Blackberry House Day Nursery

Corby and Forest School

Unique reference number (URN): 2747670 Address: 2, The Nook, Corby, NN17 1XA Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 21/08/2023 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Blackberries Childcare (Corby) Limited

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children are developing a love of books, learning new words and becoming confident communicators. They recall parts of a story and confidently count how many flowers are in the book. Most children are achieving across the 7 areas of learning. They demonstrate a growing curiosity, resilience and exploration during their play. For example, younger children concentrate as they carefully pour water into holes with minimal spillage. This demonstrates the skills they have in their physical development.

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Achievement Expected standard

Generally, children gain the skills they will need for their eventual move on to school. Older children independently get themselves dressed for their outdoor play. They develop their motor skills effectively, building their strength and coordination on the equipment in the garden. Children who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities generally achieve well given their starting points. However, on occasions they are not supported sufficiently to ensure they are very well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders and staff are generally effective role models to children. They provide reassurance, praise and encouragement during children's play and learning. This helps to raise children's self-esteem and confidence as they develop a positive attitude to their learning. Children are caring and support their friends when they feel sad. This is shown when children bump themselves and other children give them cuddles to soothe their tears away.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders place a strong emphasis with parents of the importance of children's attendance from when they first start at the nursery. This is continually promoted, which encourages appropriate routines for children's education.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff are clear on most expectations for children, such as sleep routines. Embedded routines for tidying away toys are in place and younger children actively take part in these with enthusiasm. When children occasionally show behaviour that is not appropriate, staff are not always consistent in how they manage this in ways that are appropriate to children's ages and stages of development. For example, they do not divert babies to more purposeful activities or explain how older children's actions might lead to them hurting themselves.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff create a welcoming environment to help children feel safe and secure, which also supports their wellbeing. They work closely with parents to ensure all children's personal care routines and needs are respected and met appropriately. Younger children and babies are provided with individual clean bedding and comforters to help them settle to sleep quickly. Children are closely watched by staff, who carry out safer sleeping practices to support children's wellbeing and safety. When children awake, staff provide lots of reassurance and time for them to be ready for play again. Children build close and trusting relationships with the staff. They happily give and receive cuddles and are developing their confidence to explore their environment independently.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff sit with children during meals to support children's social skills and good eating habits. Clear routines, such as regular handwashing and healthy mealtimes, are well embedded in practice. Overall, most staff interact well with children to help them understand why such routines stop germs from spreading or how food promotes their good health. Children are supported well to develop their physical skills as they access the large outdoor play spaces in all weathers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders make sure staff provide a curriculum that is carefully thought out, covers the 7 areas of learning and supports children's learning and development. Children, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported by the staff. Occasionally, the same level of teaching is not consistent for all children.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, children's progress is carefully managed by the leaders. Staff provide children with time to explore by themselves and develop friendships. Older children practise building on their small-muscle development as they build with construction. Babies are helped by staff to develop their hand-eye coordination as they pick up coloured pom-poms and place these onto paper.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff engage with children and use appropriate teaching skills with them most of the time. However, at times, for example when children play in the forest school garden, staff do not support less-confident children to join in with their peers. This has the potential to limit the progress some children can make.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Some staff introduce mathematical language. They compare the sizes of the toy vehicles with children. Other staff help children to begin to recognise numbers during role-play activities with telephones, but they do not consistently interact with children to build or extend their mathematical development further.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff complete regular observations of children's play to identify any gaps in their learning. They plan activities, experiences and teaching to help narrow any gaps and support children's ongoing learning and development. However, practice is not yet consistently of high quality for those children who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders recognise the importance for their staff to get to know the children they care for from when they first start. Staff continue to share their knowledge of the children's learning and care needs with other staff to support them as they move from one room to the next to help them settle.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff work closely with other professionals to understand children's individual needs. For example, when children need extra support with their language development staff attend training. They work directly with speech therapists to aid children's speech and language skills further. Appropriate strategies are in place to target children's communication and language development. Children participate in small group sessions, where they develop their concentration and listening skills and expand on their range of vocabulary and correct pronunciation.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders show considerable dedication and commitment to providing high-quality care and education to children and their families. They are very reflective and actively seek to make improvements, such as further training and support for staff. Due to recent changes in staff and management, these are still being embedded. Consequently, some staff are not yet fully confident in their teaching and support for all children, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders complete regular appraisals with staff and check in on their wellbeing throughout each day. Staff comment they are proud of recent achievements, such as celebrating being voted as the best nursery within the company. This builds staff confidence, morale and self-esteem, which helps to create a positive environment for children to play in.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff develop positive relationships with parents and carers. Parents say they receive effective communication from the staff. They state their children are building positive relationships with other children, which contributes to developing their social skills. Leaders work well with outside agencies, and other settings that children attend, to be sure that as much information is available to staff as possible. This helps staff support children's ongoing development.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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Voluntary Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children arrive at this welcoming and friendly nursery with enthusiasm. Babies are greeted well by staff, who chat to parents about any information that is relevant. All children, including those with barriers to learning, settle quickly into their designated rooms. They happily explore a wide range of appropriate activities, resources and experiences. Staff plan these well for the age and stage of children's development. Generally, children are successfully preparing for the next stage in their learning.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Leaders are focused on providing children with high-quality care and education. Children are particularly supported to develop their physical skills with plenty of time outside in the fresh air. Younger children develop their core and large-muscle skills as they manoeuvre a large

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Inspectors:

Judith Rayner Alexandra Brouder ball up a slide. Older children enjoy exploring nature in the forest school garden. They use their imagination well as they pretend sticks are play characters from a familiar story book. Children dig in the mud and scoop up leaves. They talk to staff about making potions and hot chocolate. Children explain that the leaves are the chocolate and the mud is the milk. Babies show good developing large-muscle skills as they cruise around well-placed furniture and move up and over soft-play equipment.

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Inspectors:

Children build relationships with their friends as they learn to take turns and share toys during play activities. Older children work together to roll themselves over obstacles, guided by staff to ensure they do this safely. Staff generally use gentle reminders, such as 'kind hands', to help children learn about the nursery expectations and develop their social skills. Children are supported by staff to extend their range of vocabulary. Younger children recognise a frog in a story book and say, 'frog'. Staff praise the children saying, 'Yes, frog', to support their early speech and language development.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen staff practice to ensure there are consistent high-quality interactions across the setting, so all children make effective progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stage of learning. Leaders should ensure staff who work with children who are disadvantaged, or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, understand how to consistently support and break down barriers to their learning. Leaders should help staff to implement clear and consistent behavioural expectations and support children's understanding of these.

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About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Blackberries Childcare (Corby) Limited

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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