Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery

Inspection of Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, COLCHESTER CO4 3SQ

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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 are happy and settled in this inclusive nursery. The key-person system and settling-in procedures ensure that children settle quickly. Babies benefit from nurturing relationships with staff. They enjoy cuddles with them and give eye contact when having their bottles as staff gently sing to them. Other babies beam as they play a game of 'peek-a-boo' with familiar adults. Staff ensure that each child feels welcome. For instance, during group time, children are welcomed by the 'hello song' with the use of each child's name in the song.

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The provision is good

Leaders have created areas in each room to help children manage their own feelings. When children have disagreements, staff sensitively encourage them to share their feelings and help children identify how to resolve these issues themselves. As a result, children generally play harmoniously together.

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The provision is good

Leaders design a curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator is passionate about her role and has a good understanding of her responsibilities. She works closely with families and other professionals to ensure that individual learning plans provide the right support. This means that all children make good progress from their starting points.

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need to do better?

n Since the last inspection, the provider has notified Ofsted of some significant events where there were breaches of the statutory requirements. The notification means that the provider met their legal responsibility as set out in the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage' to notify Ofsted of significant events. The provider has reviewed these incidents and taken action to address the breaches of requirements. n Staff plan opportunities to help children become independent. For example, babies are supported to use cutlery to eat their lunch. Older children successfully self-serve their food at mealtimes and scrape their plates when they are finished. Staff encourage children to manage their self-care needs, such as wiping their own noses and washing their hands independently. This helps support children to develop the skills they need in the future, including readiness for the next

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need to do better?

stage of learning. n Overall, staff support children to understand the routines of the day. They use visual timetables so that children understand what comes next. However, staff do not always consider the organisation of mealtimes and some activities to meet the needs of all children. For example, some children are expected to wait for extended amounts of time for parts of their meals to arrive. As a result, these

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need to do better?

19 March 2024 children become disengaged and restless. n Children benefit from interactive storytelling throughout the day. Staff read with intonation to keep children interested and engaged. They use this time to help children recognise their feelings and emotions. For instance, staff talk to the children about feeling scared as they discuss the monster in a story. These meaningful discussions help children to develop a love of books and develop their talking and listening skills. Staff role model and extend children's language effectively. For example, when toddlers use single words, staff repeat these back, adding extra words to the sentence. This helps younger children to learn new words. Staff and children use Makaton sign language to support the development of spoken language for those children who need additional support. n The leadership team is passionate about providing a high-quality service. All

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need to do better?

staff report they feel supported and enjoy their work. They receive regular supervision meetings and complete training to enhance their knowledge. However, some staff require further support to raise the quality of their interactions with children to consistently high levels, so that all children can make the most of the learning opportunities on offer. n Parents are extremely pleased with the progress their children make at the nursery. They appreciate the excellent communication they receive about their children's development. They comment that children with SEND are supported well to make the same good progress. Parents appreciate that staff celebrate their cultural festivals which are important to them. This helps children learn about each other's similarities and differences.

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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 strengthen the organisation of routines and activities to ensure that children do not have prolonged periods of inactivity n support all staff who work directly with children to continue to develop their interactions and raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY414291 Local authority Essex Inspection number 10336162 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 147 Number of children on roll 206 Name of registered person University of Essex

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reference number

Telephone number 01206 873224 Date of previous inspection 26 February 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery registered in 2010 under the current registration. The nursery employs 54 members of childcare staff. Of these, 42 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above, including the manager who holds a level 6 early years teaching qualification. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. The setting provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Shelly McDougall Lyndsey Barwick

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The inspectors viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The deputy manager, manager and inspectors completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspectors talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. n The inspectors observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Parents shared their views of the setting with the inspectors.

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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

19 March 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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