Mini Malvern Nursery

Mini Malvern Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2803177 Address: The Downs Malvern, Brockhill Road, Malvern, WR13 6EY Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Malvern College

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

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff plan consistent routines, which children confidently follow. Children are happy, and they build secure attachments with key members of staff. Leaders recognise the importance of developing warm, positive relationships between staff and children. They ensure that buddy systems are in place to support children's smooth transitions into nursery and between different rooms. This means that children are always supported by familiar adults who know and can attend to their individual needs.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff are positive role models and have consistently high expectations for children's behaviour. They encourage children to share and demonstrate kindness to others. This supports children to learn to play harmoniously with their peers. Children consistently demonstrate positive behaviour and attitudes to learning across the nursery. Leaders and staff set high standards and offer praise and reward to children. Babies are happy to share photos of their families and objects from their home with their friends. When there are instances where children are reluctant to share a ride-on toy, staff are swift in teaching the importance of learning to compromise and share resources. This leads to children learning and understanding the needs of others.

p.2

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders promote positive partnerships with parents. This encourages effective communication between parents and staff. They communicate effectively about children's attendance, and parents update staff on key events that take place in children's lives. This enables children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who face barriers to their learning, to establish positive routines.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff identify children's needs quickly and accurately. They work closely with families to determine children's starting points and share their initial assessments of children's development. This helps them to create individual play plans for children, with targets that are specific to their learning needs. Parents know what their children's unique targets are and how they can support their children at home. This is shared via the nursery app and is displayed in the setting for parents to see when they are at the nursery. Nursery leaders and staff ensure that they work in collaboration with a variety of outside agencies to support individual children. They identify and implement strategies to enhance children's learning experiences. This makes a sustained difference to outcomes for children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or with other barriers to their

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively to make skilful adjustments to the learning environment and to support children's precise needs. For instance, they purchase resources to support children's physical development and spatial awareness. Leaders ensure that all children are celebrated as unique individuals. They promote diversity throughout the nursery and support the development of different languages. For instance, older children learn to

p.2

Expected standard

speak French. These actions have a positive impact on children's achievement and wellbeing.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, generally make effective progress from their starting points. They learn to develop independence skills, such as feeding themselves and pouring their own drinks. They learn about hygiene and practise washing their hands with soap and running water at a sink, starting in the baby room. Older children prepare themselves for outdoor activities by dressing themselves in their waterproof clothing. Children take part in group activities that increasingly develop their listening and attention skills. They develop their speech and vocabulary through conversation with their peers and adults in the room. Children tune into sounds in the environment, beginning to name what they can hear. Older children begin tuning into the sounds that they can hear in words. This helps them to recognise their name and supports early reading skills.

p.3

Achievement Expected standard

Children develop physically through opportunities to climb on outdoor equipment and explore ways of moving on ride-on toys. They learn to manage risks as they practise travelling down the ramp, avoiding obstacles in their way. Children develop strength in their hands and fingers as they learn how to squeeze water in and out of water play resources. They take part in activities where they can develop their patience and concentration as they take turns to pass paper around a circle, using only pegs to transfer it to the next person. This promotes children's finger strength to enhance their early writing skills.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are celebrated as individuals at this caring nursery. Leaders and staff get to know children and families very well and typically build positive relationships that promote children's welfare and wellbeing. Leaders promote partnership working with other agencies to ensure that those children with special needs and/or disabilities receive support that enables them to make progress from their starting points. Staff work collaboratively with specialist advisers to create individual learning plans for children and adapt the learning environment or activities to promote inclusive learning opportunities.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders understand the importance of working with other settings that children also attend. They share key information, including details about children's development. This partnership working promotes children's wellbeing.

