Willow Day Nursery

Willow Day Nursery

Unique reference number (URN): 2819738 Address: 2A High Street, Dodworth, South Yorkshire, S75 3RF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/01/2025 Registers: EYR Registered person: Willow Day Nursery Ltd

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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 Strong standard

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, make sustained progress from their starting points, in all areas of learning. Children develop the knowledge and skills they require for their next stage of learning. Teachers from local schools visit the setting, and children's progress is shared with them as well as with parents and carers. All children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Achievement Strong standard

Children revisit learning, such as the focus book that they see and hear each day. Children with educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, recall sections of the story and anticipate the next words in the book. This repetition ensures that learning is embedded, and strengthens children's communication and language skills. Babies join in with singing time, copying actions confidently, while listening to familiar songs and rhymes, developing children's love for singing and early language skills. Older children develop independence during hand washing and toileting routines. Children's achievements are celebrated and shared by everyone, developing children's self-esteem and ensuring they become confident learners. Children receive explicit praise from staff at every opportunity.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and this is consistently well promoted. This ensures that all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who face barriers to their learning know what is expected of them. Mealtimes at the setting are a social event, where all children eat together. This enables older children to show younger ones how they use their cutlery and manners, being excellent role models.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders and staff build secure bonds with children, which ensure children feel safe and secure in their environment. Staff are skilled at adapting routines to meet the needs of all children. For example, when it is time to transition indoors from outdoor play, staff shift the focus and explain that they are going to read a story. This excites children and they line up straight away when asked. Routines within the setting are embedded and children know what comes next. When asked what they need to do before teatime, children state they need to tidy up and wash their hands. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers to follow routines from home.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Children are highly focused and enjoy learning, spending long periods of time in each area, engaged in activities. Leaders promote children's attendance and this is robustly monitor with any absence being followed up immediately.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and staff ensure that children have a deep sense of belonging. Children have secure attachments with the staff and leaders. Staff treat children with the upmost respect, which leads to children treating each other with the same respect and warmth. Younger children gently cuddle each other as a sign of affection, and the layout of the setting enables siblings to see each other to say hello during the day. Leaders and staff encourage children to talk about their feelings. Staff are very proactive at managing children's emotions and recognise when children need support. Children can access a quiet reading area with staff, if they need time to regulate their feelings, promoting emotional security. Leaders and staff work in partnership with families to adapt to the changing needs of children. Routines within the setting are adapted to ensure there is consistency between home and nursery. Families

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

speak very highly of leaders and staff, and the care and support that they offer.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Children enjoy nutritious food, and staff use mealtimes as a learning opportunity, talking about how healthy food makes us strong, for instance. They talk about the need to drink lots of water and children are aware that during warmer weather they need to drink more. There are clear procedures in place to support children with specific dietary requirements. Mealtimes are a social event, and younger children are encouraged to independently feed themselves, receiving clear praise from staff to encourage them.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders and staff have very high expectations of all children. Teaching is of consistently high quality and purposeful. Staff use every occasion as a learning opportunity and skilfully question children to extend their thinking and develop their knowledge. For instance, when children are looking at a jigsaw puzzle, staff discuss the animal on the jigsaw and whether it is a leopard, a cheetah or a jaguar. They then talk about the differences between these, giving children the opportunity to share their knowledge of the different animals.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is thoroughly embedded within the setting and staff have a deep understanding of children's development needs and their next steps in learning. For example, staff working with babies understand the skills that children require to be able to feed themselves. They offer babies opportunities to fill and empty in the sand, squeeze water from sponges and use stacking cups, to develop coordination and control, skills that they require to enable self-feeding. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning are supported with the use of individual support plans, ensuring teaching is specifically targeted to meet their individual needs.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Staff use every opportunity to teach mathematics. Children use mathematical phrases confidently, for instance, when looking at 2 teddy bears, children state that they are the same size. Children sit together to read a book, looking closely at the pages and asking questions about the story. Staff use these opportunities to discuss similarities and differences. Children ask 'what is on their ear?', when they see a character in the book wearing a hearing aid. Staff explain what it is, giving an appropriate explanation as to why some people have hearing aids, explaining that everyone is different.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, quickly, due to robust monitoring systems. Leaders and staff work in partnership with parents and carers when children start at the setting, gaining knowledge of children's starting points. Through close and precise monitoring of children's progress and the use of individual support plans, staff adapt their curriculum to meet individual children's needs. They break learning down into smaller steps. For example, staff use single words to begin with, then add a second word to this, then a third, such as ball, red ball, big red ball. Leaders are confident in referring to external agencies for support and work closely with them to ensure that all children make rapid progress. Leaders are reflective on practice and provide support to the staff, this ensures that children are

