The Blue Strawberry Kids Daycare Ltd

Inspection of The Blue Strawberry Kids Daycare Ltd 11 - 13 Beaucham Avenue, Leamington Spa CV32 5RD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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The provision requires improvement

Children develop positive relationships with warm and caring staff who play a crucial role in their development. Staff implement a thoughtful settling-in process that supports children's emotional readiness and encourages parental involvement, helping to build children's confidence. This approach allows children to form connections naturally without feeling overwhelmed, which fosters a sense of safety and security. All children engage in various planned activities, including sensory exploration with coloured rice, creating shapes with play dough and using glue to attach life-cycle pictures onto a flow chart. However, there are times when staff do not plan adequately for the individual learning needs of each child. Nonetheless, many children find enjoyment in activities that capture their interest.

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The provision requires improvement

Staff create a positive environment for children's play. However, their interactions with younger children are limited, and conversations are brief and lack depth. This hinders the development of a language-rich environment essential for improving children's communication and language skills.

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The provision requires improvement

Children typically demonstrate good behaviour and are often praised by staff for their achievements. However, at times, the behaviour of older children declines when staff members do not consistently support their active participation in activities. These inconsistencies lead to children becoming unsettled and losing interest in their learning.

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need to do better?

n Managers confidently discuss a well-structured curriculum based on children's interests and introduce regular topics to broaden children's experiences. Staff gather children's starting points from parents during settling-in visits and regularly assess progress using an early years foundation stage online tracker. This helps identify learning gaps and inform future planning. However, managers do not consistently monitor staff to ensure that learning is ambitious for all children to further develop their knowledge and skills. For example, some staff are not clear about what they want children to learn next to build on their existing knowledge. n Staff create a positive environment where children engage in play. For example, staff working with the older children help them to express their ideas, offering encouragement and support. However, there are areas for improvement in communication and language skills across the provision. For example, words

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need to do better?

such as 'stuck' and 'scoop' are used during play, and staff model new vocabulary and actions to enhance children's understanding. However, there is a noticeable limitation in meaningful interactions from some staff members across the provision.

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need to do better?

14 May 2025 n Staff engage children in early mathematical concepts and activities. For example, children count together to establish the day's date. They also collect numbered leaves from a basket, which helps them recognise and identify numbers. A staff member asks children to find a specific number and encourages their problem- solving skills. n Children discover the various habitats where minibeasts thrive through hands-on exploration in the large tray filled with loose parts, play dough and small-world insects. Children also learn to identify the appropriate weather symbols, understanding that on sunny and warm days they need to wear a sun hat and apply sun cream for their protection. This helps children understand the world around them and their own well-being. n Children are physically active and have plenty of opportunities to develop their muscles indoors and outdoors. They engage in activities such as threading pasta

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need to do better?

onto pipe cleaners, writing their names with pens and punching holes in leaves. Additionally, when building a train track, they select the correct pieces with a staff member guiding them to fit and match the components together. n The feedback from parents highlights a positive experience with the managers' approach to communication and parent partnerships. Many parents expressed appreciation for the clear communication regarding educational trips, planned activities and ways to reinforce learning at home. Additionally, the information shared about specific learning topics and trips, such as space and transportation, empowers parents to participate in their child's learning journey. n Staff have opportunities for training, including in-house and online courses to improve their knowledge of diverse teaching methods. However, managers do not utilise this fully during supervision meetings. While managers schedule staff

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need to do better?

supervision meetings to discuss the quality of education across the nursery, their role in identifying staff's professional learning needs is not clearly defined. As a result, they do not identify effectively the learning needs of staff that could raise the quality of teaching and consistency across the setting.

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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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Due date

14 May 2025 improve the effectiveness of staff supervision sessions to ensure that staff fully understand their roles and to provide them with ongoing support and coaching to boost their personal effectiveness. 06/10/2025

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should:

n support staff in identifying suitable next steps for children and plan a curriculum that will enhance children's existing knowledge and skills to facilitate their learning and development further n support staff in actively creating a language-rich environment and support children's communication and language skills even further n review how staff can consistently foster children's engagement and help them stay focused on their learning to encourage positive behaviour.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY376833 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10392456 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 144 Number of children on roll 118 Name of registered person The Blue Strawberry Kids Daycare Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 01926 886 900 Date of previous inspection 23 August 2019

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Information about this early years setting

The Blue Strawberry Kids Daycare Ltd registered in 2008. It is located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and is one of two nurseries managed by Blue Strawberry Kids Daycare Ltd. The nursery opens from 7.30am to 6pm from Monday to Friday all year round, except for bank holidays. The provider is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for eligible children. The provider employs 48 staff working directly with the children. Of these, five hold early years qualifications at level 6, 24 hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3, and three hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 2. There are 16 staff who are unqualified.

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Inspection activities

n The inspector viewed the provision and discussed the safety and suitability of the premises. n The manager and the 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 the nursery. n Staff spoke to the inspector during the inspection. 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 and the deputy manager carried out a joint observation of a communication and language activity. 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

14 May 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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