The Gateway Nursery

Inspection of The Gateway Nursery The Gateway Centre, Longworth Lane, Hereford, Herefordshire HR1 4GA

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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 are warmly welcomed as they arrive at nursery. They are greeted by friendly staff, who know children and their families well. As a result, children are happy and settle quickly to their chosen activity. All children are allocated key persons. Children forge close relationships with their key person and often seek them out to join in their play or for a cuddle if they feel tired or a little unsure. Younger children's daily routines are strictly adhered to. Staff recognise when children need to sleep. They follow safer sleeping procedures as they monitor children and carry out regular checks to ensure their safety. Staff are kind and caring when carrying out nappy changing or care routines. They are respectful of children's individual needs.

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The provision is good

Leaders and staff implement a curriculum throughout the nursery that is based on children's interests and their next steps for learning. As a result, all children make good progress. Children of all ages are engaged in their play and are eager to join in with activities. Younger children concentrate as they explore shaving foam. They carefully watch as staff show them how to paint the shaving foam onto bricks so that they will stick together when they build towers. Older children eagerly take part in a cheerleading activity. They move their bodies in different ways, including shaking pom-poms to music, and try challenging skills, such as completing a cartwheel with one-to-one support. Children's behaviour throughout the nursery is good. Staff introduce simple rules for children to follow, such as walking inside and being kind. Children learn to share and take turns as they play, and older children begin to understand how to manage their emotions.

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need to do better?

n Leaders are passionate and knowledgeable in their roles. They provide staff with a programme of professional development, and access to a wide range of training opportunities that support them to upskill in varied areas. Staff's well- being is given high priority. Staff comment that they feel well supported and the leadership team are open and approachable. n Leaders monitor staff practice and provide advice and support to help them continually reflect and improve. However, occasionally staff's teaching is not consistently of the highest quality across the provision. n Leaders place good focus on school readiness. Staff teach older children to manage their own self-care, such as putting on their own coats, serving their own snacks and using the bathroom with minimal support. Staff throughout the nursery observe children, assess their progress and use the information to plan activities that support their individual learning.

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need to do better?

n Children's communication and language is given the utmost priority throughout the nursery. Younger children choose their favourite books and take them to

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need to do better?

17 March 2025 staff for them to read. They eagerly turn the pages and can repeat familiar phrases. Staff ask children questions about the stories and wait patiently for children to respond. Older children talk about what is happening in the book as they listen to a story, and can relate this to their experiences from home. n Children enthusiastically join in singing sessions. They squeal with excitement as they wake up and hop after pretending to be sleeping bunnies. Staff competently extend the activity as they introduce different characters from the story children have listened to. Children have great fun as they pretend to be a robot and stomp around the room until staff tell them to stop and freeze. Staff follow children's interest in robots as they introduce a model-making activity later in the day for children to make a robot out of boxes. n Younger children enjoy the time they spend outdoors, where they ride bikes,

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need to do better?

climb, run and balance on equipment. However, staff working with the older children do not consistently provide them with rich, imaginative and broad experiences outside. This is because this area is currently not well utilised and is undergoing some development. n Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported during their time at nursery. Early interventions are in place and staff provide lots of tailored support for these children. For example, staff make use of visual aids, objects of reference and now and next timetables to help SEND children participate in key routines and engage in the activities available. Leaders work well in partnership with both external professionals and parents to identify where there are gaps in children's learning and to seek additional support. This helps to ensure that no child is left behind. n Leaders and staff build positive relationships with parents and share two-way

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need to do better?

information about children's care and learning in a range of ways. This helps to support continuity between the nursery and home. Parents are highly complimentary about their children's experiences at this nursery. They say that leaders and staff are approachable and that their children are happy and settled.

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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 support staff to develop further their already good teaching, to embed consistency and help achieve the highest quality across the provision n enhance how staff plan for the outdoor provision, to help broaden the experiences available and extend children's learning outdoors.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY487150 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 10391416 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 115 Number of children on roll 115

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Name of registered person

Gateway (Education And Childcare) Trust Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01432 851024 Date of previous inspection 2 July 2021

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Information about this early years setting

The Gateway Nursery registered in 2015. The nursery employs 22 members of staff who work directly with the children. Of these, 21 hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level 3 or above, including one who has early years professional status, and one who has qualified teacher status. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, from 7.30am until 5.30pm, for 50 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays. The nursery provides funded early education for all eligible children.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Rebecca Johnson Josephine Heath

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Inspection activities

n The manager joined the inspectors on a learning walk and talked to them about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspectors observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n The inspectors and the manager carried out two separate joint observations of activities. n The inspectors talked to staff and children at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors spoke with the nominated individual and the managers about the leadership and management of the nursery. n The inspectors spoke to several parents during the inspection and took account of their views. n The inspectors 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

17 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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