The Baby Cottage

The Baby Cottage

Unique reference number (URN): 2806840 Address: 5 Marsh Green, Wigan, WN5 0PT Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 03/09/2024 Registers: EYR Registered person: Dalton, Cheryl

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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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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have created a highly inclusive culture where every family is valued and every child is cherished. Leaders have an excellent understanding of children's individual circumstances. They understand how additional funding should be used to support the needs of individual children. Leaders use a well-established graduated approach to identify, assess and review emerging needs. Clear-assessment approaches enable staff to monitor children's progress, identify gaps in learning and evaluate the impact of support. Leaders are rigorous in reducing barriers to learning and wellbeing. They introduce thoughtful adaptations, such as the use of children's home languages and visual prompts. These strategies enable every child to participate fully.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are highly knowledgeable about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work relentlessly to secure the support that children need. Leaders seek timely advice from external professionals. They make referrals quickly when needed, such as to the speech and language team. Leaders go above and beyond to help families access additional support. This includes signposting families to the local family hub. Leaders carefully plan transitions, ensuring children's needs continue to be met at the next stage of their learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have a commitment to inclusion for all. Families receive practical and discreet support, such as care packages and home-learning resources. Parents and carers speak highly of the compassionate support they receive during times when they need it most. Children who experience disadvantage, including children who are known to social care, thrive at the nursery. They develop secure attachments with the nurturing staff and are supported to have the best possible start in life.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop the age-and-stage appropriate knowledge and skills they need for their next stage of learning. All children make typical progress from their starting points, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children who speak English as an additional language and those known to children's social care.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop increasing confidence in their communication and language. For example, children who speak English as an additional language use new vocabulary, such as naming colours during a mark-making activity. Children enjoy snuggling up with familiar adults to share stories in the cosy book areas. They point to pictures, help to turn the pages and listen intently.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children develop their mathematical understanding through purposeful play. For example, children work together to build a sandcastle outside. Children join in counting as they tap the bucket. They are exposed to mathematical language, such as 'empty' and 'full'. Children also remind one another to 'take turns'. These experiences help children to develop positive relationships as they share resources and play collaboratively.

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Achievement Expected standard

Babies develop increasing strength and coordination as they explore sensory resources. They are supported by enthusiastic adults to pull, twist and push the buttons. Children climb and balance over large outdoor equipment with growing confidence. Parents and carers recognise the progress their children make. They describe the team's 'genuine excitement and pride' when celebrating new milestones.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Leaders have established expectations for children's behaviour and attitudes. Practitioners understand children's individual needs. They use familiar routines to help develop positive attitudes to learning. They adapt their approaches so that children of different ages and stages are supported to participate fully. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who experience barriers to learning. However, agreed approaches are not consistently applied by all adults. For example, these include routines such as transition cues, tidy-up time and reinforcing good manners. This means children do not always receive the clear teaching of routines and expectations needed to develop their independence and understanding of positive behaviour.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard

Children develop warm, trusting relationships with familiar adults. They confidently seek reassurance when needed and receive nurturing support that helps them regulate their emotions and feel secure. Practitioners model kindness, respect and positive interactions with each other. This creates a calm and respectful environment where children feel safe. Adults are positive role models, supporting children to learn how to treat others with care and consideration. As a result, children develop positive relationships and develop their social skills. Adults use lots of praise for positive behaviour. Children are encouraged to share, take turns and show kindness towards others. Leaders promote the importance of attendance. They work sensitively with families to establish routines that prepare children for their next stage in learning.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children are cared for in a safe and welcoming environment. Leaders have policies and procedures in place to support children's health, safety and care. Children are typically supported to develop self-care routines, such as washing their hands and feeding themselves at mealtimes. Staff generally understand their responsibilities and leaders share key expectations with the team. However, leaders do not rigorously monitor how well these procedures are reflected in everyday practice. As a result, some expectations are not always reinforced in the same way. This does not consistently support children to develop long lasting, healthy habits.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders promote the importance of healthy eating with families. They actively reduce barriers by providing a variety of nutritious snacks. Children have daily opportunities for outdoor learning, which supports their physical health and wellbeing. Children who experience additional barriers to wellbeing receive thoughtful support. Leaders provide care packages, a discreet food bank and a lending library to support families and children at home.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard

