The Beeches Community Primary School

Olney Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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141849 Unique Reference Number 27 March 2008 Inspection date Maxine Coulson Inspector

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Olney Church Hall, High Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4AA Setting Address

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E-mail

Saralou Knightbridge Registered person Integrated Type of inspection Sessional care Type of care

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E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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The key inspection judgements and what they mean

For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Olney Nursery opened in 1996 and operates from a room in the Church Hall with access to the kitchen and toilets. The nursery is privately owned. It is situated in the market town of Olney. A maximum of 24 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The nursery is open each weekday from 09.00 to 12.00 Monday to Friday and 12.30 to 15.30 Tuesday and Thursday, term times only.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are currently 43 children aged from three to under five years on roll. Of these, 39 children receive funding for nursery education. Children come from Olney and surrounding areas. The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

There are five staff that work with the children, of these, three staff members hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a healthy and hygienic environment. Staff employ good routines and procedures to ensure eating areas are clean and hygienically maintained at all times ensuring children are kept healthy. Children understand the need to wash their hands after certain activities, for example, visiting the toilet, after craft activities, or before snack time. A detailed sick child policy and procedure ensures parents and carers are kept fully aware of the group's responsibilities and that children are cared for sensitively and free from infection. All the required documentation is kept in respect of accidents and medication administered, with sufficient staff holding a recognised first aid certificate ensuring any accidents are dealt with competently.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children's physical development is generally well provided for despite the fact there is currently no access to an outside play area. They have daily access to an extensive range of physical play activities. For example, they use hoops to develop control, crawl through tunnels and participate in yoga classes which helps develop muscle tone and balance. Children develop proficient small physical skills through access to an extensive range of equipment and activities. They competently use scissors, a variety of craft materials when being creative, writing materials and join together pieces when using the wide variety of construction equipment and jigsaws with dexterity.

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Helping children to be healthy

Children learn the importance of healthy eating as they sit down together and enjoy a social atmosphere as they tuck into a variety of nutritious snacks. Children can independently access drinking water throughout the session which is freely available, further promoting children's very good health and overall development. This also encourages the children to use their initiative and promotes independence.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children are cared for in a dynamic and welcoming, secure indoor environment. They are eager to attend and relish their time in the vibrant and safe setting. Children are cared for in highly organised surroundings which are conducive to their very good learning and development. The hall is well set out and prepared prior to the children's arrival offering them access to excellent activities and opportunities which are supported by an extensive range of resources and equipment. A parent's notice board with detailed information, colourful friezes and children's work displayed creates a welcoming atmosphere. Children benefit from a good amount of space which is arranged effectively to provide them with good levels of challenge appropriate to their age and stage of development.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Risks of accidental injury to children are minimised because staff are extremely vigilant and assess possible risks to reduce potential hazards. Staff have an excellent understanding of how to achieve a balance between freedom and setting safe limits. Regular evacuations of the premises are practised to ensure children know the procedure to follow in an emergency. Staff are diligent in their care of children and the provision of a safe environment through the use of suitable safety equipment, high staff ratios and supervision.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children's welfare is given a high priority because staff have a good understanding and awareness of the procedures to be followed regarding child protection. Staff are very clear about their role within this area and there is an identified member of staff with responsibility for child protection issues. However, the child protection policy has not been updated to reflect recent legislation changes.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is outstanding. Children arrive excited and ready to participate in the excellent activities and experiences which await them. Children’s ability to relate to others is exceptional, not only do they relate well to adults, but they have developed very good relationships with one another. They are happy and contented and are extremely confident and self-assured. The day begins when they eagerly and happily announce their arrival with a 'good morning' or 'good afternoon' and find their names to put on the attendance board. These well established routines enable children to feel secure and develop a true sense of belonging. Within this atmosphere, their self-esteem, confidence and capacity to work together develop very successfully.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The quality of teaching is outstanding. Children are captivated and greatly inspired by an extensive range of stimulating, relevant activities related to their needs. They access a very broad range of high quality resources, which supports children across all areas of learning. Staff consistently make excellent use of their time and resources to support children's learning. Teaching highly motivates the children who are eager to learn, self-assured in their play and confident to try new experiences.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The setting has developed a highly comprehensive and robust system to track both the delivery and receipt of the curriculum. Assessments of children's achievements is rigorous and securely linked to the stepping stones, resulting in children who make very rapid progress towards the early learning goals in all areas of learning. Right from the start, staff find out about children’s skills, interests and needs and build on this information effectively to help children achieve as much as they can. A flexible approach to planning and an excellent balance between adult and child-led activities allows children to learn at their own pace. Staff are perceptive of children’s interests during self-initiated play and use questions very successfully to challenge children’s thinking and developing language skills.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Children experience a language rich environment where they develop very good speaking and listening skills. Children know how books 'work' and enjoy reading in the excellent well stocked and comfortable book area. They very successfully recognise their own names as well as those of their friends. They discover the joy of making the sounds of letters and that words can rhyme. For example, a story is told with one maintained word that changes with each turn of the page, such as, map, gap and tap. Pads and pencils are freely used in role play helping children understand that words and print have meaning. Children demonstrate a thorough understanding of number and shape recognition. They use and recognise numbers through a range of purposeful songs, stories and activities. For example, they correctly identify the written number 3 as the amount of lambs in a picture.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Many good opportunities to make music are enjoyed by children. They enjoy experimenting with sound and use the musical instruments with great enthusiasm; they dance, march and do actions to familiar rhymes and songs. Children enjoy and show interest as people visit them at

