St Francis Nursery

St Francis Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2746355 Address: St. Francis' College, Broadway, LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY, SG6 3PJ Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 07/09/2023 Registers: EYR Registered person: St Francis College Limited

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.1

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.

p.1

Achievement Strong standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make progress from their starting points. Children demonstrate high levels of resilience and independence and a willingness to have a go. Where minor conflicts occur during play, older children use their communication skills to address these. Younger children also use their communication skills as they call on the help of familiar adults. Children develop their turn- taking skills. Younger children enjoy building towers together, taking it in turns to add one block each. These skills prepare children well for their transition to school.

p.2

Achievement Strong standard

Children develop a love of reading and, alongside this, strong communication and language skills. Older children engage in conversations with each other and adults. They demonstrate the ability to engage in back-and-forth dialogue well. They eagerly talk about their desire to visit the library to choose a new book to look at. Children of all ages engage in puzzles, showing high levels of concentration and perseverance. Where pieces do not fit straight away, children take time to twist and wiggle these into place.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children benefit from commonly understood expectations for behaviour. They behave extremely well. Where younger children experience minor conflicts during play, they verbally seek out adults for support. Expectations for those who face barriers to learning are adapted based on their individual needs but remain ambitious for all. Where children have been playing with the sand, they are encouraged to sweep any fallen sand up off the floor. All children, including those who face barriers to learning, spontaneously use the dustpan and brush to sweep the sand up throughout the play session, showing embedded routines and expectations.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff and children have good relationships. Children seek out adults through the day to engage in conversations and involve adults in their play. Staff are skilled in finding a balance between playing alongside the children and supporting children to develop skills for collaborative play. During a role-play kitchen game, staff model play and give ideas to further children's thinking. When play is flowing, they step back. They stay close by to support any escalating conflicts should they occur, but leave the children to manage minor conflicts and continue the game among themselves.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders support punctuality and attendance for children effectively. Robust systems are in place and any non-attendance is followed up on immediately. Leaders are mindful of the demands of working parents. They strive to achieve a daily routine that supports as many families as possible. For example, an early breakfast supports working parents to know their children will have the opportunity for a balanced meal at the start of their day.

p.2

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children confidently express their feelings to staff during the day. When they are feeling tired, children ask for an audio story. They enjoy listening to this alongside their friends. Children eagerly approach staff to share their thoughts and initiate conversations. They show off their work proudly, relishing the praise of their familiar adults.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff demonstrate that they are highly skilled in supporting children's learning alongside considering their wellbeing. They find a balance between moments of silence and narration during play in order to not overwhelm children. Where children with known barriers to learning struggle to engage in activities, they settle at the sand pit. They benefit from a moment of silence. Staff observe as the children watch the sand fall from their hands and run their fingers through it. It is a calm, relaxing moment. This supports children with barriers to learning to develop their skills in self-regulation.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children benefit from healthy meals that take into account allergies, intolerances and preferences. Staff encourage children to make healthy choices. At snack, children choose pieces of fruit from a fruit platter. During play, older children roleplay being at a restaurant. Children make balanced choices when they order their pretend food, asking for 'water, broccoli and a little bit of pizza'. Children are taught to take account of their own safety. When water is spilled on the floor, staff support children to clean this up. They go on to explain how water can be slippery. Children consistently show high levels of safety when walking between different areas of the nursery. They follow the adult and listen to instructions intently.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all children, including those who face barriers to learning. Well-planned ongoing assessment supports staff to understand children's current abilities and ensure they are not limiting expectations for any children. Children develop skills in collaborative play and are understanding of their friends' needs.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Younger children show confidence in communicating their thoughts. They happily show off their T-shirts on arrival and confidently invite their friends to play with them. Staff are excellent role models for the behaviour they want to see. They regularly praise children and offer kind words. Because of this, children develop a positive sense of self. They are kind to their friends during play.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

