The Woodlands Nursery

Inspection of The Woodlands Nursery ST Austins Priory, Cadleigh, Nr Ivybridge, Devon PL21 9HW

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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 build warm, positive relationships with all children in their care. They are sensitive and responsive to their needs. They support new children starting nursery well and offer comfort when needed. Children separate from their parents easily and settle quickly. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the nursery. They are motivated and eager to learn.

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The provision is good

Young children enjoy exploring their environment. They turn and shake sensory bottles, finding out what things do and how they work. Staff support children's learning through these activities. They help children to identify colours and name objects. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as 'whisk', in the play kitchen. They support language as they sing rhymes and songs, which children delight in and join in with the actions. Older children enjoy familiar stories as a group, and staff help them to share their ideas and listen attentively to others. Children spend most of their time in the outdoor area where they explore the natural world. For example, they collect wild strawberries.

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The provision is good

Staff nurture children's personal, social and emotional development. Children are very independent. They manage their own personal care well and serve themselves at lunchtime. Staff help children to share toys fairly and show kindness to others. Children enjoy playing with each other and develop friendships. They make good progress and are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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need to do better?

n Staff know the children extremely well and create opportunities for them to achieve their next steps. They follow children's interests and extend their learning through play. For example, staff introduce and encourage children to use words such as 'under' and 'around' as they play hide and seek outside. Children are highly engaged and have a positive attitude to their learning. n Older children are confident communicators. Staff support children's language and communication skills in different ways. For example, they extend children's sentences and introduce new vocabulary. They frequently ask questions and wait for children to respond. Staff respond to babies' babbles. They use simple, repetitive language and consistently use signs. This helps young children to learn to communicate more easily. n Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their physical skills, such as balance and coordination. Young children learn to negotiate space in the outdoor

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need to do better?

environment and use wheeled toys confidently. Children climb competently up steps to the slide and use climbing equipment independently. n Staff encourage children to express their own ideas and develop their thinking. For example, children build a wall outside, using real bricks. They work out how

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need to do better?

9 October 2024 these fit together and how to make the wall stable. Children build their own obstacle course, using crates and planks, and staff encourage them to think of ways to extend this. Children are developing problem-solving skills and know that their ideas are valued. n Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about the natural world. They help children to identify different woodland animals, such as robins and squirrels. They talk to children about their characteristics and what they eat. However, staff do not routinely teach children about their local community and the cultures and traditions of others, which limits children's understanding of the wider world. n Parents are very complimentary about the nursery staff. Parents say that children's language and social skills have developed significantly and that their children have grown in confidence. Staff inform parents about their children's

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need to do better?

progress and next steps, which supports continuity of care. n Older children particularly spend almost all day outside. Here, they develop their physical, language and social skills as well as their knowledge of the natural world. However, during this time, they have fewer opportunities to access resources that help to develop their early mathematical, literacy and creative skills. n Staff regularly undertake training to develop their knowledge and skills further. A newly implemented system for staff supervision enables staff to share ideas and raise concerns if required. It also provides an opportunity to identify future training needs. Systems for evaluating the efficacy of the nursery are evolving to further support continuous improvement.

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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 children learn about their local community and the cultures and traditions of others, to further their understanding of the wider world n develop the outside learning environment to ensure that the children who enjoy spending time outside have opportunities to develop their mathematical, literacy and creative skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2643680 Local authority Devon Inspection number 10369301 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 24 Number of children on roll 23 Name of registered person Pml Education Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01752 717550 Date of previous inspection 15 June 2023

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Information about this early years setting

The Woodlands Nursery registered in 2020 and is based near Ivybridge, Devon. The nursery is open from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 8am to 6pm. The nursery offers government funded places. There are six staff who work with the children, all of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications. Two members of staff hold qualifications at level 6, three hold qualifications at level 3, and one member of staff is unqualified.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector discussed the curriculum offered. 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 spoke to several parents and took account of their views. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n Staff spoke to the inspector about children's learning and development, with a particular focus on individual children's progress and their next steps. n The manager carried out a joint observation with the inspector.

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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

9 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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