The Nursery School. Inspection report for early years provision. Unique reference number Inspection date 23/04/2012

Transcription

1 The Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision Unique reference number EY36955 Inspection date 3/04/01 Inspector Sue Bennett Setting address Telephone number Type of setting The Nursery School, Church Street, Charlton Kings, CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, GL53 8AP Childcare - Non-Domestic

2 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone , or enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. T: Textphone: E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: Crown copyright 01

3 Introduction This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. Early years provision refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 008 regulations 9 and 10). The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B. Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. 3

4 Description of the setting The Nursery School, registered under the current private ownership in 008. The nursery operates from one large room of a single-storey building in the centre of Charlton Kings. Children have access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local community and nearby areas. It is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 8 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 6 children aged from two years to under eight years on roll. The nursery is funded to provide free early years education to children aged three and four years. It also cares for children under eight in its holiday facility. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language. The nursery is open from 8.45am to 3pm, Monday to Friday, term times only. A play scheme operates for four weeks during the summer holidays. There are five members of staff, including two managers. Of these, four hold appropriate early years qualifications and one is currently training. Both managers have Early Years Foundation Stage degrees. The overall effectiveness of the early years provision Overall the quality of the provision is good. Children enjoy their time at this welcoming, inclusive nursery and make good progress in their learning and development. Staff plan activities well overall and have a good understanding of the needs of every child through effective assessment. Children benefit from strong partnerships between staff, professionals, parents and carers. Staff carefully implement robust policies and procedures to safeguard children and promote their welfare. The managers are meeting all recommendations made at the last inspection, which successfully improves outcomes for children. Clear processes of self-evaluation are in place to monitor practice, leading to continuous improvement. What steps need to be taken to improve provision further? To further improve the early years provision the registered person should: extend the range of activities in the outdoor area to provide a richer and more varied learning environment 4

5 The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision The nursery is successful in promoting children's safety. Designated safeguarding officers and staff attend regular training and have a clear understanding of their responsibilities. Well-organised records, policies and procedures, including checks on new staff, help to protect children from harm. Staff supervise children effectively during indoor and outdoor activities. Risk assessments are thorough both within the nursery environment and for off-site visits. The managers use a self-evaluation document effectively, incorporating the views of staff, parents and children. They update this regularly to reflect identified strengths and weaknesses within the nursery. They set clear targets for future development, promoting continuous improvement successfully. Both management and staff work effectively as a team and have a good vision for the future and show a strong commitment to improving outcomes for children. Regular appraisals help to identify future training needs of staff, enabling them to keep up to date with current practice. The managers have accessed training in multi-agency working and in coordinating special educational needs support, which is highly beneficial for both parents and children. Further staff training on enhancing children's communication stimulates ideas for future activities. These activities are particularly successful indoors although are currently not fully in place within the outside area. Staff create an inclusive environment, treating all children equally and enabling them to enjoy the same learning experiences. The nursery, overall, is well resourced and organised. Toys and equipment are of good quality and meet the developmental needs of the children. Staff are well qualified and work together successfully, providing good levels of interaction with the children. An effective key person system is in place. Key persons have good partnerships with parents and effectively use communication booklets to transfer information between nursery and home. Children learn about other cultures and traditions effectively. For example, they develop a good understanding of Diwali from visitors to the nursery and enjoy stimulating activities about St George's Day and Chinese New Year. A good range of toys, books and discussion times promote children's understanding of disabilities successfully. The nursery has good links with the local authority childcare services and other professional specialists to support children's individual needs. Effective links with the local primary schools and the local community benefit the nursery provision. Partnerships with parents and carers are strong. Staff actively encourage parents to be involved in nursery life. Parents feel fully informed about routines and learning focuses, through regular newsletters and information in the main foyer. Parents value the daily opportunities to talk to staff and regular information evenings. Feedback from parents highlights their delight with their children's care and their progress, particularly in social skills and understanding of the world. 5

6 The quality and standards of the early years provision and outcomes for children Staff create a secure, welcoming and stimulating environment, which helps children to settle quickly on arrival. Children are confident and busy in their free play and focused activities, relating well to the caring staff who look after them. They enjoy the company of their friends, greeting them with great enthusiasm. A stimulating range of activities provides a good balance of adult-led and childinitiated exploration. Staff plan these activities successfully from their observations of children's progress and from children's own interests. Children enjoy participating in focused group work, such as a letters and sounds activity to develop rhyme repetition. Staff use effective questioning to challenge children's thinking and extend their learning. As a result, children enjoy their experiences and make positive progress overall. Children are developing good skills for the future. They are highly articulate and enjoy participating in discussion activities. They enjoy spending time in the book corner retelling stories and have access to a good variety of early writing materials. Children are making good progress in understanding mathematical concepts. For example, they measure one another against a giraffe on the wall and can recognise and order numbers correctly. Children confidently use cameras to photograph their achievements, which develops their technological understanding effectively. Children know the nursery routines well, responding positively to adult expectations. For example, they sit quickly and quietly when the bell rings for circle time. Children's behaviour is mostly good and staff support them well through effective praise and encouragement. Children share toys and are kind and caring towards one another. Staff promote children's understanding of danger successfully, such as explaining the importance of holding scissors correctly and not running indoors. They encourage children to be aware of risks through helping with daily assessments. They encourage children's independence through their chosen activities, such as using wet sponges, soaked by a rainstorm, to wash the outdoor playhouse. Children put on coats and boots with a high degree of independence and are proud when they fasten buttons and buckles by themselves. Staff are keen to celebrate these achievements with them. Staff make good use of the well-organised indoor area, which enables children to select their own resources for play. The outdoor environment promotes children's physical development and knowledge of the wider world effectively. However, the outdoor area does not fully promote all areas of learning, such as mathematical and communication activities. Good varieties of displays celebrate children's achievements, such as early writing and photographs showing children enjoying activities. Prominently displayed 'Wow' stickers reflect the strong emphasis placed upon children's individual successes. 6

7 Children receive good support in learning about healthy lifestyles. They talk about healthy eating as they enjoy fruit at snack time. Staff actively encourage parents to provide balanced and nutritional contents in children's lunch boxes. Staff strongly promote good hygiene practices. As a result, children proactively wash their hands, singing a little rhyme that encourages the thoroughness of the routine. They know that this helps to minimise the spread of germs. They enjoy time outside and know that exercise helps them to grow strong. 7

8 Annex A: record of inspection judgements The key inspection judgements and what they mean Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough The overall effectiveness of the early years provision How well does the setting meet the needs of the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement The effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding The effectiveness of the setting s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships The effectiveness of the setting s engagement with parents and carers The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning The extent to which children feel safe The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles The extent to which children make a positive contribution The extent to which children develop skills for the future Any complaints about the inspection or report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted s website: 8

9 Annex B: the Childcare Register The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met Met 9