Dovedale Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are incredibly well supported at this inspiring setting.

They settle quickly and become confident and independent explorers. An extremely passionate and dedicated staff team creates a calm, nurturing and stimulating environment where children thrive. Staff have remarkably high expectations for children's learning.

They consistently set challenges and encourage independence from a young age. Staff know children very well. They effortlessly follow children's interests and help them to develop a highly established sense of belonging and emotional stability.

The exciting environments, both indoors ...and outside, are organised to provide children with outstanding experiences across all areas of learning. Children are able to freely choose where to play. They are highly engaged in activities from the exceptionally well-planned and individualised curriculum.

Children's behaviour is exceptional. The setting's behaviour coordinator is highly trained and supported by the leadership team. Together, they lead staff to guide children to understand emotions.

Staff consistently teach behavioural expectations by using story characters. These characters, such as 'Elsa the elephant', are learning to follow rules, such as sharing, taking turns and using kind words. The stories are taught in all rooms, and children gain a strong understanding of the concepts.

Through this, children learn vital behaviour and social skills for future learning, and for building friendships.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

The management team has high expectations and fosters a culture of self-reflection. The team seeks advice and feedback, creating plans for improvements.

The manager hosts regular parent forums and attends meetings with other managers in the area. As a result, the nursery provides the highest standards of care and education.Routines and transitions are managed extremely well.

Room leaders are confident and delegate jobs effectively. Staff support leaders, using their initiative. Routines are understood by children.

As a result, children calmly tidy up rooms and follow instructions.Observation and assessment systems are highly effective. Staff assess children's progress regularly.

They work closely with the manager, assessing how best to support children. The 'Pyjama Drama' company provides group sessions and support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, all children are well supported.

Snack and mealtimes are exciting social experiences. Staff interactions are incredible. They engage children in sharing experiences and opinions.

Older children are encouraged to put waste into the bin, and food is served on plates similar to those at school. As a result, children gain maximum learning, ready for school.Teaching standards are outstanding and staff are clear about learning intentions.

They set challenges and link activities. For example, an activity using real food to make meals is linked to mark making in the ice-cream shop. A child is encouraged to create the orders she has written down.

Learning is extended to discuss smells, textures and tastes. As a result, children develop deep understanding and strong imagination.Rooms for younger children have environments rich in language.

Staff model and repeat sounds, words and phrases, letting children take the lead. As a result, babies experiment with sounds and toddlers learn new words and phrases rapidly. Consistency across the nursery results in children becoming confident communicators.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is confident and knowledgeable. She is proactive in reporting concerns and creating care plans. The SENCo works closely with the local authority and schools to ensure smooth transitions and support are in place.

As a result, children with SEND are settled and make pleasing progress.Visiting students from the on-site college are strongly valued and supported. They offer fresh ideas and energy to the nursery.

Students receive outstanding examples of provision, which they adopt in their practice. As a result, teaching and interactions remain outstanding across the nursery.Staff welfare is a high priority.

Staff have regular supervision sessions with the manager, who swiftly puts support in place. She is proactive in researching sector-wide issues and is aware of current difficulties that staff face. As a result, staff are understood and feel well supported and valued.

Partnerships with parents are superb. Parents appreciate the regular communication with the nursery. They are knowledgeable about their children's development, reporting that their children settle quickly and enjoy nursery.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are highly knowledgeable of their safeguarding responsibilities to keep children safe. They are confident in their understanding of safeguarding principles and safety on site.

The setting has stringent processes for reporting safeguarding concerns, both within the setting and beyond, when needed. Staff's understanding of wider safeguarding aspects, such as the 'Prevent' duty, are strong, and staff know the possible signs to look out for. Thorough risk assessments of areas and the extra security in place ensure children's safety.

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