Serendipity's Day Nursery and Pre-school

Inspection of Serendipity's Day Nursery and Pre-school 79 Appleton Gate, NEWARK, Nottinghamshire NG24 1LP

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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 receive comfort from staff who are responsive to their immediate needs. For instance, when very young children fall to sleep, staff rub their tummies to soothe them. Older children confidently give staff cuddles to show them affection. Younger children are supported to sit and listen during group times. For instance, staff divide children into smaller groups, which helps them to focus and engage more effectively.

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The provision is good

Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills. For instance, very young children are supported by staff to begin to walk. When children are confident walkers, they negotiate different-level surfaces in the garden, helping to develop their balance and coordination. Older children confidently hold on to bars and swing their legs, showing their upper body strength. When children do this, staff stay close to offer support if necessary while allowing children to challenge their abilities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Timely referrals are made, and staff liaise with other professionals to establish and implement targeted support to help children progress in their learning. Additional funding is used effectively to meet children's individual needs. This includes purchasing books that staff read to children, helping them understand similarities and differences in family circumstances.

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need to do better?

n Staff implement effective strategies to promote children's safety. For instance, they ensure the nursery is secure and that unauthorised people cannot enter the building. Staff supervise children well in the playrooms and outdoors. Staff with paediatric first-aid training are deployed well throughout the nursery to enable them to deal with a minor medical incident quickly. n Overall, staff use the curriculum to support children's communication skills well. For example, staff ask older children a good range of questions to encourage their thinking skills. However, sometimes, staff do not fully support younger children's early speaking skills. For example, staff use long sentences when they speak to children. This reduces opportunities for children to copy key words. n Staff extend their knowledge of how to support children's learning, for example through completing training courses. Staff implement messy play activities for

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need to do better?

very young children to help develop their senses. Staff provide older children with a range of resources they can use in different ways to help promote their imagination. n Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about the importance of taking care of their teeth. For example, they show younger children how to use toothbrushes to brush dolls' teeth. Staff ask older children to remember stories about teeth. Children recall characters in books having spots in their mouth

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need to do better?

13 March 2025 because they did not clean their teeth. n Older children understand the rules and boundaries. For example, they explain to visitors that they might bump their heads if they run indoors. However, sometimes, children are not as effectively supported to find strategies to manage conflict for themselves. n Staff build on opportunities for children to be independent. For instance, very young children learn how to use spoons to feed themselves. As they move to the next room in the nursery, children begin to use forks and spoons. Older children use knives and forks and serve themselves food at lunchtime. n Staff effectively identify what their key children need to learn next and how to support their development. However, the strategies in place to share this information with other staff are not fully effective. This means that not all staff understand how to help children progress in their learning when they play

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need to do better?

alongside them. n Staff support parents to continue their children's learning at home. For example, they give parents information about how they can support their children's toileting needs. Staff introduce learning bags for parents to borrow to enable them to support their children's mathematics skills.

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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 build on staff's interactions with younger children to more effectively support their early speaking skills n support staff to help children manage conflicts for themselves n strengthen the sharing of information about children's individual learning between the children's key person and other staff.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY355547 Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council Inspection number 10383802 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 59 Number of children on roll 100 Name of registered person Serendipitys Child Care Services Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 01636 613 829 Date of previous inspection 11 April 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Serendipity's Day Nursery and Pre-school registered in 2007 and is situated in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The nursery employs 20 members of childcare staff. Of these, nine hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 and six at level 2. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Sessions are from 7am to 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged from nine months.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed how staff implement the curriculum. n The inspector observed the quality of education during activities, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact this has on children's learning. n Children interacted with the inspector throughout the inspection. n The inspector spoke with staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection. n The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager. n The inspector held a meeting with the management team. She reviewed relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery. n Parents shared their views about the nursery 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

13 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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