Willow Cottage Nursery (Farmoor)

Inspection of Willow Cottage Nursery (Farmoor) Willow Cottage Nursery, Oxleys Farm, Cumnor Road, Farmoor, OXFORD OX2 9NS

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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 love attending this welcoming, nurturing and calm setting. Staff have worked hard to develop and maintain strong, secure relationships with children and their families. As a result, children quickly separate from their parents or carers and settle well. Children show they have strong bonds with staff as they seek out their familiar adult, to join them in their play or for cuddles when required.

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The provision is good

Children benefit from a wide range of activities and really flourish from the wealth of outdoor learning opportunities. Staff use their knowledge about children's interests to plan fun experiences for them. Outside, younger children enjoy painting, digging in the sand or mud and pouring water. Older children splash in puddles, role play in the mud kitchen, create games as they hunt for dinosaurs and take risks negotiating many obstacles. Staff teach children to use mathematical language well and to be confident in counting and recognising shapes in their play. They learn to use appropriate language, such as 'horizontal' and 'vertical'. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the setting and are valued by their peers.

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The provision is good

Overall, children are becoming confident communicators as they engage in conversations with their friends and staff. Many confident children recall past experiences and are supported by staff to share these events or ideas in their learning. Children show a love of books and enjoy familiar stories. For example, after reading 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea', they pretend to have their own tea party and they delight in pouring water into various containers, adding herbs and herbal teas to give them a wonderful sensory experience.

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need to do better?

n Leaders are highly reflective of the quality of the care and education provided. They are dedicated to their roles and have clear intentions for children. Staff thread these curriculum goals effectively in what they teach children. Leaders provide staff with a programme of professional development and coaching that gives them clear direction to develop their skills and knowledge. Staff's well- being is given high priority. Staff comment that they feel well supported and the leadership team are open and supportive. n Leaders and staff are positive role models and know what children need to learn. They create an ambitious curriculum that supports children's curiosity, independence and understanding of the world. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development. However, although leaders monitor staff practice and help them to continually reflect, on occasion staff's questioning

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need to do better?

techniques and teaching are not consistently of the highest quality across the provision.

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need to do better?

23 April 2025 n Babies enjoy stimulating activities and staff support them well. Babies have their own dedicated space and garden. They move freely around, exploring the resources. Staff plan the environment well to enable babies to investigate a range of equipment to support their mobility skills, such as crawling and negotiating small equipment using steps and ramps. n Children develop their mathematical skills well. For example, they learn to use wooden blocks to learn about number sequencing and shapes. Staff model mathematical language throughout play to help children to consider how many more blocks they will need to match the numerals. This ensures children are developing good knowledge of numbers and shapes. n Staff provide good support to children in gaining a positive understanding of what makes them unique. Staff encourage children to learn about the similarities and differences of other people. Consequently, children learn to treat each other

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need to do better?

with respect. Leaders work closely with a wide range of external agencies to further support children with SEND. This ensures that children with SEND are provided with reasonable adjustments and are able to fully access the curriculum. n Children benefit from healthy snacks and meals. Staff use mealtimes to help develop children's independence skills. Staff guide children as they have a go at pouring their own drinks and serving their own food. Children demonstrate good manners and social skills, as they sit with their friends to eat. n Staff have developed strong partnerships with parents. Parents are delighted with the care their children receive and appreciate how much time children spend outside. They comment on the progress children make while at the nursery and the strong relationships children have with their key person. Staff share detailed information with parents about children's developmental progress,

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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 and embed consistency to enhance modelling of language, effective questioning techniques and further extend children's thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY464145 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 10395091 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 60 Number of children on roll 83 Name of registered person Willow Cottage Nurseries Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01865 865206 Date of previous inspection 22 August 2019

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Information about this early years setting

Willow Cottage Nursery (Farmoor) opened at this site in 1996 and re-registered in 2013 as a private limited company. The nursery is situated at Oxley's Farm, Farmoor, on the outskirts of Oxford. It operates weekdays from 7.40am until 5.45pm for 51 weeks of the year. The provider receives funding for the provision of free early education for children between the ages of nine months and four years. The provider employs 37 staff, 27 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications from level 2 to level 6.

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Inspection activities

n We carried out this inspection as a result of a risk assessment process, following information we received from the provider. n The inspector assessed how well leaders and staff understand and implement the setting's policies, and how they support children's learning. n The inspector observed activities in the three main base rooms and garden. She talked to staff about the progress individual children are making and what they want the children to learn. n The manager, deputy manager and the inspector completed a learning walk across all areas of the nursery to understand how the early years provision and the curriculum are organised. n A joint observation was carried out by the inspector and the deputy manager. The inspector observed interactions between staff and the children and the impact these have on children's learning. n The inspector reviewed relevant documentation, including the arrangements for

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Inspection activities

paediatric first-aid training. The inspector had a discussion with leaders about the evaluation of the setting and plans for improvement. n The inspector spoke to parents and children during the inspection and took account of their views.

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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

23 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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