p.3

Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff teach children about how to live healthy lifestyles. They learn about positive hygiene by washing their hands before every meal. All children learn to wash their hands in an age-and- stage appropriate way. At mealtimes, children receive healthy, balanced and nutritious food that meets their individual requirements. Leaders and staff ensure that they find out all updates to children's individual weaning and dietary needs to maintain children's safety. This means that children's food is prepared in a way that is appropriate for their age and stage of development. Children choose between a variety of fresh fruit at snack times and use tongs to select and transfer it to their plates.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have created an inclusive curriculum that is designed to respond to children's individual needs and interests. The curriculum typically meets the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or those with barriers to their learning. Leaders recognise that each child has different early experiences. They understand the importance of building on these and offering opportunities for children to explore the natural environment and gather first-hand experiences. Children learn about the different wildlife that live within the grounds and how they can care for them. Although children are typically exposed to a variety of different learning experiences, teaching is not yet consistent across the nursery. This means that teaching is not always adapted in the moment in response to children's emerging thinking and to allow children to excel in their

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff plan a curriculum that prepares all children, including those with SEND, for the next stage in their education. They explore numbers and develop their counting skills each morning by counting how many children are in that day. They learn to record information and begin forming numbers to represent the correct number of children. Younger children listen to staff and join in with counting as they transfer fruit onto their plates.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills at the nursery. Staff communicate with children throughout the day, supporting them with the development of their language and vocabulary. Staff shares stories with babies. They encourage children to explore the textures of objects on different pages and talk to them about how it feels. Children begin to name different characters that they see, and staff offer gentle praise for their contributions.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are responsive and caring towards the needs of staff and children that are part of their learning community. They help children to settle and communicate effectively with parents about children's development. Leaders work collaboratively with schools to establish systems that support smooth transitions for children. Leaders value the importance of joint working and embrace opportunities to share in learning opportunities. For instance, pre- school children routinely take part in activities with Reception-age children from the school, such as weekly visits to the on-site forest area. This offers children the opportunity to get to know staff from the school and to experience learning with their older peers.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders reflect on practice to evaluate their priorities for development. They have procedures in place for the supervision of staff and recognise that they could improve this further to offer more targeted support. Leaders have high ambitions for children and have high standards of care and education. They recognise that teaching is not yet fully embedded throughout the nursery. Leaders take action to ensure that staff feel valued. Staff talk positively about the care and compassion of the leadership team. They share that they have opportunities to discuss their career aspirations and to complete routine training.

p.4

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

Children arrive happily at this nurturing nursery. They are warmly greeted by their key person and choose to take part in activities or join the breakfast table. Children practise positive hygiene routines by washing their hands before every meal. They demonstrate confidence in their self-help skills as they feed themselves. Children settle well into the familiar nursery routines and demonstrate a positive sense of belonging. Children build trusting relationships with key members of staff. This helps them to develop their confidence and feel safe.

p.5

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

Families are warmly welcomed into the nursery and are provided with regular communication about their child's development and learning needs. This helps parents to support children's individual targets at home. Children make swift progress from their starting points. They take part in activities that promote their interests and learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning receive support to help them to make progress in line with their peers. Young children are excited to share photos of their families with their friends, and they talk about people and pets that are special to them. This promotes the development of children's communication and language and social skills. This helps to prepare them for the next stage of their learning journey.

p.5

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

Children engage in activities with their friends and explore resources and activities outdoors. They explore water play, where they learn how to transfer water using different resources. Children practise balancing along stepping stones, with the support of staff. Older children explore the forest area, where they visit the pigs with their newborn piglets and listen to the sounds of the guinea fowl as they forage in the school grounds. Children learn about life cycles. They observe ducklings as they grow and develop and visit them regularly on the duck pond. These experiences support children in learning about the world around them.

p.5

Next steps

Leaders should strengthen monitoring of staff's practice to identify areas for development and provide targeted coaching and training to ensure consistently high-quality teaching and interactions throughout the day

p.5

Address:

The Downs Malvern Brockhill Road Malvern WR13 6EY

p.6

Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

p.6

Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00

p.6

Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. Leaders should strengthen teaching so that staff consistently adapt interactions in the moment to build on children's emerging thinking and to allow them to excel in their learning and development.

p.6

About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and parents 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. This data is from 2 June 2026

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. 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.8

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.8

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