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 the nursery and talk to them about their lives; these include police, ambulance service and postman. This means children develop an understanding of what happens in their local community and how people can help.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

During free play children are extremely involved in high levels of purposeful play, as they sit alongside their peers in the home corner or the café, taking orders for food and drinks. They play in the dressing up corner and choose from a wide range of different outfits and 'dress' their dolls. They use a doctor's bag and explore with a stethoscope to listen to their chests to see if they are poorly. Children are developing personal independence as they help themselves to fresh drinking water whenever they are thirsty or get painting aprons from the pegs. Children use tills, calculators, magnifying glasses and a whole range of other equipment that encourages them to explore and investigate. They talk about going into hospital to have an X-ray as they learn about the letter X. They talk about what an X-ray is, how they can feel their bones and an X-ray is a special way of taking a picture of their bones. This helps develop children's

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

awareness and understanding of what happens inside their own bodies.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is good. Children's equality of opportunity is given a very high priority and is very well addressed. All children are included in all the activities provided, their individual needs and circumstances are well known and provided for by staff. All children are welcomed and play a full part in the setting because staff value and respect their individuality. The setting have a rich and varied range of resources, play opportunities and activities which reflect diversity and acknowledge cultural differences. However, there are limited displays of pictures, posters and art work that promote positive images. Children have extensive opportunities to learn about themselves, each other and the world around them through planned activities and visitors to the setting. Staff clearly understand the importance of working effectively with parents, carers and outside agencies to ensure that children who have learning difficulties and disabilities are fully supported

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Helping children make a positive contribution

and appropriately cared for. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Their very good behaviour is a direct result of highly effective staff interaction and involvement with children in their activities. Children receive lots of positive praise and encouragement for their efforts, attempts and achievements aiding the development of their self-confidence and self-esteem. Staff are excellent role models, showing respect and consideration for children, each other, parents and carers. Children are extremely polite, well mannered and show care and concern for one another.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. Children's well-being and development is significantly enhanced by the excellent partnership with parents and carers. They have access to and receive plenty of very good information about the setting and what it has to offer in terms of care and education. They also have access to detailed information on topics and themes, as well as access to short term plans and information on the educational provision. Those parents and carers spoken to were extremely positive and supportive of the provision and what it offers their children. They have opportunities to make personal appointments to discuss their children's welfare and development. This highly effective communication between parents, carers and staff helps to promote children's learning and progress towards the early learning goals along with their overall development.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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Organisation

The organisation is good. Children benefit from staff that have both experience and qualification, which enable them to provide a high standard of care. They organise their paperwork effectively to ensure it is confidential but easily available if needed. Overall, all the required and regulatory documentation is in place and completed correctly, although some policies need updating.

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Organisation

Indoor space is laid out to provide children with realistic and challenging play opportunities. All resources meet the children’s requirements and individual needs are extensively met through the staffs attention to each child’s routines and requirements. Children’s care is further promoted through the remarkable relationship with parents.

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Organisation

The quality of leadership and management is outstanding. The manager’s clear sighted educational vision is founded in an in-depth understanding of the needs of young children and is completely supported by dedicated staff. The commitment and overall ethos of the setting promotes an inclusive environment in which every child matters. Regular meetings and training effectively contributes towards the professional development of the staff. There are extremely high staffing levels in place, which contributes significantly to children’s care and development. All staff are committed to continuous improvement and development. They regularly reflect, monitor and improve the quality of their care and education. The high quality of the provision means that children thrive and make very rapid progress. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

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Improvements since the last inspection

At the last inspection the group where asked to consider the following:

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Improvements since the last inspection

Ensure written parental permission is in place to seek emergency advice or treatment and for the taking of photographs.

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Improvements since the last inspection

The group have now obtained written parental permission to seek emergency medical advice and/or treatment and to take photographs. This ensures the continuing care, welfare and safety of the children.

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Complaints since the last inspection

Since the last inspection there have been no complaints made to Ofsted that required the provider or Ofsted to take any action in order to meet the National Standards.

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Complaints since the last inspection

The provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaints record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are outstanding.

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THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • further develop children's awareness of diversity and positive images through displays, pictures and posters • ensure all policies are regularly updated to reflect changes in legislation

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

No recommendations for improvement are made because the quality and standards of nursery education are outstanding.

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

set out in the leaflet Complaints about Ofsted Early Years: concerns or complaints about Ofsted's role in regulating and inspecting childcare and early education (HMI ref no 2599) which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

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