Tiny Acorns Nursery

Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Tiny Acorns Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY390058 Inspection date 28/07/2009 Inspector Sonjia Nicholson

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Setting address Long Crendon County Combined School, Chilton Road, Long Crendon, AYLESBURY, Buckinghamshire, HP18 9BZ Telephone number * Email Type of setting Childcare on non-domestic premises 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. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Tiny Acorns Nursery is privately owned. It registered in 2009 and operates from premises on the site of Long Crendon School in Buckinghamshire. Children have use of two main play areas, toilets with nappy changing facilities and a sleep room. A kitchen, office and staffroom are out of bounds to children. There are two fully enclosed outdoor play areas along with occasional use of the school playground. The nursery is open every week day from 08.00 to 18.00 for 51 weeks of the year. A total of four staff work with the children and all hold relevant childcare qualifications. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for 38 children, 15 of whom may be under two years. There are currently 16 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age range. The setting has systems in place to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They receive support from Buckinghamshire

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Description of the setting

Early Years Development and Childcare Service.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is good. All children are fully included within this welcoming setting as staff recognise their uniqueness. They know the children well, follow their individual routines and offer high levels of care and attention. Consequently children are very happy and settled. The nursery shows a good capacity for continuous improvement. Since registration staff have created a clean, spacious environment where children can move and play freely and have reviewed their methods of recording planned activities. The nursery owner has a clear action plan for the setting and devises monthly targets for the manager and staff to ensure progress continues.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend the risk assessments in place to include outings  increase the selection of toys and resources that reflect diversity and provide further opportunities for children to learn about other cultures and religions  use observations and assessments to identify learning priorities and plan relevant and motivating learning experiences for each child.

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provision

Staff develop good relationships with parents and carers. They provide lots of information in the form of a monthly newsletter and notice board to keep them updated with what is going on within the nursery. A range of written policies ensure parents understand how the nursery operates and what they can expect from staff. Staff offer verbal feedback each day about children's achievements and children under two years of age have a daily diary which contains details of their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sleep times, food intake and activities they have been involved in. All children have a 'learning journey' which includes photographs of them at play, examples of their work and staff's assessment of their progress. There are plans to share these with parents at bi-annual parents meetings. Staff value parents views and have created a suggestions box in which they can add their ideas for improvements and a

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provision

questionnaire has also been devised and distributed. The responses so far have been positive and parents spoken to offer high praise for the nursery manager and staff team in creating a happy, safe place for children. They particularly like the bright open space, the fact all the toys and equipment are new, staff are warm and trusting, children are familiar with the structure of the day and the service is flexible to meet working parents needs. Childcare vouchers are accepted as an alternative method of payment and the nursery is in the process of obtaining government funding for three and four year olds through the local authority.

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provision

As this is a new setting, the owner, manager and staff constantly evaluate what they do in order to achieve their action plan and deliver a high quality service. The manager provides a good role model to staff as she is very knowledgeable about all aspects of her job, works directly with children and is extremely organised in her approach. The nursery owner spends time working in the nursery with the children and staff; she attends regular staff meetings and conducts monthly supervision meetings with staff to discuss their progress and set targets, for example, to review the planning and allocate each child a key person. A self- evaluation form has been completed and this clearly identifies the setting's strengths and areas for development which include capturing new ideas via a staff ideas board, judging whether staff training has a positive affect on children's outcomes and assessing the methods used to make observations of children.

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provision

Children play in a safe environment as staff undertake daily checks of the indoor and outdoor areas and have completed a more detailed risk assessment to identify potential hazards. The manager describes how staff keep children safe on an outing to the local park using the operational procedures in place, however, a risk assessment has not been completed taking account of the specific nature of this outing. Security of the premises is good and the many large windows around the room ensure staff can see who is approaching the building. Children, staff and visitors sign in and out so it is clear who is present in the event of an emergency or evacuation. Staff understand their role in the protection of children and have all the relevant documents to refer to in case they need to report allegations of abuse. Incidents and concerns are logged and all staff are due to update their safeguarding training shortly.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children enjoy their time in this bright, spacious setting. The environment is flexible with low level shelving units that can be adapted to meet children's needs and create separate areas for the under and over two's. Children make independent choices about what they want to do, freely selecting from the wide range of high quality toys and resources available, for example, they play with several dolls houses on the carpet and enjoy placing the furniture and play figures in each room whilst other children enjoy the opportunity to dress-up and role play in the home corner. As the setting is not working at full capacity yet this provides This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the children with a wonderful opportunity to fully establish themselves into the nursery. They confidently explore their surroundings, foster trusting relationships with the staff and develop a strong sense of belonging. Staff have created a book

