Cherrygrove Nursery

Cherrygrove Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY267900 Inspection date 12/11/2009 Inspector Jan Leo

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Setting address Deeds Grove, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 3NU

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Telephone number 01494 464564 Email 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 . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as

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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

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

Cherrygrove Nursery opened in 2003 and is part of a chain of seven private nurseries owned by Cherry Nurseries Limited. The nursery is situated in the Cressex area of High Wycombe and the intake of children is from the local area. The nursery operates from several rooms in a converted church and there is access to an outdoor play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and it may accept up to 62 children in the early years age range at any one time. It opens on weekdays, for 51 weeks of the year, from 7.30am until 6.15pm. There are currently 39 children on roll, 11 of whom receive funding for early education. The nursery supports several children for whom English is an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff who work with the children, seven of whom have appropriate qualifications in early years to level 2 or above and one is training towards a qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The nursery operates using small and friendly groupings where everyone gets to know each other well to ensure children feel safe and secure despite being away from their key person sometimes during lunch times and periods of absence. The children benefit from an inspiring range of resources covering all areas of learning and they successfully remain occupied without the need for help. Staff value diversity, planning for individual progress and offering choices consistently throughout the day, but some staff lack the skills or knowledge to develop ideas and increase challenges to help children reach their full potential. Staff have a secure understanding of health and safety, supervising closely around the building and teaching good practice throughout the day. However, safeguarding knowledge and supervision during staff breaks is not always adequate in order to ensure continuity of safety and development, and risk assessments lack essential

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

information and do not cover all hazards as required. Partnerships with parents and children are strong, as are those with outside agencies involved in the progress of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Links with children's other carers are not routinely made in order to enhance what children do elsewhere. The staff are well qualified and are dedicated to improving standards but, whilst robust monitoring and evaluating processes are in place to help drive improvement, inconsistencies are not always identified and acted on.

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further?

To fully meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 extend risk assessments to cover all aspects where a 30/11/2009 This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 risk is identified and include details of when it was carried out, by whom, date of review and any action taken following a review or incident (Safeguarding and welfare)

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further?

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

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further?

 avoid moving children's key workers into other rooms in order to provide children with the level of support they need to work consistently towards their individual goals  equip all staff with the skills and knowledge to take a more pro-active approach to children's learning, so that they routinely link learning and take full advantage of unexpected learning opportunities in order to help children reach their full potential  develop staff's knowledge and understanding of the child protection procedures to make sure they all know what to do without seeking advice.

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the early years provision

The management of the setting is generally sound with staff following company policies on health and safety to preserve children's well-being. For example, the staff count children regularly as they supervise them around the building, and they include outdoor play whenever children want, regardless of the weather. The staff carry a phone to summon help if supervising children alone, but current lunch time arrangements result in redeployment of staff around the building and reduced supervision in some areas, compromising accident prevention and hampering learning and development. The staff fully understand the internal child protection procedures and have the confidence to take action if concerns arise. Some however, do not know how to report concerns directly to the Local Safeguarding Children Board without first seeking advice. The management conducts effective risk assessments in general terms but they do not include all identified hazards and

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the early years provision

the detail required by regulation in their records. For example, the sloping outdoor play space and use of tricycles is not included and management rely on the staff to assess such risks effectively as they go along.

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the early years provision

The management oversees practice and monitors effectiveness routinely in order to drive improvements. They respond quickly to 'near miss' accidents and they have clear long, medium and short term aims to continue their development. All staff contribute to development by attending training and offering suggestions for improvements but a number of issues go unrecognised and are therefore overlooked. For example, the need to risk assess everything a child comes into contact with to be completely prepared for all eventualities, and the requirement to link with children's other carers as a matter of routine to ensure they receive the complete Early Years Foundation Stage programme without too much repetition.

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the early years provision

The staff form strong bonds with all children and their parents, leaving the office door open to encourage contact and make everyone feel welcome. The parents This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 value the service highly and feel very well informed about their children's day. They have easy access to policies and information about the day to day running of the setting, enjoy regular verbal feedback and daily information sheets from their children's key worker, and they receive a useful welcome pack to provide additional information regarding health and strategies to help when bringing up children. When caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the staff readily link with their health professionals in order to offer a consistent approach to their development and ensure the care meets their needs fully. However, this is not always the case with other pre-school settings when

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and outcomes for children

The children consistently have choices, choosing what to do and where to play throughout the day in order to follow their interests. Some opt for creative play in the 'gym' and are promptly escorted to the room where they dress up or create models with dough in small groups. The resources are extremely good, being interesting, well utilised and easily available to all children. Some dress up in swimming shorts and a rubber ring before they 'swim' on the floor with a friend. They compare plastic footprints with the size of their own feet, aware theirs are bigger, but receiving no adult input to extend their interest. For example, there is no drawing round their feet to compare the sizes and practise pencil control, no measuring to use modern equipment, no comparison with animal or shoe prints to develop their knowledge of the world and gradually increase the challenges in a relevant context.

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and outcomes for children

The children organise their own games very well and successfully link with their peers to share ideas and learn from each other. Older children speak clearly and make themselves easily understood, with some suggesting what others might do as they take control of the game. The staff join the children in play to encourage participation and interact as the activity progresses. Some staff skilfully introduce health and safety into conversations to reinforce good practice and link learning to ensure it is meaningful to the children. However, these links are inconsistent and some learning opportunities are lost. For example, when a child says 'this is a circle' she receives praise as acknowledgement of her achievement. There is however, no questioning to see if she recognises other shapes in an attempt to develop her thinking and reasoning.

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and outcomes for children

Young children are routinely encouraged to feed themselves and pour water with help to develop their independence. However, older children frequently ask for help without trying to do things for themselves, and the help is forthcoming from staff, with no hesitation. Whilst this helps the children feel noticed and valued, it does little to develop their independence further.

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and outcomes for children

The children form a diverse group and staff get to know them well as individuals. The nursery has some common words in 16 languages to help overcome communication difficulties with children who speak English as a second language and the staff make sure every child feels special. Each child has a key person This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 identified to take the lead in their care and feedback to parents. However, although the children are not unhappy when their key person is assisting in another room, their absence compromises children's consistent development. For example, the staff overseeing a group know the general aims for planned activities but do not always receive clear information about specific aims for each child. As a result, when cared for by someone other than their key person, there are lengthy periods where children play without gleaning anything of value from their chosen

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and outcomes for children

All children enjoy attending the nursery and they behave very well. They learn rules of behaviour at circle time, using picture cards to reinforce the rules with toddlers, to ensure they know how to behave and what to expect from an early age. The children show curiosity in the things around them and confidence in approaching adults, by for example, including adults in conversation, presenting them with a piece of their art work, and leading them by the hand into the classroom to see what they do. The children have a strong community spirit, sharing resources fairly and waiting patiently for their turn on the computer. They have opportunities to use modern technology to learn skills for the future but do not consistently receive the support they need to work through programs and achieve their goals. All are enthusiastic participants and become sensible and sociable little people. 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 3 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 3 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 3

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 3 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 3

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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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