycling. This supports children's understanding and knowledge of the wider world. Staff have plans for the future to continue to support children's understanding. For example, they have plans to further develop links with the local library to support children's literacy skills.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers ensure there are robust systems in place for the recruitment, vetting and ongoing suitability of staff. They take their roles and responsibilities seriously. Staff undertake daily risk assessments and ensure checks are completed on sleeping babies. Staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child or colleague and where to access advice and support. Regular fire evacuations are undertaken, and staff know how to evacuate the premises safely. Leaders and managers ensure there are effective supervision arrangements for staff in place. They ensure there are appropriate procedures in place for administering medicines and for children who have allergies.

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should:

30 November 2023 n enhance the arrangements to share precise details of the languages that children speak and hear at home with staff to enrich their interactions n review and improve daily routines to minimise disruption to children's learning, particularly during lunch times.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY314066 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 10318165 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 60 Number of children on roll 127 Name of registered person Hamilton, Sian Nadine

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reference number

Telephone number 01424 714 661 Date of previous inspection 6 April 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Clive Vale Nursery School registered in 2005. It operates from a house in Hastings, East Sussex. The nursery opens from 8am to 6pm on Monday to Friday, for 50 weeks of the year. The nursery provides funded early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery employs 19 members of staff. Of these, two have childcare qualifications at level 5, 11 have qualifications at level 3 and three are qualified to level 2.

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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 their early years curriculum. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the registered individual about the leadership and management of the setting. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

30 November 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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