Mama Bear's Day Nursery

Inspection of Mama Bear's Day Nursery South Devon College, Long Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7EJ

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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

Staff welcome children and their families warmly as they arrive at the nursery. Toddlers and pre-school children independently hang up their belongings on their designated peg and join their peers, ready for the day ahead. Staff plan their curriculum well and know what they want each child to learn. Babies develop their communication skills effectively. Through interactive songs, they learn sign language and say single words. For instance, babies say 'duck' and 'quack' as staff sing the rhyme 'Five Little Ducks'. Toddlers start to join words together to form simple sentences. Staff encourage them to learn new vocabulary linked to springtime, such as daffodil and sunflower. Older children speak in full sentences and can make their needs and wants known. They confidently talk about the pictures they have drawn, saying that they will place them in an envelope and that the envelope needs to be sealed.

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The provision is good

Children play cooperatively and enjoy the company of their friends and adults alike. All children are independent individuals. Babies learn to feed themselves at lunchtime using a spoon. Older babies also attempt the use of a fork. Toddlers and pre-school children self-serve using utensils. They confidently scoop up roast potatoes, chicken pieces and vegetables and place them on their plate.

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need to do better?

n All children enjoy stories. Babies listen well for short periods and staff enable them to feel the textures in the book. Toddlers enjoy their favourite tales both inside and outside. Older children show their extensive understanding of how stories are structured. They talk about the different animals in the book and where they live, such as the 'fox' living in an 'underground house'. Children develop their literacy skills well. n Children enjoy comfort from staff. They smile when they enter the nursery and show a willingness to go to staff. Babies lift their arms out to be carried and toddlers sit on staff's laps. Pre-school children invite adults into their play. However, in the baby room, key persons, at times, pass babies between one another while they tend to other children or carry out tasks. Some babies become upset and unsettled. n Parents speak highly of the care and education of children at the nursery. They

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need to do better?

say how staff support them as a family and how they receive relevant advice for their children such as around potty training. The nursery provides a lending library scheme, where children can borrow books. They also provide home learning packs to help children build on their skills at home. Additionally, staff place learning intentions on the entrance door for parents, which highlights the curriculum and what knowledge children will gain. n The nursery has strong links with the on-site college. Students who are

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need to do better?

1 April 2025 undertaking childcare qualifications are invited in to share their ideas. For example, students have created a 'sensory area' where children can go to relax and engage in small-group activities. Additionally, the nursery has formed positive partnerships with local schools and external professionals. Staff liaise regularly with them to help provide a consistent two-way flow of information to support children's development. n Overall, care practices are effective. Staff ensure they support children with toilet training and hygiene routines. Children independently wipe their noses and dispose of the tissue. They then know to wash their hands afterwards to reduce the spread of germs. Staff reassure children when they begin to get hungry, and the on-site chef prepares a range of healthy snacks and meals to meet their nutritional needs. However, lunchtime in the baby room is disorganised. Babies

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need to do better?

spend long periods of time waiting for their food and become irritable. n Staff support children's mathematical development well. Pre-school children understand the concept of 'thick' and 'thin' when they play with tree branches. They estimate which branch will be 'taller' or 'shorter' by looking at them and then test their theory by measuring them. Younger children join in with number songs and rhymes and learn to count in sequence.

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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 develop the key-person system more effectively to help babies form close bonds so they feel settled and secure n develop the organisation of lunchtimes to ensure babies' care needs are met rapidly.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY434985 Local authority Torbay Inspection number 10395888 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 67 Number of children on roll 112 Name of registered person Mama Bear's Day Nursery Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01803540578 Date of previous inspection 19 February 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Mama Bear's Day Nursery registered in 2011. The nursery is in the grounds of South Devon College, on the outskirts of Paignton, Devon. The nursery is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm, for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery employs 19 staff. One staff member holds a level 4 qualification, 12 staff hold qualifications at level 3, four members of staff hold qualifications at level 2 and two staff, who are apprentices, are unqualified. The nursery offers government-funded places for childcare and receives specific funding for disadvantaged children.

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Inspection activities

n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at nursery. n The inspector spoke with the nominated individual and other registered individuals about the leadership and management of the nursery. 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 and the inspector carried out a joint observation during a group singing session in the baby room. 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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