Cottage Day

Inspection of Cottage Day St. Hildas Church, Courtrai Road, LONDON SE23 1PL

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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 use effective strategies to help children learn to regulate their behaviour. For example, when children engage in role play, staff encourage them to count the 'delivery vans' and think about how to share them fairly with their peers who join in their play. Children behave well and learn to take account of the needs of others.

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The provision is good

Staff are caring and support children's emotional needs well. Parents provide positive views about the close attachments their children form with the staff. Babies enjoy cuddles with their key person, and toddlers enjoy sharing their play experiences with staff. Older children chat happily with staff, for instance about the plans for their upcoming birthday party.

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The provision is good

Children develop as confident communicators. Staff introduce young children to new words, for example, through stories and songs. Older children who speak more than one language are encouraged to translate words and count in their home languages. This also helps children to develop a sense of belonging. The curriculum is effective to promote individual children's needs.

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The provision is good

The provider has high aims for all children and works closely with parents and professionals to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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need to do better?

n The provider reflects well on the effectiveness of the curriculum and the practice and provision to ensure good standards in children's learning and care. Children make good progress from their starting points and are prepared well for next stages in their learning and their move to school. n The provider ensures that staff are supervised regularly and supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. Staff are encouraged to undertake training that is pertinent to the needs of the children they work with. This enables them to continually improve their practice. However, the arrangements for induction of agency staff are not fully effective to further strengthen the quality of children's learning experiences. n Staff use assessments effectively to identify areas in which individual children need additional support. They provide regular updates to parents regarding children's progress and work on advice from other professionals, such as health

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need to do better?

visitors, to support individual children's progress. n Staff provide regular opportunities for children to exercise outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Toddlers are excited as they learn to kick a ball. Older children learn to take risks, for example as they learn to walk on a row of tyres. Staff provide healthy meals for children and work closely with parents to meet the

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need to do better?

17 October 2024 needs of individual children. n Staff work closely with parents to support children to learn to use the toilet independently. They plan ways to support children's emotional needs and confidence during these learning experiences. n Staff promote children's understanding of the world. Babies are stimulated to explore with their senses. Staff introduce toddlers to the names of creatures that live in the sea, such as 'jelly fish' and 'octopus', and they use props to stimulate children's interest and encourage their participation. Staff identify and promote older children's interest in learning about bugs and insects. Children excitedly say that they know the sound a cricket makes. n Staff encourage children's participation in activities such as tidying up after play. However, they do not always allow enough time for children to finish what they are doing and prepare themselves to move on to another activity, such as

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need to do better?

transition from play to lunchtime. n Children build on their fine motor skills. For example, they learn to stick pictures of apples to a template of an apple tree. Older children learn to use mark- making equipment effectively to draw pictures. Babies learn to turn the pages of a book and learn to point to illustrations. Older children enjoy exploring construction material. They build on their hand-eye coordination, for example, as they connect pieces to build a tower. n The provider understands their responsibility to inform Ofsted of significant events. However, they have not informed Ofsted, as required, of changes that may affect the suitability of anyone who works with children.

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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 strengthen staff practice to manage transitions effectively, particularly to enable sufficient time for children to finish one activity and be prepared to move to the next n improve the induction of agency staff to address occasional gaps in the quality of teaching and to promote consistency in children's learning experiences.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY446805 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 10364176 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 60 Number of children on roll 62 Name of registered person Cottage Day Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 02082917117 Date of previous inspection 29 January 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Cottage Day registered in 1996. It is located in the Forest Hill area of the London Borough of Lewisham. The nursery is open each weekday, from 7.30am to 6pm, for most of the year. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged nine months to four years. The setting employs 16 members of staff to work with the children. Of these, four members of staff hold qualifications at level 5 and level 6, three members of staff hold qualifications at level 3 and two members of staff hold qualifications at level 2.

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Inspection activities

n The nominated individual 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 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 and the nominated individual carried out a joint observation of an activity. n Parents and carers shared their views of the setting with the inspector. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at pre-school. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

17 October 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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