Rockwell House Day Nursery And Nursery School

Rockwell House Day Nursery And Nursery School

Unique reference number (URN): EY551926 Address: Wallingford Street, Wantage, OX12 8AZ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 06/09/2017 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries 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 happy and enjoy their time in the nursery. They explore a wide range of toys, resources and activities that spark their curiosity and support their independence. The 'Be Curious' approach helps children follow their interests, with staff building on these throughout the week to keep children motivated and engaged. Children feel confident and secure because core staff know them well and understand their starting points. Most staff speak confidently about children's development and provide experiences that help children to thrive.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children make progress from their different starting points and take part in varied experiences. Babies develop early physical and social skills through sensory play and close interactions. Toddlers build coordination as they ride bikes, make marks and explore natural materials. Older pre-school children speak confidently with staff and peers, sharing their ideas. They show progress by using a wider vocabulary and expressing themselves more clearly in conversations. Across the setting, children are settled, engaged and progressing well overall as expected within the curriculum. Their enthusiasm and willingness to explore show they feel safe, valued and ready for the next stage of learning, including school.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children behave well across the nursery and respond positively because staff give clear and consistent expectations. Warm, caring interactions and regular praise help children feel safe and understand what is expected of them. Children have strong relationships with staff. They show confidence, join in activities and feel comfortable exploring because they trust the adults who care for them.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Staff model respectful and kind behaviour, helping children learn to share, take turns and collaborate with their peers. Where younger children require additional reassurance, staff respond sensitively, supporting them to regulate their emotions and follow routines at a pace appropriate to their age and stage of development. Staff think about each child's age, stage of development and individual needs when helping them learn the nursery expectations.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning as they move confidently between activities, follow routines and respond well to staff guidance. They feel safe, settled and happy in the nursery environment. Leaders actively promote good attendance and punctuality, working with families to reinforce their importance. Staff encourage collaboration through group play and shared experiences, supporting early social development. However, some routines in the pre-school room are a little too rigid at times, which occasionally limits children's independence and ability to follow their interests.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment where secure, responsive relationships are at the heart of practice. Babies and children form strong attachments with their key persons, who know them well and provide warm, consistent care. This helps children feel confident, settled and ready to explore their environment. Staff are attentive to children's individual needs and routines, adapting sleeping, feeding and weaning arrangements so that each child is supported in a way that reflects their age, stage of development and home circumstances.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children access daily learning experiences that help them understand their bodies, develop independence and learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe overall. Hygiene practices are well embedded; staff model respectful care by seeking children's permission before wiping noses or changing nappies, which supports children's dignity and emotional security. Children enjoy meals offered to them that support a healthy and balanced diet. All children, even those from a young age, are encouraged to feed themselves and develop positive eating habits. Staff help children recognise and express their emotions through calm reassurance, offering comfort when needed. This enables children to regulate their emotions and build a secure sense of wellbeing. Throughout the nursery, all children are nurtured, supported and confident, showing that they feel safe and emotionally secure in the care of trusted adults.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand their team well and recognise where staff need further support. They maintain a clear overview of the quality of the curriculum and teaching and use this insight to guide improvement. Staff regularly observe children to understand their progress and adapt activities to support their development. Leaders also identify that some activities are not always planned or organised well enough to maximise learning. For example, sometimes, resources are not always set up purposefully for the children. Although staff understand the curriculum, the consistency and depth of their interactions vary, and leaders acknowledge the need to strengthen practice so that all children experience purposeful learning and high- quality teaching throughout the day.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is clear and typically delivered well. Activities are thoughtfully matched to children's developmental stages, ensuring learning and development requirements are met. Staff generally provide purposeful interactions to support communication and vocabulary effectively, although a small number need to develop confidence in modelling high-quality interactions and using open-ended questions. Babies' personal, social and emotional development is particularly well supported, helping them feel safe and content. Mathematical ideas are skilfully woven into play, such as when pre-school children learn about shapes and space by joining different shaped pieces together. All children enjoy regular outdoor play, where they build strength and coordination through games such as catch, exploring climbing apparatus and riding bikes around obstacles. Leaders' plans to further enhance the garden reflect their commitment to continuous improvement.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Children of all ages and abilities are warmly welcomed at the nursery. Leaders promote an inclusive culture where children's individual needs are identified, discussed and monitored effectively in partnership with parents. Staff support children who need extra help. Inclusion is a clear strength of the setting. Leaders have high expectations for all children and take purposeful action. They provide guidance to ensure there is a secure understanding of the graduated approach among the team. This helps to reduce barriers to learning. Staff use reflective practice to ensure every child can participate and make meaningful progress. This was evident in the toddler room, where staff successfully include children's home language within communication.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders monitor children's progress well and review support regularly to assess its impact. They act quickly to reduce any barriers that may affect children's learning or wellbeing through thoughtful adaptations, such as one-to-one support and creating smaller group times to help every child take part successfully. Staff speak positively about the training they receive, which strengthens their ability to meet children's needs. Leaders work constructively with families and external professionals to shape children's support, experiences and opportunities. They also understand how funding, including early years pupil premium, should be used to benefit children effectively. Key people generally know their children well; however, leaders recognise the need to strengthen the buddy system to build greater consistency.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the setting's strengths and the areas that require further development. They are highly visible within the nursery, and staff credit them for the positive support they provide for learning, wellbeing and professional development. Staff speak warmly about the leadership team and consistently describe feeling valued and well supported, which contributes to a motivated and positive workforce.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff's wellbeing and workload are considered carefully. Leaders promote an open culture, offer regular supervision and create opportunities for staff to share concerns or seek support. Safeguarding procedures are well understood, and appropriate action is taken when concerns arise. Professional development is prioritised, with recent training focused on strengthening the curriculum. Leaders have reviewed and strengthened monitoring systems for supervision to ensure a cohesive approach in line with company expectations. However, some aspects of these systems are still developing, and further work is needed to strengthen consistency across all rooms.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Relationships with parents are strong, and feedback is consistently positive. Families express confidence in the leadership team and in the quality of care and education their children receive. Staff maintain effective communication with parents and external agencies, using these partnerships to inform decisions and shape improvements that secure positive outcomes for all children. Although no children currently have identified special educational needs and/or disabilities, staff remain alert to emerging needs and work proactively with families and professionals where required.

