The Folly Nursery

Inspection of The Folly Nursery Church Road, Ilton, Ilminster TA19 9EY

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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The provision is outstanding

Children are extremely confident and happy. The manager and staff plan a highly ambitious curriculum, planning step by step to prepare children extremely well for school. For example, babies enthusiastically join in with whole-group singing activities, and toddlers build their large-muscle skills and follow instructions as they dance with scarves. They remain impressively engaged and focused, excited to take part while developing essential skills, which underpins their future learning highly successfully. Staff skilfully build children's vocabulary as they play. For instance, children learn what a mechanic, optician and architect do. Older children plan and work together harmoniously to build their own playhouse for the garden. They work out what equipment they need and how to keep safe using a range of tools, such as a spirit level, electric drill and screwdriver.

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The provision is outstanding

The highly enthusiastic staff embed children's development and help them to make links across their learning. For example, babies enjoy exploring musical instruments and staff use words such as 'bang', 'shake' and 'pop'. When looking at a book later, staff expertly encourage them to find the instruments they can see in the book and use the associated words. Older toddlers then independently share books and, on seeing a character with an umbrella, spontaneously sing a song about rain.

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need to do better?

n The manager provides excellent support and supervision for staff. She and the directors focus strongly on the well-being of their staff, ensuring a positive impact on children. Following their last inspection, the leadership team has implemented highly effective ways to ensure that staff provide consistently high- quality teaching. n The management team ensures that staff continually update and extend their knowledge and skills through well-targeted training. For example, in the baby room, staff have skilfully implemented sign language to aid children's speech and understanding. Staff are having training to further enhance the experiences they can offer children in their forest school, as they recognise the major benefit this has on children's well-being and development. n The manager recognises her staff's strengths and gives them appropriate responsibilities, enabling them to use their skills to support each other extremely

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need to do better?

successfully. For example, the highly experienced designated safeguarding lead regularly challenges staff with scenarios to ensure that children's safety is paramount. n Staff use their extensive observations to know exactly what their key children need to be learning next. The manager closely monitors any gaps and works with the special educational needs coordinator and parents to quickly ensure that they close. Leaders target funding extremely well and, despite challenges,

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need to do better?

15 February 2024 they are persistent in ensuring that children receive any additional outside support to make the best progress they can. n Children become highly independent learners. Staff know their key children exceptionally well and understand how to motivate them and extend their knowledge and skills. For example, older children concentrate extremely well on cutting, measuring and extending their creativity as they make wrist and ankle bands. They make predictions and persevere when something does not work, solving problems by finding an alternative way. n Staff provide a highly inclusive environment. They are excellent role models and support children extremely well in valuing other people's differences. Staff expertly enable children to lead their learning. For example, when toddlers showed an interest in wanting to join in an outdoor pre-school activity, staff facilitated this, assessing risks first. Toddlers then took turns, listened to

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need to do better?

instructions and engaged with others, extending their development very effectively. n Children of all ages behave extremely well and have excellent relationships. Young children are very happy to have their nappy changed and feel secure to fall asleep because staff meet their individual needs very successfully. Older children show empathy to living things. For instance, they put a leaf over a slug to stop it drying out in the sun and move a pot of daffodils into the sunshine to help them grow. n Parents cannot praise the staff highly enough. They confirm the excellent and comprehensive exchange of information and state that they are never rushed at drop off and collection. Parents comment on the excellent progress their children are making, particularly in their social and language skills, as well as their understanding of the world.

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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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Setting details

Unique reference number EY499936 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 10311668 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 39 Number of children on roll 60 Name of registered person The Folly Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 0146055488 Date of previous inspection 4 April 2018

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Information about this early years setting

The Folly Nursery registered in 2016 and is based in Ilton, near Ilminster, Somerset. It is one of two privately owned nurseries. The nursery operates from 7.45am to 6pm Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. There are 16 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one holds a qualification at degree level and one staff member holds a level 5 qualification. There are 11 staff who hold an appropriate early years qualification at level 3 and one holds a level 1 qualification. The nursery receives funding to provide free early 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 provider. n The manager and one of the directors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation during a group activity and discussed the quality of teaching and the impact this was having on children's development. n The inspector spoke to staff at convenient times during the inspection and observed the quality of education being provided indoors and outdoors. n The inspector spoke with parents and children and took account of their views. n The manager, one of the directors and the inspector discussed the leadership of the setting and the inspector sampled documentation.

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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

15 February 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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