Apple Tree Day Nursery

Inspection of Apple Tree Day Nursery 62 Main Street, Sprotbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN5 7RJ

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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

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy their learning in this warm, vibrant and friendly nursery. They make good progress overall in all aspects of their development. Staff prepare children well for the next stage in their learning. This includes systematically developing the skills and knowledge children need for starting school. For example, three-year-old children learn to increasingly control their physical dexterity skills and knowledge of colour as they produce collage pictures involving weaving and sticking paper strips inspired by a favourite story about a scarecrow.

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The provision is good

Children are safe and secure. They rise to staff's high expectations and are very well behaved. Children, including those who find it difficult to manage their emotions, build strong relationships with the positive and friendly staff and learn to play alongside others. Staff skilfully help children to build their confidence and independence. Children learn how to take care of themselves and live healthily. For example, they regularly spend time outside engaged in physical activities and learn how to wash their hands and keep their teeth clean. Parents appreciate staff's friendly and purposeful nature and the confidence and independence their children achieve.

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need to do better?

n Staff plan well overall to help children to build sequentially on their previous learning. They use babies' and children's interests well as a foundation to build on their learning. However, staff do not consistently fully deepen and extend children's development through all their play. For example, they do not consistently vary the questions they ask children or show them further ways to acquire and use new skills. n Staff encourage children to develop a love of books. They introduce children to a breadth of fiction and non-fiction books and a wide range of songs and nursery rhymes that develop their language skills and knowledge of the world. For instance, babies learn to turn pages and feel different sensory material in the books they love. Older children remember the characters in their favourite stories and understand their relationships and emotions. n Staff prioritise the development of children's communication skills. They make

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need to do better?

good use of well-chosen songs and rhymes to engage children in listening to and learning new words and phrases. Staff support early talkers to develop keywords to build simple phrases, such as 'ready, steady, go' and 'one, two, three', as they climb and jump in their physical play. n Staff strongly support children with SEND and many who may be vulnerable and need further support. They identify gaps in children's learning at an early stage and work very closely with parents, carers and other professionals, such as

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need to do better?

4 March 2025 social workers, speech and language therapists and social care, to address them. n Staff are good role models and help children to be courteous and behave well. Children learn to say 'please' and 'thank you' as they play and learn. Staff build very good relationships with children and their parents. They follow simple routines for babies' sleep patterns and older children's toilet training to help them to feel calm, relaxed and confident during the nursery day. n The experienced leadership is ambitious to ensure that children leave the nursery as happy, inquisitive and keen learners. This is embedded in the curriculum structure. Leaders regularly review practice through, for instance, the views of parents, children and other early years professionals to strengthen staff's training and enrich the curriculum. n Staff promote children's personal development, health and well-being well. They

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need to do better?

develop children's decision-making skills and sense of fairness. For example, staff encourage children to tidy away as they go along and sort and organise their own activities. Children learn to be independent and to work well together as they play. n Parents strongly recommend the nursery. They appreciate staff's commitment to making their children's lives happy and stimulated. Parents comment on how well prepared their children are for starting school. Staff provide very regular and detailed information on children's progress in ways that are clear and helpful.

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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's planning and interactions with children to ensure that all opportunities are taken to extend and deepen children's learning.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 318110 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 10372201 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 82 Number of children on roll 176 Name of registered person Indicate Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01302 851156 Date of previous inspection 5 April 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Apple Tree Day Nursery registered in 1994 and is located in Doncaster. The nursery employs 24 members of childcare staff. Of these, one member of staff holds a qualification at level 5, 11 staff hold qualifications at level 3 and three staff hold qualifications at level 2. The nursery also employs apprentices. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round, apart from the Christmas week and bank holidays. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6pm. The nursery provides government funded childcare and receives funding for disadvantaged children.

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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 children to learn. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact on children's learning. n The manager and the inspector completed a joint observation of children's learning experiences and evaluated the activity together. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspector spoke to children about their experiences as they played. n The inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection and also took account of their views from written feedback. n The manager provided the inspector with relevant documentation, including evidence of the suitability of staff. n The inspector spoke with the manager about the leadership and management of 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

4 March 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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