Worcester Early Years Centre

Inspection of Worcester Early Years Centre Manor Farm, Malvern Road, Lower Wick, Worcestershire WR2 4BS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision is good

Good settling-in procedures help children to be ready for the move from home to the setting. Children arrive happy and eager to begin their play. They form good relationships with the caring team of staff, who know them well. Babies are settled and content, and staff are tuned in to their individual needs. For example, they recognise when babies are beginning to get tired or hungry. Babies receive lots of reassurance and cuddles from the nurturing staff. This helps to support their emotional well-being.

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The provision is good

Children are eager to play and motivated to learn because staff provide them with a well-organised and interesting learning environment. Staff help young children to develop strength in their hands in readiness for early writing. They encourage them to pick up small objects with large tweezers. Children develop a love of books and stories. Staff use expressive voices as they read to them during the day. Staff have extremely high expectations for children's behaviour. Children know exactly what is expected of them because staff gently remind them of the rules of the setting from an early age. Children display good manners and are caring and kind to their friends. They listen attentively to staff and follow their instructions. For example, children are eager to please and quickly respond to staff's request to get ready for small-group activities.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan a range of interesting activities around all areas of learning, with some learning experiences inspired by children's interests. This helps children to make good progress in their learning and development. However, managers and staff do not always have a clear enough understanding of what they want children to learn from planned activities and why this is important to their educational journey. n Staff make regular assessments of children's achievements. They use this information to plan activities for their future learning. Although staff identify what children need to learn next, the planned next steps are sometimes too broad. They do not focus specifically on individual children's development to support them to make the best possible progress. n The experienced members of the management team are dedicated to their roles. They have strong relationships with staff, who comment on the high levels of

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need to do better?

support they receive for their well-being. Managers meet regularly with staff to discuss best practice and identify training needs. Staff are keen to continue with their professional development and access training to improve their knowledge and skills. n Partnerships with parents are very good. Staff share information with them in a range of ways. For example, they add photos and reports to children's online

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need to do better?

29 November 2023 learning records and speak to parents at drop-off and collection times about children's care needs and achievements. Parents are highly complimentary about the service the centre provides. They comment on the 'wonderful' facilities and the well-retained staff team. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make very good progress. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinators are passionate about their roles. They swiftly identify and act on any emerging concerns, and they work extremely well with external agencies and parents. They ensure that targeted support plans are in place to help children with SEND to make the best possible progress. n Children enjoy lots of opportunities to play outside in the fresh air. They develop good physical skills as they ride on wheeled toys and climb on apparatus. Staff provide children with experiences to learn where food comes from. For example,

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need to do better?

they grow, harvest and cook their own produce. Staff take children to visit the cows on the farm and learn where milk comes from. n Staff provide children with a good range of experiences to support their mathematical knowledge and skills. The youngest children learn about space and measure as they fill and empty different-sized containers with resources. Older children display high levels of concentration as they identify numbers, shapes and colours during small-group activities. Some pre-school children demonstrate an understanding of how to add and subtract numbers between one to five. n Hygiene and care practices are good. Pre-school children independently manage their own self-care. Staff remind children to wash their hands at regular intervals throughout the day. Staff sensitively attend to babies' personal care. Young children sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings. Staff regularly check on

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need to do better?

them to ensure that they are safe and well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They carry out daily checks on all areas of the centre to ensure that children play in a safe and secure environment. Staff attend training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. They demonstrate a secure knowledge of the signs that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Staff know what to do and who to report to if they have any concerns. Robust vetting and recruitment procedures help to ensure that staff are suitable for their roles. The management team has a good understanding of the roles of other safeguarding professionals, such as the local authority designated officer.

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should:

29 November 2023 n build on staffs knowledge of what they want children to learn from planned play activities, to help them make the best possible progress in their educational journey n review children's planned next steps in learning to make sure that they are precise and focused on children's individual learning needs.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY491783 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10308488 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 120 Number of children on roll 174 Name of registered person Worcester Early Years Centre Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01905 749291 Date of previous inspection 7 March 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Worcester Early Years Centre registered in 2015. The centre employs 46 members of childcare staff. Of these, 41 hold appropriate early years qualifications from level 2 to level 7, including three who hold qualified teacher status. The centre is open from Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Sessions are from 7am to 6pm. The centre provides funded early years education for two-, three- and four-year-old children, Wednesday to Friday, term time only.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the centre 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 centre. n The deputy manager, manager and inspector had a learning walk together of all areas of the centre and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The inspector talked to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The special educational needs coordinators spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a mathematics activity with the

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Inspection activities

deputy manager. n The inspector spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The manager provided the inspector with a sample of key documentation on request. n The inspector spoke with the management team and the nominated individual about the leadership and management of the centre.

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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

29 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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