There is a prioritisation of physical development. Children take part in physical education lessons, dance and swimming to develop their gross motor skills. Skills are carefully sequenced from younger groups to older groups. Younger children enjoy using their fine motor skills to squeeze water into pipettes. Older children develop these skills further by making careful marks on paper.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Mathematics is woven into the continuous provision provided. While playing in the messy tray, staff model language around shape, space and measure as they look at big and small and comment on the tall grass. Older children enjoy playing with number puzzles independently, counting the number of objects and matching this to the corresponding numeral.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders create an inclusive environment where all children's needs are met. Early years pupil premium funding is effectively used to close any gaps for those facing disadvantage. Children's emerging needs are identified accurately. Targeted interventions, informed by a range of professionals, are implemented quickly. At this setting, support extends beyond the individual child. Leaders consider any impact on parents, siblings or peers and offer further support or signposting to external professionals. They work tirelessly to ensure referrals, such as education, health and care plans, are made in a timely manner to ensure children access the right support at the right time. This supports a smooth transition to school.

p.4

Inclusion Strong standard

Effective communication between staff means that interventions are consistently implemented. Where children struggle to safely access group swimming lessons, staff adapt the timetable to facilitate individualised lessons. They use a graduated approach to teach the skills needed for children to safely re-join the group lessons. Because of this, all children benefit from developing these important skills while also enjoying the social experience of learning alongside their peers. Parents speak incredibly highly of the support that they receive from staff and leaders. They comment that because of the considerate interventions, their children can learn alongside their peers, and they do not feel that any barriers to learning hold their children back from achieving anything they want to.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are proactive and highly motivated to maintain a high-quality early years setting. The appointment of a new leader since the registration visit has contributed to a strengthened approach to supporting families of children who face barriers to learning. Parents comment on the high level of support offered by the setting. They benefit from timely referrals and signposting to external services. Leaders take advantage of their place within a wider nursery group and use this to share best practice. They are now looking to take this further and aim to share their high-quality inclusive practice with other local settings, supported by the local authority. There are plans in place for the setting to begin hosting cluster meetings, focusing on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as taking part in a case study on inclusion.

p.4

Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders engage in regular supervision and wellbeing check-ins with staff. This supports them to know each staff member as an individual. Leaders strategically deploy staff, taking into account their interests and strengths. Thoughtful induction processes aim to ensure newer staff feel confident in their role before they begin formal qualifications. These processes support leaders to identify minor inconsistencies in newer staff's practice and take steps to address these quickly. Training opportunities are regularly reviewed. Leaders strive to offer a wide range of courses to support staff to develop their interests and close any gaps in their knowledge. Staff speak highly of the leadership team. They comment that their wellbeing is very well supported.

p.4

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

Children show that they are supported to be curious and independent learners at this nursery. They consistently access well-thought-out and engaging activities supported by kind and caring staff members. The broad curriculum includes a host of opportunities, including dance lessons, swimming, forest school and music. Leaders prioritise offering a wide range of activities to children to allow them to explore their interests, discover new ones and determine their best way of learning. This supports children when they move on to future learning, including school.

p.5

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

Promoting children's positive sense of self is a priority for staff and leaders. Interests and celebrations from home are regularly incorporated into the weekly planning, celebrating all children and their cultures. In the setting, staff regularly celebrate children's achievements and work hard to encourage their self-esteem. As a result of this, older children put on a show for adults. They confidently show off a dance routine that they have been working on. They relish the praise received from adults. Younger children spend time making play dough 'food' in the role-play kitchen. They approach adults to show off their pancakes and smile as they receive praise for this.

p.5

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

Children are very well prepared for school, including those that may require additional support. Children learn the skills to play independently as well as collaboratively with others. Staff take time to get to know each child and to learn their interests and motivations. Staff work closely with a range of local schools, including making contact with their special educational needs coordinators. Care plans, targeted interventions and timely referrals to specialist professionals mean that all children transition to school with the required support to allow them to thrive.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain their work to ensure continued improvement and high standards. They should focus on creating a transformational impact on the outcomes and experiences of disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing.

p.5

Address:

St. Francis' College Broadway LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY SG6 3PJ

p.6

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Registered person: St Francis College Limited

p.6

Address:

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

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

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

p.6

About this inspection

The inspectors spoke with leaders, staff, the special educational needs coordinator and the nominated individual during the inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

Exceptional

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

p.7

Strong standard

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Needs attention

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

p.7

Urgent improvement

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

p.7

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.

p.7

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Urgent improvement

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

p.8