Ducklings Limited

Inspection of Ducklings Limited Langley House, Elleray Roa, Middleton, Manchester M24 1NY

p.1

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

p.1

The provision is good

Children are eager and happy to attend this welcoming, friendly nursery. The manager ensures that staff provide meaningful experiences that excite and motivate children to learn. For instance, staff use careful questioning to challenge older children to think and solve problems. Children clamour to tell staff their ideas, such as about what tools they need to create a building when playing with blocks. Children have a positive attitude to learning. They behave sensibly because of staff's skilful support and role modelling of positive behaviours. Children remember the nursery's rules about how to behave.

p.2

The provision is good

Staff help children and babies to settle well at the nursery. They focus on creating secure relationships to support children's well-being and happiness. Babies explore the nursery resources with confidence, supported by skilful, gentle staff. Two-year- olds delight in listening to familiar stories that staff read aloud with skill. Staff help children's learning expertly, such as when they pretend to be a character from a story that children have recently learned. Children adore copying staff and acting out the roles of their favourite characters. This helps children to remember key information. They are ready for their next stage in their learning.

p.2

need to do better?

n The manager has devised an ambitious curriculum for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, she has ensured that staff are highly trained to support children's communication and personal development. Children gain a successful start to their education. n Mostly, the curriculum is well thought out. This means, for example, that children build a secure knowledge of key mathematical concepts such as long and short. However, the manager has not applied the same careful curriculum thinking to what children need to know in some aspects of literacy and physical development. This means that, on occasion, staff do not help children to build on their previous learning. n Staff have genuine conversations with children. They are deeply interested in what children wish to say. Staff help younger children to learn new words in meaningful ways, such as through lots of songs and conversation. Children

p.2

need to do better?

develop a wide vocabulary and learn to communicate with other people. n Staff help children to gain important knowledge about books. Staff read books to children repeatedly and skilfully. Children adore discussing their thoughts with staff about what might happen next in a story. They learn about the importance of characters, themes and plots in stories. n Staff promote children's physical development successfully. They provide space for babies to learn how to move their bodies confidently. Older children use their big muscles to climb to the top of the large outdoor climbing frame encouraged

p.2

need to do better?

22 March 2024 by staff. Children develop their strength, coordination and stamina. n Staff working with babies provide them with an excellent standard of care and nurture. They spend time getting to know babies' interests and current experiences at home. Following a recent visit to a farm, staff helped babies to remember their experiences. They provided toy farm animals and books to help children to learn animal sounds. Babies become happy, confident learners. n Staff have high expectation of how children should behave. They set up meaningful activities to help children to play together, such as when pretending to go shopping. Staff gently support children who may need extra support to learn not to snatch toys. They help children to practise using their words to ask for a turn of a toy. Children are beginning to learn about the boundaries for behaviour. n The manager and staff help children to learn that they are unique. They help

p.2

need to do better?

children to understand that their views are important. They ask children to make a vote with a show of hands, on which book should be read aloud. Children learn how to share their opinions and to respect the views of others. n Staff have important conversations with children about choosing healthy lifestyles. They help children to carefully brush their teeth every day at nursery. Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active, including learning outdoors daily. They gain important knowledge about how to be well and healthy. n The manager uses additional funding well to enhance children's learning. For instance, she recently used this funding to arrange for staff to take children by bus to visit people at a local nursing home. The children shared snack and sang nursery rhymes with the residents. Children build their confidence and self esteem to try new experiences. n The manager works skilfully alongside staff to guide and support the

p.3

need to do better?

improvement of their work. She matches the quality of staff's practice with coaching and professional development opportunities. This enables staff to implement the manager's curriculum ably.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

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

p.3

should:

n strengthen the curriculum in physical development and literacy so that staff are clear what key information children should learn and how this links to what children already know.

p.3

Setting details

Unique reference number EY537956 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 10337041 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.4

Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

p.4

inspection

Total number of places 44 Number of children on roll 52 Name of registered person Ducklings Limited

p.4

reference number

Telephone number 01616530124 Date of previous inspection 3 October 2019

p.4

Information about this early years setting

Ducklings Limited registered in 2016 and is located in Middleton, Manchester. The nursery employs 11 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at level 6, one holds level 5, seven hold level 3 and one holds level 2. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. Sessions are from 7.30am to 5.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

p.4

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 manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the nursery. 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 spoke to children, to find out about their time at the nursery. 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 manager and the inspector carried out a joint observation during outdoor play. n Parents and grandparents shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

p.5

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.

p.5

Inspection activities

22 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.

p.5

Inspection activities

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspection activities

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk

p.6

Inspection activities

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspection activities

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6