Best Nursery (Arlesey)

Inspection of Best Nursery (Arlesey) High Street, Arlesey SG15 6SL

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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

Staff provide children with an interesting and welcoming environment at this bright and busy nursery. Staff plan activities with children's interests in mind, which helps children to engage in learning and develop their concentration. When children in the pre-school room enjoy finding plastic bugs in some mud indoors, staff encourage children to look for real-life bugs in the garden. They enable children to complete the task by providing good-quality resources, including magnifying pots and a bug checklist. Children investigate areas of the garden with staff by looking under logs and digging in planters. They excitedly tell staff they have found a slug and continue looking for more. This helps to build on children's curiosity about nature and develop a genuine love of learning.

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The provision is good

Children are developing a strong sense of self at the nursery. Staff say babies' names when they roll balls to them. This helps babies begin to understand when it is their turn and when it is their friend's turn. Staff help older children to recognise and name emotions. Children are beginning to learn about how to regulate their feelings and behaviour. Children feel safe to share when they have had minor disagreements with their friends. Staff help them to understand how to negotiate these moments and how to help their friends feel better. As a result, children show others how to be kind to their friends.

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need to do better?

n The management team is supportive and has an ambitious vision for children. Staff feel very well supported by the management team to develop their skills and knowledge. Additionally, staff are encouraged to fulfil their aspirations of career development. This builds a commitment to their roles, to provide a stable and caring environment for staff and children. n Staff implement the curriculum successfully so that children make good progress in their learning. They regularly assess children's needs and provide activities to support children's next steps in learning. Staff link with other settings that children attend to obtain an extensive understanding of the stage children are at in their development. They use this knowledge to prepare children to be ready for the next stage of learning. This includes when babies move to the toddler room, or when older children move to school. n Children form secure emotional attachments with staff, who know them well.

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need to do better?

The effective key-person approach means that staff help meet children's individual needs well. Furthermore, staff work well together to help ensure that babies' and children's moves to other rooms and overall development are promoted well. n The team focus on children becoming independent from a very young age during their time at nursery. Staff help children learn these skills in suitable

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need to do better?

21 May 2024 phases for their age and development. Staff encourage young babies to wipe their faces with flannels after eating. Toddlers have a go at putting on their wellington boots by themselves and older children are self-sufficient at following personal hygiene routines. n The manager ensures that all children receive the education and care to which they are entitled. She and her deputy are extremely dedicated to the community and the families that attend the nursery. They work closely with a range of professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Furthermore, additional funding is spent in ways that individually meet the children's needs. Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning from their starting points. n Staff create purposeful links with parents. They tailor visits to children's needs when they begin attending and parents report they feel included when children

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need to do better?

move from one room to the next. Parents receive regular updates about their child's development and learning. Parents appreciate the regular newsletters that give them ideas for activities to do at home, such as scavenger hunts. This partnership working helps provide consistency of care and learning for children. n Children are developing good overall language skills as staff help them to hear and use a wide range of spoken, read and sung language. Staff read books that children are familiar with and encourage children to join in and repeat known phrases. Toddlers join in the actions of songs and sing some of the words. Staff tune into, and listen to babies' vocalisations to understand what they are communicating. This helps babies to learn the very early features of conversations. n Children set and complete their own tasks to their satisfaction. For instance, children roll balls down tracks and attempt to catch them all at the end in a box.

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need to do better?

They persevere to complete puzzles. Staff praise children for their efforts during these activities, but do not always build on these activities further to stretch and challenge their thinking.

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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 consistently build on activities to further stretch and challenge children's thinking.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY494589 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 10335795 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

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

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inspection

Total number of places 65 Number of children on roll 123 Name of registered person Bedfordshire East Schools Trust Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01462 732168 Date of previous inspection 27 June 2018

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Information about this early years setting

Best Nursery (Arlesey) registered in 2015. The nursery employs 18 members of childcare staff. Of these, 15 staff hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 5.30pm on Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It also offers before- and after-school care for children attending the host primary school.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection 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 inspection. n The manager and room leaders joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector talked to the management team and staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. 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 of a planned activity. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and considered their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the

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Inspection activities

suitability of staff working in the nursery. n Children talked with the inspector during the inspection.

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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

21 May 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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