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

Children are happy and feel safe in the nursery. They are warmly greeted by staff and settle quickly into welcoming base rooms with activities that reflect their interests and individual needs. Children of all ages and abilities engage well and enjoy age-appropriate experiences that prepare them for their next steps. Although no children are currently diagnosed with special educational needs and/or disabilities, leaders and staff monitor each child closely, including tracking patterns of attendance, and take early action to reduce any emerging barriers to learning or wellbeing. This ensures all children, including those who may be disadvantaged or face additional challenges, feel included, have a strong sense of belonging and make meaningful progress.

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

Children benefit from staff who are committed to supporting children's self-confidence in active learning. For example, they encourage and play with the children to help them build on their concentration skills, especially when exploring with crafts. Staff understand the areas of learning, and they have a developed a broad curriculum that is focused on developing children's curiosity and independence well overall. For example, children explore a wide range of sensory materials, such as exploring with fabrics in imaginative play, manipulating dough into animals and insects and transporting water. Children strengthen their finger muscles as they mould, stretch and sculpt dough, and as they scoop, pour and transport water. Their imaginations thrive while they use a variety of tools and talk about their creations, such as making a 'bee' from dough. Through water play, children build early mathematical skills as they explore concepts such as capacity, volume and quantity while

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

filling, emptying and comparing different containers.

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Address:

Wallingford Street Wantage OX12 8AZ Staff engage with children suitably throughout the nursery and support their listening skills as they talk with them about routines and activities. This, along with storytelling, helps children learn to listen attentively and respond appropriately. Children remain engaged and motivated in their learning. They form positive friendships and enjoy playing alongside and with one another. Overall, children demonstrate kind, cooperative behaviour. Leaders continue to reflect on practice and are refining systems to ensure greater consistency in high-quality interactions, as well as transitions and staff practice, further strengthening continuity and overall quality throughout the nursery.

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Next steps

Leaders should support staff to further develop their communication and language practice so high-quality interactions are modelled consistently across the provision. Leaders should support staff, specifically in the pre-school room, to adopt more flexible transitions to maintain engagement and smoother movement through the day. Leaders should strengthen the support offered to staff to ensure that high expectations, along with agreed policies and procedures, are consistently embedded across the nursery, helping to further improve the quality of provision.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and the designated safeguarding lead 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. Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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About this inspection

Registered person: Busy Bees Nurseries Limited

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About this inspection

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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