YMCA @St James Road

Inspection of YMCA @St James Road 29 St. James's Road, Dudley DY1 3JD

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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 Not applicable

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The provision is good

All children make progress at this nursery. Staff get to know them well and develop good relationships with their families. Staff are caring towards children and are responsive to their needs. For example, when babies are settling to sleep, staff sit with them and provide comfort to help them to feel safe and relaxed.

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The provision is good

Staff help children to learn about speed and distance as they roll cars down tracks outdoors. They describe how fast cars go and how far they have gone. Children use this language as they continue their play. They learn to develop their gross motor skills and gain control over their muscles. Staff organise the environment so that children have opportunities to practise moving over different levels. Children enjoy climbing on higher surfaces and jumping off.

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The provision is good

Children are respectful and considerate of one another. Staff remind them of behaviour rules and teach them to use manners. When children do experience some difficulties, staff stay calm and help them to understand how their actions make others feel. As a result, children learn to play cooperatively together. They learn to take turns and are observed waiting patiently for toys that their friends are using.

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need to do better?

n The provider has recently undergone a period of uncertainty. In response to unforeseen staff changes, the provider has taken swift and appropriate action to ensure that the early years foundation stage requirements continue to be met. As a result, there has been no impact for children and their learning. n The curriculum is well understood by leaders and staff. The learning experiences of children are sequenced as they move through the nursery, to build on their existing knowledge and skills. For example, babies learn how different materials feel as they splash in trays of gloop. Older children learn the names of different materials and their extended properties, such as how they smell and what happens when they are mixed together. n Children become good communicators. Staff plan activities that promote children's curiosity. Children are confident and describe what they do as they play. They recall experiences from home and express their imagination through

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need to do better?

role play. Staff ask children open-ended questions and support them to think critically as they improve their problem-solving skills. n All children show an interest in the activities on offer and are keen to learn. Staff generally support children's learning well and suitably extend their knowledge. However, children who are quieter or less confident are sometimes overlooked as more-confident children capture the attention of staff more easily. At these times, quieter children's experiences are not extended as well as they could be.

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need to do better?

11 July 2024 n Support for children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children have suitable support in place. They use additional funding well to provide resources that cater for children's individual needs. Consequently, all children make good progress. n Leaders implement suitable recruitment and induction procedures to ensure the suitability of staff. They review the progress of new staff regularly, and ask questions that support the consolidation of their knowledge. n Staff feel supported by leaders. They receive regular supervision meetings where they discuss their well-being and the support they may need in their role. Leaders identify some training to improve staff knowledge. However, this is not always focused specifically on supporting relief staff, who normally work at other nurseries within the YMCA group, to carry out their roles and responsibilities

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need to do better?

effectively. For example, some staff do not always ensure that children have clean cloths to wipe their hands and face after eating. n Parents comment that their children are happy to attend, and staff are friendly. They see their children making progress as a result of attending the nursery. However, some parents feel that communication from staff could be improved. They do not always receive regular communication about the activities their children engage with, or how they can support their children's learning further at home.

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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 quieter, less-confident children to fully access the activities on offer in order to extend their learning further n strengthen the arrangements for supporting staff who do not always work at the nursery, so that they understand how to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively n improve the regular two-way flow of information with parents to ensure that they have information about the activities provided and how to support children's learning at home.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2749898 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 10356391 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 95 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person YMCA Wolverhampton

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reference number

Telephone number 07736880193 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

YMCA @St James Road registered in September 2023 and is located in Dudley. There are five members of childcare staff, of whom four hold appropriate early years qualifications. The setting is open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The setting 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 provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment, following information we received about the provider. n The area manager 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 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 inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the area manager. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of

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Inspection activities

their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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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

11 July 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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