Queen Elizabeth's Nursery School

Inspection of Queen Elizabeth's Nursery School Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, West Park Road, BLACKBURN BB2 6DF

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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 Requires improvement

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The provision is good

Children arriving at the setting are met by cheerful, welcoming staff. They show that they feel safe as they set off to their childcare rooms. Staff arrange the indoor and outdoor spaces in ways that offer children familiar and new things to do. In the 'Fledgling' room, babies crawl and toddle to find things that they want to investigate. Staff sing and talk with them. This promotes babies' babble and early speech. In the 'Cygnet' room, staff plan a variety of role-play areas. They join in with toddlers' play and conversation. This promotes children's communication skills and helps them to learn more about the world.

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The provision is good

Staff create a calm and purposeful atmosphere in the setting. This promotes children's engagement and enjoyment. Children develop a positive attitude to learning and behave well. Parents and carers comment on how effectively staff work in partnership with them. They say that the two-way communication helps everyone to follow a consistent approach when children are toilet training. Parents say that staff spend time getting to know children who are new to the setting. They say that staff provide sensitive encouragement when children transfer to a new room. This promotes children's emotional well-being and resilience.

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need to do better?

n Staff worked hard to address the quality of the provision after the last inspection. The arrangements for supervising sleeping children have been thoroughly revised. Children's comfort and safety are unfailingly promoted by vigilant, knowledgeable staff. The setting engaged positively with local authority support. This has helped the team to examine and improve practice. n The setting is ambitious for staff's well-being and achievement. There is a strong focus on enabling staff to try out their own ideas and to develop leadership skills. Staff complete training that enhances their skills and knowledge. Those undertaking accredited training share their learning with colleagues. Staff become confident professionals and this helps them to promote children's development and welfare. n Staff use a range of methods to assess and plan for children's learning. Babies discover a lengthening row of photos of themselves on the wall. The photos

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need to do better?

record and celebrate their development. At the start of the year, pre-school children make their own drawing of family members. Staff repeat the activity at the end of the year and note how children's representational skills have developed. All children make good progress. n The setting's support for children with emerging and diagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Every child's communication development is checked regularly. This helps to alert staff to early signs of delay. The setting works in partnership with specialist professionals

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need to do better?

11 September 2024 and staff share children's learning plans with colleagues. This helps everyone to work together to support and measure the progress of children with SEND. n Staff support the language development of children of all ages. They use and teach a core vocabulary of nouns and verbs during lively conversation and active play. They help pre-school children to explore the meaning of interesting words, such as 'caring'. However, sometimes, staff ask questions that do not help children to deepen their thinking and to extend what they already know. n Staff promote children's early literacy. They identify a 'book of the week' and explore the story in detail with children. Staff help children to think about the feelings and motives of the characters and to remember the sequence of events in the story. Children join in with repeated refrains and experience the rhyme and rhythm of rich language. Children learn that books are interesting and this

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need to do better?

encourages them to become readers themselves. n Children's physical development is promoted well. Staff plan activities, such as dough play, that help children to strengthen their small muscles. Children take part in yoga and this promotes their balance and core strength. Staff offer children a choice of either water or milk to drink. Children learn that this helps them to keep their teeth healthy. n Staff understand and follow the setting's safeguarding procedures. They check the welfare and whereabouts of absent children in a timely way. They know what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of colleagues towards children. Staff's management of risks to children's health and safety is robust. For example, they check and record the temperature of the food delivered from the main kitchen.

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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 focus even more closely on the detail of their interactions with children, especially with regard to the questions that staff ask children and why they ask them.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY452784 Local authority Blackburn with Darwen Inspection number 10319521 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 95 Number of children on roll 141

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Name of registered person

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Blackburn Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01254 686323 Date of previous inspection 24 October 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Queen Elizabeth's Nursery School registered in 2012. The setting employs 20 members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 5, two members of staff hold qualifications at level 4, sixteen at level 3 and one at level 2. The setting opens from 7.30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round. The setting provides funded early years education.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the manager and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider. n The manager, the deputy manager and the inspector completed a learning walk and discussed the curriculum. The inspector and the deputy manager carried out a joint evaluation of an activity. n Staff spoke with the inspector during the inspection. The inspector observed and spoke with children. n The inspector spoke with parents and took account of their views. n The inspector sampled and evaluated relevant documents. She reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the setting.

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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 September 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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