City Way Day Nursery

Inspection of City Way Day Nursery 18 City Way, Rochester, Kent ME1 2AB

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision is outstanding

Children, their families, and the local community are at the very heart of this exceptional setting. Leaders and managers are incredibly passionate and proactive. They strive to continually provide all children with the highest quality care and education. For example, staff learn and speak a range of different languages to support children to settle in and use sign language to help children communicate and understand. Staff are highly ambitious for children, providing an inclusive and personalised curriculum. They provide one-to-one support and create individual plans to tailor and target children's next steps. This very effectively supports all children to make significant progress from their starting points.

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The provision is outstanding

Staff provide children with a high-quality environment that is rich in language. Children demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning. For example, babies delight in choosing their favourite books, demonstrating excitement when joining in with rhymes they know. Older children remain engrossed and deeply engaged when making play dough. They learn about using different herbs and spices, talking about the differences between oregano and cinnamon. Staff skilfully extend children's knowledge by explaining how to use scales to measure ingredients. Children concentrate very well identifying how much they need. These opportunities ensure children embed learning, providing them with a strong foundation for the future.

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need to do better?

n Leaders and managers are dedicated to supporting families in innovative and inspiring ways. They help parents access a range of funding to support them to learn English, gain qualifications and employment. Leaders and managers employ translators to help parents learn first aid, and provide vouchers and free sessions to help them. As a direct result, children with English as an additional language make excellent progress. n Staff work tirelessly, providing children with an extensive range of activities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities display high levels of engagement when learning to use light-up toys. Staff use sign language to help them communicate. supporting their development successfully. n Staff support children's emotional well-being very well. Nurturing staff cuddle and comfort babies and are immediately responsive to their needs. Staff help older children identify how their friends feel by using mirrors to identify different

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need to do better?

emotions. Children immediately go to help their friends when needed displaying very good social skills. n Staff help children to be very inclusive and to learn about diverse families. Children learn to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' in their friends' home languages, helping them feel welcome. Children learn about different religions, showing

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need to do better?

14 January 2025 deep interest and respect. n There are excellent arrangements to support children to develop a love of books and language. Children enthusiastically join in with stories, songs and rhymes. They are expertly supported by staff, who are excellent role models, making the most of opportunities that arise to build on children's keen interest to extend their learning. For example, they explain different sea creatures to children, who use words such as 'octopus' and 'stingray' in conversation showing their understanding of new vocabulary. n Assessment and tracking information is used successfully by staff to implement highly effective interventions to support children's next steps. Funding is used very well to deliver literacy booster sessions so that children learn important skills for school, supporting children to make seamless transitions. n Children are supported incredibly well to learn how to keep themselves healthy.

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need to do better?

They are highly motivated to join in with yoga sessions learning to keep themselves fit. Staff explain expertly how different foods help children to grow. Children eagerly explain how nutrients in blueberries help their brains develop and vitamins in carrots help their eyesight. Children model how to brush their teeth and use floss, developing important knowledge about oral health. n Leaders and managers are unwavering in their commitment to making a difference. They are incredibly proactive, working very closely with outside agencies, partners and wider organisations to ensure families receive as much help as they can. They provide a minibus service to help parents with school drop offs and holiday care and offer specialist support on topics such as bereavement, separation and divorce. Staff report incredibly high levels of well- being and support. n Relationships with parents are excellent. Staff provide extensive opportunities for

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need to do better?

parents to help their children at home, delivering a range of sessions, for example first aid and healthy eating. Parents talk incredibly highly of the progress their children make and how they feel part of the family. They talk passionately about specific support they get, for example, individual recipes created by the settings in-house chef, to help their children eat a wide range of foods.

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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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Setting details

Unique reference number 103713 Local authority Medway Inspection number 10372438 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 78 Number of children on roll 104 Name of registered person City Way Nursery Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01634 845724 Date of previous inspection 18 April 2019

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Information about this early years setting

City Way Day Nursery registered in 2000 and is located in Rochester, Kent. The setting is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, all year around. It receives funding to provide free early education for children aged two, three and four years. The setting employs 26 members of staff, 21 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications at level 2 and above. This includes one member of staff who holds a degree at level 6.

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want their children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individuals about the leadership and management of the setting. n The special educational needs coordinator spoke to the inspector about how they support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. 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 manager joined the inspector in carrying out a joint observation of a communication and language activity. n Parents shared their views of the setting 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

14 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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