Children receive gentle, caring and responsive support from adults who know them well. Practitioners provide nurturing care and encourage children to develop independence. Personal care routines are handled sensitively. Sleep routines are carefully considered. Babies and children rest in safe, cosy and calm spaces. This supports their wellbeing and helps them to feel safe. Children develop secure relationships with familiar adults and seek comfort when needed. Adults support children's emotional wellbeing through cuddles, warm facial expressions and calm voices. As a result, children feel secure, valued and loved.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching across the nursery. They reflect on practice and identify where improvements can be made. The curriculum is clear across all areas of learning and development. Leaders and practitioners know what children need to know and be able to do. Knowledge and skills are sequenced to support children's ages and stages. Practitioners prioritise children's communication and language. They model language, sing songs and read stories. A borrowing library provides the opportunity for families to share book at home. Leaders are planning on visiting the local library. These experiences develop a love for reading.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is an entitlement for every child. Practitioners adapt their teaching effectively to meet children's individual needs, and address barriers to learning and wellbeing, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Assessment is used well to identify gaps in learning, inform next steps and ensure that children receive appropriate support and challenge. Practitioners provide resources that reflect different families and cultures. However, leaders do not provide opportunities for children to learn about a wider range of cultures, religions and traditions, beyond those currently represented in the nursery. This means that children do not develop a secure understanding of similarities, differences and what makes people unique.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the nursery's strengths. They use self-evaluation to identify areas for development, including sustainability across the provision. Leaders understand the needs of the children who attend and the local community. They are ambitious for children and have created a welcoming environment where families feel valued. Leaders have made thoughtful and strategic decisions about the nursery's provision. They have recently focused on a smaller age range to provide experiences that are well matched to children's ages and stages of development. Parents speak highly of the care, communication and support they receive. Leaders work closely with families and other professionals to ensure that children receive the help they need. Transitions are planned carefully, with information shared effectively to support children's next stages of learning. Leaders also place importance on staff wellbeing. There is an open culture, where practitioners feel supported to ask questions

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders provide opportunities for professional development and ensure that staff complete statutory training. They have expertise in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling staff to meet children's individual needs effectively. However, leaders do not evaluate practice sharply enough to identify the areas where professional development will have the greatest impact. As a result, leaders do not always identify and address smaller inconsistencies in practice. This means that children do not always benefit from consistent high-quality practice. Leaders demonstrate the passion and commitment to build on the nursery's many strengths and continue improving the quality of provision.

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

Children arrive happily and quickly settle into the warm and nurturing routines of the setting. They enjoy a wide range of engaging experiences that spark their curiosity and build on what they already know and can do. Children of different ages learn successfully alongside one another. They are all included in familiar group routines. For example, they show anticipation and excitement as they each choose nursery rhymes from a bag. Older children develop their vocabulary by naming the pictures and enjoy singing songs. Babies dance and babble as they join in alongside their friends. Children who experience barriers to learning or wellbeing make excellent progress from their starting points. For example, children who speak English as an additional language become increasingly confident communicators. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and children who are known to children's social care, develop the confidence and security they need to participate fully in

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

Children develop secure relationships and feel valued as individuals. They seek comfort and reassurance when needed and receive warm, nurturing care from the adults. This results in children feeling safe to explore and enjoy learning alongside their friends. All children are fully included in all parts of the day. They learn to share resources and play collaboratively. For example, children explore large pipettes in the water tray together, squeezing water into containers. Families are welcomed as valued partners in children's learning and wellbeing. Parents describe the staff as, 'caring, patient and attentive'.

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

Children flourish in this calm and caring environment. They show positive attitudes to learning, confidently exploring new experiences and showing curiosity. Their achievements are celebrated, encouraging them to persevere and keep trying. Children typically show independence through everyday routines. They make choices, wash their hands with support and explore the inviting resources. They feel safe, and are learning to regulate their emotions through warm, nurturing interactions with familiar adults. This helps them to build resilience and develop the confidence they need for the next stage of their learning.

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 16:00

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to evaluate all aspects of practice and help staff to do this too, to more thoroughly outline areas for improvement and raise the quality of practice to a consistently higher level. Leaders should broaden children's understanding of the wider world, ensuring children experience a wider range of cultures, religions, traditions and family experiences beyond those currently represented in the setting.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners, the special educational needs coordinator 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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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. 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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