The Highgrove Nursery School

The Highgrove Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY355924 Inspection date 04/11/2009 Inspector Stephen Andrew Blake

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Setting address Unit 23, Harraby Green Business Park, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 2SQ Telephone number 01228 534333 Email katherine@bizzybees.plus.net Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises 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 rates 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 08456 404040, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 08456 404040 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 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.

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Introduction

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 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

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.

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Introduction

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. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Highgrove Nursery School was established in 2008 and is located within a commercial unit on the Harraby Green Business Park, Carlisle. The Nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. Children have access to the whole of the ground and first floors, except the office, kitchen, staff room and staff facilities. Children also have access to a large outdoor play area. A maximum of 50 children may attend the nursery at any one time. Highgrove Nursery School is open from 7.30am to 6.00pm each weekday for 52 weeks of the year, except on Bank Holidays.

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Description of the setting

Highgrove Nursery School has entered into partnership arrangements with local schools and childcare providers. There are currently 47 children on roll; of whom, all are within the early years age group. Additionally, the nursery provides occasional out of school care and there are currently two children on roll for this service. The nursery serves children from the immediate and extended areas and supports children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

Highgrove Nursery School is privately owned and managed and employs a total of eight staff including one relief staff member and a cook. Of the seven staff working directly with children, six hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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Description of the setting

The setting is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of each child’s individual needs and promote all aspects of children’s welfare effectively. They have established a strong partnership with parents and provide very good support to children and their families with English as an additional language. Staff have organised the learning environment effectively and have a thorough system of planning to ensure children receive a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Systems for observation and assessment of children’s progress under the Early Years Foundation Stage are implemented effectively and identify the next steps in children’s learning. Risk assessments are in place but some of these are reviewed infrequently. Staff have started to identify aspects of their provision they would like to develop further and this commitment to ongoing self-evaluation demonstrates an appropriate capacity to maintain continuous improvement.

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further?

To further improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 review the system for obtaining information about children's learning and developmental starting points in order to further develop the system for This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 observing and assessing children's progress towards the early learning goals  review the system for risk assessment to ensure that the environment and activities to which children are being exposed is constantly reappraised in all areas  develop the system of self-evaluation to ensure that a programme of continuing professional development is applied.

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the early years provision

There is a strong emphasis on safeguarding. Policies and procedures necessary to safeguard children’s welfare are well-written and implemented effectively by staff. Vetting procedures ensure that all staff working with children are suitable to do so. Documentation relating to children's individual needs and care routines is well- maintained and reflects a high level of confidentiality. Daily written risk assessments are undertaken on the outdoor play area before being used by children and staff undertake risk assessments on all specific outings. However, written risk assessments for some indoor areas are undertaken infrequently.

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the early years provision

Staff are well qualified and work effectively together as a team. They are clear about their roles and responsibilities and implement effective systems that demonstrate their commitment to continual professional development. Regular staff meetings and daily discussions mean that systems to monitor and improve their practice and the outcomes for children are generally robust. The setting has started to establish a written system of self-evaluation. However, the system is not fully in place and this means that identified areas for improvement can sometimes be delayed. Resources are well deployed and this enables children to make good progress in their learning and development. A robust key person system ensures that all staff have a thorough understanding of children’s individual needs.

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the early years provision

Staff have a good partnership with parents. Parents are fully valued as partners and are confident in the ability of staff to meet the individual needs of their child. They report a secure and loving relationship between children and the dedicated staff. The key person system is effective and parents know who to go to if they have a concern. Staff provide strong and sensitive support to children and their families with English as an additional language. The owner’s ability to communicate with families in several different languages is a clear strength. Written questionnaires are used to identify parents' views and consistent and inclusive systems of communication with all parents result in a strong partnership and engagement. Staff provide parents with written policies and procedures and a good range of daily information about children’s learning and development. They have established effective links with other childcare and education providers to

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the early years provision

ensure that children's needs are met and there is continuity in their learning.

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the early years provision

Staff promote inclusion effectively, for example, by displaying signs and familiar words in different languages and positive images of cultural diversity and disability. This helps to give children and families a sense of belonging and of being valued. The setting actively promotes equality of opportunity and works with parents and other agencies to support and meet children’s needs. Staff are vigilant and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 proactive to ensure that all children are fully included, for example, by working in partnership with parents to address the needs of children with English as an additional language. Staff have organised the available space well to ensure that each child is fully included according to their ability and stage of development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have created a calm, welcoming environment and have effectively organised the available space to provide a good range of resources according to children’s ages and stages of development. Staff have made significant progress in developing the quality of outdoor provision for children. They recently converted the nursery car park into a multi-surface outdoor play area with a good range of fixed and moveable resources. This is well-designed and further enables children to make good progress across all areas of learning and development. For example, children put on outdoor clothes to look at the rain, jump in puddles, use the climbing frame and enjoy a range of ride-on resources. This promotes children’s physical development and good health. Children’s physical development is further enhanced by the extensive indoor soft-play resource which is managed and used effectively.

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and outcomes for children

Children participate in a range of pre-planned adult-led activities. For example, children in the pre-school room use coloured paints to make firework pictures, sing rhymes and enjoy listening to stories. Children in the toddler room use textured paint to express their imagination and use water to make bubbles and pour and fill a range of containers. Children under 18 months experiment with mark-making, examine the texture of paint and access a range of resources to stimulate their learning and development. This supports children’s learning and development across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff ensure that resources are accessible and this supports children to make their own choices and promote their independence and self-esteem. During activities staff stimulate children’s thinking effectively by asking a range of age-appropriate questions to support their learning. Staff have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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and outcomes for children

and have established an effective system of planned, purposeful play, with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. They draw upon the skills of other professionals to further support children’s learning, for example, by planning music lessons from a visiting teacher each week. An effective key person system ensures there are efficient methods for observation and assessment and that staff can identify the next steps in children’s learning. However, staff have not yet implemented a system for identifying the starting points in children’s learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Staff have a loving and caring relationship with children who form strong attachments to adults and other children within the nursery. All staff apply clear and consistent boundaries, so that children develop knowledge of what is expected and display positive behaviour. Staff know individual children well and provide them with a good level of sensitive and appropriate support.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy their time at Highgrove Nursery. They take pleasure in listening to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 stories and are creative in their play, for example, during role play they make tea together in the home corner.

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and outcomes for children

Children understand how to keep themselves safe from harm by participating in a regular fire evacuation practise and listening to staff talk about how to stay safe in the setting and on outings. Staff have established robust systems to help children adopt healthy lifestyles. For example, they provide children with healthy snacks and meals according to their individual needs and implement effective procedures to avoid cross-infection by encouraging children to wash their hands before a meal. Some children are independent in their healthcare skills as they brush their teeth after lunch or put on an apron before a craft activity. This promotes children’s good health. Additionally, staff have achieved a local authority five star excellence rating for food safety performance. Children are developing independence and contribute effectively towards the welfare of others as they help staff to clean up at the end of an activity. They are developing skills that will

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and outcomes for children

contribute to their future economic well-being as they use information and communication technology, post a letter and use role play to support their learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children’s understanding of diversity and difference is enhanced as they celebrate festivals and special events throughout the nursery year. This ensures that children learn to value aspects of their own lives and the diverse society in which they live. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 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

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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and managed?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 2 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 2 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 2 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 2

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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