Playhouse Nursery

Inspection of Playhouse Nursery 24 Abbey Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 3HD

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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

The friendly and nurturing staff greet children with care when they arrive at the homely nursery. They engage in meaningful conversations with children and their families about their routines and experiences away from nursery to ensure they fully meet their needs. Staff use the information they find out about children extremely well to plan a vast range of motivating activities that reflect their individual interests, entice them and build on their development. Because of this, children settle with complete ease and demonstrate that they feel comfortable and safe in the clean and well-thought-out environment. They form extremely close relationships with staff, who support them to build friendships with their peers from a young age.

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The provision is good

Staff share high expectations for all children and deliver an ambitious curriculum that supports them to acquire essential lifelong skills. As a result, all children make good progress from their starting points and are well-prepared for the transition to school. Staff carefully consider what children need to learn. For example, they teach pre-school children about the life cycle of a butterfly as they investigate caterpillars. Children are highly curious and understand the caterpillars will make a 'cocoon'. Staff introduce and model key vocabulary to test children's understanding. They extend children's learning further by exploring simple mathematical concepts, such as counting. Children quickly identify that there are 'five' caterpillars.

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need to do better?

n Children display a love for learning and become highly engrossed in the experiences that staff provide. For instance, babies squeal with excitement when they see the monkey puppet during music and movement sessions. They gaze in awe and wiggle their bodies as staff enthusiastically sing familiar action rhymes. Babies demonstrate good listening and attention skills. They follow simple instructions and maintain engagement for extended periods. n Staff demonstrate great empathy and warmth. They respond to children's emotional needs very well. This contributes to children's positive behaviours and supports their emotional literacy. Children have many opportunities to develop their understanding of different feelings and emotions. They are very emotionally aware and ask staff if they can talk about their feelings. Staff encourage children to use colours to visualise and express how they are feeling, which builds on their self-regulation skills.

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need to do better?

n Teaching throughout the nursery is good and, in some instances, outstanding. Staff benefit from routine supervision meetings and express that leaders are supportive of their well-being. Leaders frequently observe staff and evaluate teaching practices to identify further professional development focuses. However, these processes are not yet fully embedded to support all staff to consistently

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need to do better?

1 April 2025 extend the quality of their teaching to the highest possible level. n There are stringent processes in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are passionate about providing every child with the very best early education. They work in close collaboration with parents and professionals to ensure children with SEND receive the greatest support at the earliest opportunity. Staff set realistic, yet challenging, targets to enable children with SEND to make the best possible progress. n Staff empower children to become independent. Children enjoy managing tasks for themselves, such as wiping their own nose and disposing of their tissue. During activities, pre-school children demonstrate high levels of self-control as they make a fruit kebab caterpillar. They persist as they scoop the inside of the watermelon and are confident to ask for help if they need it.

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need to do better?

n Staff routinely monitor children's progress to identify and address any gaps in their development. They prioritise children's communication, language and literacy skills. The nursery has a dedicated library space to foster a love of reading. Toddlers concentrate intently as they listen to their favourite stories. Staff differentiate their interactions to challenge children's language skills further. All children are becoming confident communicators. n Leaders value the importance of working in partnership with parents. Parents speak highly of staff and remark that they feel like an extended family. They explain that the nursery is a wonderful place and staff work tirelessly to build on children's passions and talents to support their development. Parents comment that staff share regular updates about children's progress and recommend ways that parents can build on children's learning outside of nursery.

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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 current processes for providing staff with feedback on their practice to ensure the quality of all staff's teaching is consistently at the highest possible level.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 205295 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10380551 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 40 Number of children on roll 61 Name of registered person Walker, Larraine

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reference number

Telephone number 01684 563379 Date of previous inspection 13 June 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Playhouse Nursery registered in 1986. It is situated in a converted house in Malvern in Worcestershire. The nursery employs 15 members of childcare staff. Of these, 11 hold relevant early years qualifications. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round, from 7.45am until 6pm. The nursery provides funded early education to all children who may be eligible.

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Inspection activities

n The managers joined the inspector on a learning walk and talked to the inspector about their curriculum and what they want the children to learn. n The inspector talked to staff at appropriate times during the inspection and took account of their views. 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 inspector spoke with managers about the leadership and management of the nursery. n The inspector carried out a joint observation of a group activity with the manager. n Parents shared their views of the nursery with the inspector. 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

1 April 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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