Castle Hill Village 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. Castle Hill Village Nursery Community Interest Company Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY371457 Inspection date 14/07/2009 Inspector Clementina Ogunsanwo

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Setting address The Village Sure Start Children's Centre, Denmark Street, Folkestone, CT19 6EQ Telephone number 01303 856 200 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). This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the setting

Castle Hill Village Nursery is a community interest group run by Castle Village Nursery (community interest company). It opened in 2008 and operates from three rooms on the grounds of the Village Sure Start Children’s Centre. It is situated in a residential area of high deprivation in the town of Folkestone. A maximum of 79 children may attend the nursery at any one time, and of these only nine may be under one year old. There are currently 100 children on roll, all of whom are within the Early Years Foundation Stage age range.

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Description of the setting

The nursery supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Sessions are from 08.00 to 18.00 five days a week for 49 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure outdoor play area. Children come from the local area. The nursery employs 16 members of staff. One member of staff has a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at a Level 4, one has a Level 3 Childcare Diploma, eight staff has NVQ Level 3 and four members of staff have NVQ Level 2.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and liaises well with the main primary school for the care and education of the children. There is a ramp and lift access which facilitates access for children who may require disabled access.

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Overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the quality of the provision is good. Children learn through play in a caring and stimulating environment. All children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are included in the range of activities and equipment. Parents and carers are confident about the quality of care and support their children receive as shown in one comment by a parent ‘My daughter loves it here and has made progress’. The nursery is very well resourced and has a good capacity to improve further.

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further?

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

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further?

 extend the range of activities that promote children’s awareness of cultural diversity  improve the outdoor play provision to further enhance children’s outdoor play opportunities

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provision

The leadership and management of this nursery is good. Policies are accessible and are used regularly in the day to day care of the children. Safeguarding procedures are secure and risk assessments are carried out on a regular basis to protect the children and keep them safe. Self-evaluation is accurate and leaders This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 actively seek ways of improving the quality of education provided.

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provision

Staff liaises well with the local authority and other nurseries for advice and support in improving the quality of provision. Managers maintain positive partnerships with the adjacent primary school in order to share ongoing assessments of the preschool age children which help to ensure continuity in their learning. All children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are fully included in the range of activities and use of equipment. Staff make effective use of the indoor accommodation to ensure children’s access to a variety of learning activities and selection of resources which are promoting their learning and development well.

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provision

Children use the indoor play area for enjoyable role play activities during which they effectively recreate their daily experiences and make imaginative use of language. Parents contribute valuable background information about their children on entry to the nursery which assists staff in addressing the individual needs of the children. They are regularly kept informed of the nursery’s activities and their children’s progress during parent’s evenings. Planning is detailed and covers the six areas of learning. Staff use information from their ongoing assessments of children well to plan a wide range of interesting activities that sustains the children’s interest. For example, children make a creative collage to recreate the ‘Summer time walk’ with beautifully painted butterflies and three dimensional ladybirds.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Castle Hill Nursery provides children with good opportunities to help them progress in their learning through a wide range of interesting activities. All the children attending the nursery including the toddlers and the pre-school age children enjoy and actively undertake the full range of activities provided. The toddlers are calm and relaxed and have bonded well with staff which is demonstrated by some of the toddlers’ positive response to staff’s reassurance and care.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The resources and activities are clean, well maintained and are used well for promoting the care and the learning of the children. For example, there are soft comfortable and attractive toys and resources that are age appropriate and suitable for younger age children which are used well by the children to explore and learn from their environment. Staff make good use of the innovative colourful mobiles and displays which are examples of the children’s range of creative work to create a conducive learning environment.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

The well organised and accessible resources on low level shelves facilitate children’s choice. Staff place high priority on promoting the safety and care of the children and supervise the children well during activities. The range of activities provided such as creative modelling, textural exploration with rice and sand, during outdoor play sessions sustains the children’s interest well. Children interact well with each other during tasks such as construction activities to recreate a railway garage. They take turns and cooperate well with each other and are developing positive early social skills. Behaviour is good. Staff talk them through activities to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 extend their play. For example, staff’s active engagement facilitates children’s appropriate use of mathematical language such as ‘more’ or ‘less’. They engage in lively conversations with each other for example, during the well organised meal

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

times during which they demonstrate increasing levels of independence as they serve their meals with minimal adult support.

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

Children’s health and well-being are promoted well through provision of a healthy selection of fruits and vegetables and the consistent access to clean drinking water. Purposeful opportunities to clear up after themselves provide purposeful positive contribution opportunities. The celebration of Diwali and exploration of cultural foods are helping children to develop awareness of cultures other than their own. However, staff acknowledge that there is more work to be done to actively promote children’s awareness of cultural diversity. They are learning the importance of information and communication technology through regular game sessions on the computer. A purposeful discussion about road safety during trips to explore natural features is helping to develop children’s awareness of safety. Children have direct access to the safe outdoor environment which supports their wet play activities well. Physical development is good and children make confident

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The quality and standards of the early years provision

and imaginative use of a range of suitable outdoor equipment. However, the potential of the outdoor play area is not fully maximised as an active outdoor learning resource. The indoor learning environment is conducive, with attractive displays of children’s work. 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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