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Inclusion Strong standard

continuously receiving the best possible learning opportunities.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff have a robust knowledge of the children attending and their families and are committed to ensuring that all children make the best possible progress. Staff confidently understand children's development and are aware that children who are known or previously known to social care may have had different experiences and need more support. Leaders and staff are skilled at having sensitive conversations with parents. Leaders accurately monitor the use of any additional funding, using children's interests and staff training needs as a key indicator, to ensure that children are fully supported by a knowledgeable team.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are very passionate about their role and have a clear vision for the setting. They accurately identify their strengths and areas for development. Staff benefit from regular effective supervisions, and leaders ensures actions set are followed up. Leaders ensure that staff's workload is manageable and regularly check in on their wellbeing. Leaders supports staff's development and source training that is appropriate for their level of knowledge, ensuring staff remain highly skilled. Staff share that leaders are approachable and supportive. Leaders regularly reflect on practice to continuously drive improvement. A recent change within the curriculum for the youngest children is already embedded in practice, even after a short period of time, due to the dedication of leaders and staff. Leaders review children's progress on a regular basis to ensure that all children are making rapid progress.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders are very clear about their role within the setting. Leaders take a hands-on approach within the setting, setting an example for staff and modelling best practice. Partnerships with families are positive and supportive. Leaders offer regular opportunities for families to discuss children's development and offer support when needed. Leaders build relationships with families that enable very effective communication. Leaders treat every family and child as individuals.

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

Children arrive at the setting eager to greet the staff and their peers. They are welcomed into a nurturing environment by an experienced team. Children settle into their day and quickly become engrossed in their learning. Leaders and staff have high expectations of all children within the setting. There is a robust monitoring system in place for children's learning and development. This ensures that all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning, make rapid progress. Leaders closely monitor children's attendance, and promote the importance of this to parents and carers.

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

The youngest children confidently explore their environment and staff support them in developing all of their senses by offering a wide range of learning opportunities. Babies explore the water, filling and emptying, then have opportunity to repeat these skills when putting objects in and out of containers. Staff expertly question children to develop their thinking and communication and language skills, deepening their understanding. Staff use children's interests to engage them in mark making and encourage them to talk about what they are drawing. Children are excited to share their learning with adults, and this is celebrated by all.

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

Children are very well prepared for their next stage of learning. Staff support children through the seamless transition process, both within the setting and when transitioning to school, ensuring children remain confident in their new environment. Children have access to an outdoor play space, that they confidently explore. For instance, there are opportunities for children to develop physical skills, practising balancing on logs as they step or jump between them. Children are keen to help each other. For example, when outdoors, they discover that a book has fallen behind the playhouse, and work as a team to retrieve it. Leaders and staff have developed secure relationships with parents and carers, who speak very highly of the setting. They are fully informed of children's progress and next steps, through termly parent meetings and daily conversations with staff.

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Next steps

Leaders should sustain their robust self-evaluation processes to ensure continual improvement and high standards and focus on creating a transformational impact on outcomes for all children.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, special educational needs coordinators, designated safeguarding leads, children, parents and carers during the inspection.

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Address:

2A High Street Dodworth South Yorkshire S75 3RF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Willow Day Nursery Ltd

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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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0 to 4

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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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

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

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