Small Wonders Nursery

Inspection of Small Wonders Nursery Connaughton House, Mount Road, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3BH

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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 are happy. Staff are proactive to support children's emotional security and well-being. This is the cornerstone for staff interactions in this setting. Staff are incredibly caring, kind and gentle. To illustrate, babies quickly fall asleep when they receive cuddles and affectionate reassurance. They are comforted by friendly, nurturing and sensitive interactions from staff. Equally, older children are frequently heard laughing and giggling as they play, illustrating their intense enjoyment in the setting. Staff help children to regulate their feelings well. They talk to children calmly and clearly to help to resolve any conflicts. Children learn right from wrong and are encouraged to share and be polite. For instance, children are delighted to explain who has been awarded 'star of the week'. Praise and positive reinforcement works well to develop children's good behaviour.

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The provision is good

Children are eager and excited to get involved in the range of exciting and fun activities offered. Staff try their hardest to make learning fun and exciting. They invest significant time and effort preparing impressive games, which are imaginative and inspiring. For instance, children enjoy exploring sensory dough. They use intricate tools to cut the dough, practising their coordination and concentration. Older children enjoy small responsibilities. For instance, 'handwash helpers' and 'lunchtime helpers' put cups on the table and encourage peers to wash their hands. Taking on small responsibilities helps to build children's self-confidence and independence. Children enjoy books, they choose stories, look at images and talk about the illustrations on the pages. Children turn pages with excitement, enthused about what will happen next in the story. Some children use magnifying glasses to carefully look at the print, tracing the letters with their fingers. Children

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The provision is good

show a love for literacy from an early age. This is a busy and fun nursery, where children are settled, happy and enjoy their learning.

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need to do better?

n The manager, deputy manager and senor leadership team have a clear vision for the setting. Leaders are incredibly hard working, motivated and aspirational. This positive determination, coupled with a clear, honest and detailed action plan, helps to drive improvements. The quality of care and learning provided for children is good and consistently improving. n Children's unique personalities are nurtured in this highly inclusive setting. Children are encouraged to share their views and opinions, be themselves and are supported to grow into confident, self-assured individuals. Furthermore, children are resilient. They frequently hear statements to reinforce their self- esteem, such as 'you are strong' and 'you are beautiful'. In turn, children are self-assured and happy. n The curriculum is designed with clear intent, to nurture 'happy, healthy, self-

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need to do better?

13 March 2024 confident and independent children'. All staff understand the principles and foundation of the curriculum design. This collective ownership among the staff team helps to ensure consistency to benefit children. n Staff complete simple and effective observation and assessment procedures. They make good use of this information to plan activities tailored to children's needs and interests. Staff are skilful teachers, however, at times during group activities, less confident children do not fully benefit from quality adult interactions. n Children are becoming confident communicators. Staff talk to children and use narration during play to extend vocabulary and speech. However, sometimes staff do not use questioning effectively to engage children in two-way discussion and dialogue, to extend their good communication skills even further. n All staff benefit from a varied programme of professional development

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need to do better?

opportunities. Peer observations, regular appraisals and frequent training helps to develop skills and knowledge. Leaders support all staff, including less experienced staff, to become confident professionals. n Staff work well as a team. They are respectful towards each other, share information and delegate tasks between themselves. This good teamwork helps to ensure children's needs are quickly met. n Partnerships with parents are good. Parents receive frequent updates from staff about their children's progress to help promote a joined-up approach to children's learning.

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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 support staff to develop their interactions with children and extend children's good communication skills even further n strengthen teaching to include all children, particularly less confident children in group activities.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY291032 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 10317188 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 80 Number of children on roll 85 Name of registered person Small Wonders PDN Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 0161 248 8690 Date of previous inspection 29 May 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Small Wonders Nursery registered in 1999. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery employs 23 members of childcare staff. Of these, 1 member of staff holds an appropriate early years qualifications at level 6 and 14 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or 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 nursery manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk around the nursery. The manager explained how the curriculum is designed and how children's learning and development is supported in readiness for the next stage in their learning and eventually school. n The inspector completed a joint observation alongside the nursery manager. They discussed the impact of staff interactions on children's learning. n The inspector observed a range of activities provided for babies and young children and evaluated the quality of teaching and learning for children of all ages. n The inspector considered the comments and views provided by parents, staff and children. n The inspector sampled a range of documentation, including risk assessments

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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

13 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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