Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Houghton Regis

Inspection of Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Houghton Regis Collie Place, Houghton Regis LU5 6TW

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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

Children settle quickly into the nursery and form meaningful bonds with their key person and the wider staff team. They happily turn to staff for comfort and support and staff respond warmly. The staff team know the children they care for well and communicate about each child's needs with one another successfully. This helps all staff to support children effectively.

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The provision is good

Staff promote positive behaviour and children are aware of what staff expect of them. Staff act as strong role models and encourage children to participate in activities together. Children learn to follow positive hygiene routines and complete these independently. Staff remind them of why it is important that they follow this routine and this helps children to understand why the rules are in place.

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The provision is good

Staff recognise the importance of progressively building on children's skills. Babies are encouraged to use small forks and spoons to begin to feed themselves at mealtimes. By the time children are in pre-school, they can confidently serve themselves from larger bowls. Staff supervise children well as they eat, speaking to them about their experiences of meals at home, promoting relevant discussion and helping children to value mealtimes together.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have good oversight at the nursery. They are able to accurately identify areas for improvement and have worked hard since the nursery opened to embed their vision and ethos. Staff feel well supported in their roles and well- being is a real focus for leaders, who value the staff team. For instance, staff have access to 'tea and talk' sessions, where they can discuss anything that may affect their work. Staff participate in a range of training and they recognise the benefit this has to their practice. n Staff provide learning opportunities that focus on children's individual next steps and stages of development. The curriculum is planned and sequenced well to build on children's existing skills. Key persons track children's progress and this information is shared with the wider staff team. This helps staff to differentiate their interactions with children so that all children successfully gain new

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need to do better?

knowledge relevant to them. n Overall, parents are very pleased with the care their children receive and the progress they are making. They comment on the strong support they receive in relation to challenging milestones, such as toilet training and helping their children to move away from using dummies. They recognise the benefits that consistent routines and expectations between the nursery and home have on their children's development. n Babies enjoy familiar songs and rhymes. They listen intently as staff read them

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need to do better?

8 January 2025 stories and sing the associated rhymes. They clap their hands and move their bodies, following the instructions staff sing and read to them. Staff praise them as they do this, and this helps to keep them motivated to continue to join in. n Language and communication is highly valued at the nursery. Staff encourage babies to babble back to them as they begin to learn how to hold conversations. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn to communicate effectively with staff, using visual cues. Staff follow children's leads, building on their understanding of what they are doing. Pre-school children confidently share their knowledge with staff and staff skilfully link this to children's other learning. For instance, staff speak about the story they recently read and invite children to recall what happens in the story. Children respond by confidently re-telling the familiar parts of the story to staff.

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need to do better?

n On the whole, staff engage children in their learning well. For instance, they create games for children to play, where they can run around and develop their larger muscles. However, the pre-school outdoor learning environment is in the early stages of development and opportunities for children to learn and engage are not as successfully organised or arranged yet. This leads to children's learning sometimes being interrupted by others and levels of concentration are not as high as they are indoors.

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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 continue to develop the outdoor learning environment, particularly for pre-school children, to help staff deliver a highly effective and well organised curriculum and strengthen children's engagement and learning outdoors.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2736105 Local authority Central Bedfordshire Inspection number 10379473 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 104 Number of children on roll 142 Name of registered person Ashbourne Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01908 644399 Date of previous inspection Not applicable

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Information about this early years setting

Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Houghton Regis registered in 2023. The nursery employs 34 members of childcare staff. Of these, 24 hold appropriate childcare qualifications at level 2 or above. The nursery operates Monday to Friday from 8am until 6pm all year round, except for bank holidays and one week at Christmas. The nursery offers funding for eligible children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n The inspector spoke to children and staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The manager and inspector carried out a joint observation and discussed the impact of staff's interactions with children on their learning and development. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection 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.

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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

8 January 2025 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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