Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Hertford

Inspection of Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Hertford Cecil House, 52 St Andrews Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

Staff welcome children warmly and with enthusiasm to help them to settle quickly. There is thorough and sensitive support in place for all children, in particular those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The manager and her staff team work closely with outside services, parents and carers to provide diligent oversight of all children's needs. They adapt activities and resources with great flexibility so that, wherever possible, all children have access to the same experiences as their peers. For example, children who do not like the feel of paint have access to paint trays covered in film. They are able to use tools to swirl and mix the paint, without feeling it on their hands.

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The provision is good

Children across the nursery benefit from the sensitive and close attention from staff. Staff are strong role models who help children to recognise and understand their emotions and regulate their feelings. This helps the children, as they move through the nursery, to manage their own feelings in readiness for school. Children in the pre-school room learn how to resolve disagreements and make compromises as a result of staff's role modelling. Staff who work with babies have a thorough understanding of their learning needs. They enjoy singing and talking with babies to encourage their communication skills. Babies happily bring a chosen book to staff, who read it with them. Staff encourage babies to point out things that they can see and to turn the page themselves, helping even the youngest children to develop a love of reading.

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need to do better?

n Leaders, including the manager and area manager, provide thorough support for their staff team. They take care to give staff manageable workloads. Staff report that their well-being is a priority. They enjoy access to a broad range of training and have regular opportunities to speak with leaders about how they find their work. They understand how to share any concerns they may have about children they care for in order to obtain swift assistance. n Staff understand and implement a curriculum that links to children's individual needs, including children with SEND and children who speak English as an additional language. Staff provide opportunities and experiences that help children to make good progress. Overall, staff engage with children successfully. However, at times, especially during lively group activities in the toddler room, staff find it harder to hold children's attention. This means that some children

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need to do better?

find it harder to participate, to process what they hear and to respond accordingly. n All staff understand that the nursery aims to help children to become independent in readiness for future learning. They encourage even the youngest children to begin to understand their personal needs. For example, staff explain

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need to do better?

18 January 2024 to babies that they are going to change their nappies. Older children develop their toileting skills with gentle and consistent support from staff, who also work closely with their parents to give them clear messages. n Parents praise the good-quality care and education their children receive at nursery and the close attention their children receive. Strong relationships with key staff promote continuity between nursery and home to help all children receive positive experiences. n There are effective systems in place for the supervision and support of staff, including senior staff. Recent training in relation to the promotion of children's communication and language skills has had a positive outcome on the ways in which staff speak with, to and around children to help them hear a broad range of spoken and sung language. This helps all children to develop a broad vocabulary. Staff are vigilant about children's safety. They help children to

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need to do better?

understand how to keep themselves safe, including taking care when walking on the stairs and watching out for their friends when they ride on bikes outside. n All children have chances to explore and develop their critical thinking skills with support from staff. Children investigate different habitats for animals and identify different animals. Staff encourage them to test out their ideas by looking at a reference book, where they find out that an animal they thought was an otter is a seal. When the children show a particular interest in swordfish, they then search for information to help them understand where this creature may live. However, at times, such as the lead up to mealtimes or going home, some activities are not as well thought out, and children can become restless. n Staff use a focus on the community in which children live to help them learn about experiences beyond nursery and to develop their sense of self. They take

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need to do better?

part in local outings and community initiatives to help children learn about the lives of others, and to increase their awareness of the place they live in and how they fit in it. Visits from local professionals, such as a dentist, help the children to learn how to manage their own health.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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should:

n help staff to refine planned group activities in the toddler room, to support children who may be less confident to join in to have time to listen to language, process information and respond n reconsider how staff plan to support children at times when routine activities are

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should:

18 January 2024 taking place, such as preparation for mealtimes, to help all children be engaged at these times.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2634351 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 10301043 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 84 Number of children on roll 56 Name of registered person Ashbourne Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01992676760 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Hertford registered in 2021. It is one of several nurseries operated by Ashbourne Day Nurseries Ltd. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 11 members of staff, of whom nine have appropriate qualifications at level 2 and above. The nursery 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 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 inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke to children, to find out about their time at the setting. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. 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

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Inspection activities

their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

18 January 2024 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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