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

which the children enjoy looking at and sharing with others; it contains photographs of each child and a narrative about what they are particularly good at which helps build their confidence and self-esteem. There are ample opportunities for children of all ages including siblings to play together throughout the day which adds to the 'family' atmosphere. Children's individual needs are well known by the staff who follow their routines to ensure they eat, sleep and have nappy changes at appropriate times. Children respond well to the enthusiastic interaction of staff who chat freely at all times and give lots of cuddles when needed. Children celebrate real life events, such as, the birth of a new baby and birthdays but so far there have been few opportunities to develop their knowledge of the wider world. Toys and resources, such as, play figures and dressing-up clothes show some positive images of diversity and depict the jobs that people do but the selection is

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children have daily opportunities to play outside where they develop their coordination and control as the climb, jump and balance on an assortment of equipment. They develop further physical skills and have great fun as they listen to a music and movement compact disc where they have to follow instructions to walk, jump, skip and march. They increase their awareness of their body through songs, such as, 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes' and express themselves as they dance with ribbons to music. Children demonstrate increasing control as they use a range of tools, such as, paintbrushes, glue sticks and cutlery. Children are well supervised by staff at all times and learn how to stay safe as they practise the evacuation drill so they know how to leave the building quickly and safely. Children are learning good hygiene habits as they wash their hands before mealtimes, after playing in the garden and after going to the toilet. Tissues are situated around the

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

room and staff encourage children to use these and dispose of them effectively to prevent the spread of infection. Staff follow good routines during the day to maintain the high levels of cleanliness, for example, they wipe tables and highchairs after use and deal quickly with 'accidents' involving children who are toilet training. There are clear procedures in place regarding sickness and the administration of medication to promote children's good health. All staff hold current first aid certificates and can deal with minor injuries to children. The nursery owner takes responsibility for monitoring accident records and takes action if necessary. For example, children no longer ride bikes and trikes on the sloping area of the garden to prevent further accidents; these can only be used on the school playground until plans to extend and enhance the current garden area have come to fruition. Children consume a healthy snack of sliced apple with water or

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

milk to drink. As the nursery does not currently have a cook, staff take responsibility for preparing meals. All staff hold basic food hygiene certificates and follow good hygiene practices, such as checking the fridge and freezer temperatures daily and using appropriate coloured chopping boards to prevent cross-contamination of food. Organic fruit and vegetables are served daily along with high quality ready meals, such as lasagne. However, many contain added salt and sugar which is not necessary in the children's diet. There are plans to either employ a cook as numbers increase or contract a catering company with specific experience in catering for children to provide hot meals. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children behave well. The are becoming familiar with the daily routine and feel confident within the setting. Staff allow children to deal with minor incidents

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

themselves, such as a squabble over the sand toys, but offer intervention when needed. Children are encouraged to develop good manners, particularly at mealtimes where staff offer regular reminders to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities well. They liaise effectively with parents to establish children's needs and work with outside agencies to ensure they are met, for example, inviting a physiotherapist to visit and providing alternative meals. Children take part in a good range of activities that cover all areas of learning, for example, to extend their knowledge and understanding of the world, they plant tomatoes and herbs in raised beds and observe their growth, glue and paint large cardboard boxes to create an igloo, talk about animals that live in cold countries and watch ice cubes melt. Children's language development is enhanced through the verbal interaction of staff who ask

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

relevant questions to make them think and introduce new vocabulary, such as, 'pine cones'. Children speak confidently within the setting, approaching known adults and initiating a conversation. Children show an interest in books; even the youngest of children sits in the book corner turning the pages and looking intently at the pictures. They also listen with enjoyment as adults read stories to them. Children participate in activities that require them to solve problems and make comparisons, for example, helping to lay a table and estimating how much cutlery is needed. They are beginning to use mathematical language in their play, such as 'full' and 'empty' at the water tray. Staff make systematic and worthwhile observations of what children can do and use photographs effectively to record their achievements. They identify children's next steps in learning but do not link this information to planned activities. Staff have made good links with other Early

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Years Foundation Stage providers including the pre-school and school to ensure children receive a coherent learning experience. 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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of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

How well does the provision promote inclusive practice? 2 The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement.

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Foundation Stage led and managed?

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement? How well does the setting work in partnership with parents and others? How well are children safeguarded? 2

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

How well are children helped to stay safe? 2 How well are children helped to be healthy? 2 How well are children helped to enjoy and achieve? 2 How well are children helped to make a positive contribution? How well are children helped develop skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being?

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Years Foundation Stage promoted?

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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