The Old School House Nursery

The Old School House Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 314743 Inspection date 01/06/2010 Inspector Rosemary Beyer

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Setting address The Old School House, King Street, Sancton, York, East Riding, YO43 4QP Telephone number 01430 828 154 Email sally@nursery.karoo.co.uk 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 0300 123 1231, 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: 0300 123 1231 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

The Old School House Day Nursery is a privately owned provision, which has been registered since August 2000. It is located in the village of Sancton on the outskirts of Market Weighton and operates from a single storey building, which was once the local village school. The accommodation comprises of two children's play rooms, toilet facilities, an office and a kitchen. The nursery is registered for 39 children overall with 15 children aged between three months and two years of age being cared for in one room, and eight, two to three-year-olds and 16 three to five-year-olds in the adjoining room. There is an enclosed area provided for outdoor play, which has an all weather surface and a separate area for gardening activities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is open Monday to Friday all year round, with the exception of one week at Christmas and all Bank Holidays. Times of opening are between 7.45am and 6.15pm and parents may choose either full or part time sessions. There are currently 105 children on roll, including 11 who attend full-time. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 17 members of staff, including the nursery owner/manager, an administrator, two cooks, cleaner and gardener. All members of staff working directly with children hold a relevant childcare qualification to Level 3. In addition, a member of staff has a BA, three have Foundation Degrees and one member of staff is currently working towards an Early Years Foundation Degree. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nurseries Association and achieved an Investors in People Award in February 2002. Staff receive support from the Local Authority development workers.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Staff have an excellent knowledge of each child's individual needs which ensures they promote all aspects of the children's welfare and learning very successfully. Children are safe and secure at all times and enjoy learning about the local area and the wider world around them. Partnerships with parents, schools and other agencies are a key strength in ensuring the children's needs are met and they receive any additional support they need. This means they make very good progress given their age, ability and starting point. Regular self-evaluation by the manager and staff ensures any priorities for future development are identified promptly and acted upon, resulting in a service which is responsive to the needs of all its users. Children's comments have not yet however been included in the self- evaluation process.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 should consider:

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further?

 develop the self-evaluation process to obtain the views of children to ensure the setting is responsive to their needs.

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the early years provision

The manager and staff have high aspirations for the quality of the care they provide and work very hard to meet the needs of all the children in their care. They reflect on their practice regularly to identify any areas for improvement and implement changes to suit. For example the key workers initially took sole responsibility for nappy changing their children, however this caused such disruption to the children's play, that the procedure has been changed and all staff are now involved. This has also improved the relationships they build with other children. Reflective diaries are used by the staff to evaluate the activities provided, and these observations are built into the weekly planning, where children's interests are fostered and other learning needs also identified to ensure they make good progress in all areas. Staff have developed very comprehensive monitoring and assessment procedures to support learning, and adapt activities to take

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the early years provision

Safeguarding is of the highest priority, with children's safety and welfare always considered. Staff have all undertaken child protection training and recently completed the online version to update their knowledge. Comprehensive policies and procedures, and risk assessments for all aspects of care are in place. These are effectively implemented and regularly reviewed. The safety of the younger children has been considered when using the partitions in their room, with a secure space for babies and the rest of the room used for more mobile children. This area is also divided into messy and floor play areas. The children move between the two, depending on their interest and mobility. Tables for messy play and meals are closely supervised. Concern was expressed about the safety of the children if they had free access to the whole space, as they might leave the room when parents arrive or staff moved from the room.

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the early years provision

The staff use their weekly meetings to reflect on the activities and achievements of the week, which they then include in the planning for the next week. They produce a exciting programme which is flexible, but includes activities initiated by children to support their interests, and adult initiated activities to support other areas of development. They have also been included in the development of the online self- evaluation process to plan for future improvements to meet the needs of the children and their parents. Children have not yet been consulted, but those spoken to during the inspection are very happy with the staff, they like the toys and activities, and enjoy the food.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent. They have opportunities to become involved in their children's education by noting down achievements or interests their children have developed at home. They also support their children by caring for the nursery's teddy bear on weekend visits or holidays, then completing the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 diary with comments and photographs. Parents spoken to during the inspection regard the setting as part of their extended family, feeling welcome and confident their children are safe and happy. They enjoy the social and charity activities they are invited to, and found the information evening about the Early Years Foundation Framework very useful. They now understand the reasons why children's development is monitored and assessed.

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the early years provision

The setting also has excellent relationships with outside agencies who support children with additional needs, and the special needs coordinator has contact details and information readily available should there be concerns about a child's development. No children with English as an additional language attend, although the staff have ideas in place to support their needs to ensure they can communicate. Teachers from the schools children will attend are also welcome in the nursery, they have a continental breakfast visit to get to know the children they will be receiving. Although the nursery has sent information to other carers there has been limited response to the contact.

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and outcomes for children

The children are very settled and comfortable in the care of the staff. A toddler who is unsure of visitors was confident during the inspection when the key member of staff was close by and encouraged a smile. They all come in happily, leave their parents without a backward glance and go to their friends, keen to see who is there and what is on offer for the day. All children are welcome in the setting, whatever their differences, and resources are available to raise children's awareness of diversity, with books, dolls and music used to widen their knowledge of other countries and cultures. For example they enjoy Caribbean music and have pictures on the wall of different areas of the world. Food is also used to vary their dietary experiences.

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and outcomes for children

Activities are very carefully planned to take account of the development stages of the children and babies, they are adapted to ensure all can participate. At the last inspection the nursery was asked to ensure opportunities for all children to be involved when baking, now they all have a bowl, and measure and mix themselves. They are also encouraged to use number skills in everyday opportunities both inside and out, for example counting the number of plates needed and the sandwiches for snack time.

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and outcomes for children

The children are learning about the need for a healthy lifestyle and to keep themselves safe. They eat a well-balanced diet of food prepared by the cook on the premises and are involved in discussions about future menus. Their understanding is further supported by their weekly visits to the allotment, where they help to grow fruit and vegetables for use in the nursery. This has also developed their knowledge of recycling through composting and how plants grow, including the insects which may eat them. They are having a competition to grow sunflowers, and are already comparing the size of their seedlings. The implementation of good hygiene and road safety practice, both of which they understand, also helps them to stay safe. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 When playing the children are careful with resources, using tools and implements capably and safely. They made models with sticks and different fixings while in the

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and outcomes for children

outside area, and then used them in role play activities. Their imaginations are developing very well, with opportunities to use the wide range of mark making and modelling materials available. After hearing a story about space the older children went searching for aliens, described what they had found, and then made very imaginative drawings of the monsters. Art work is proudly and prominently displayed for the children, parents and visitors to see. The children select the mounting materials for themselves and the staff put the work on the wall.

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and outcomes for children

Staff in the baby room provide a wide range of learning opportunities, including messy play, floor games and outside play. They also go for walks into the village or to the allotment. During the inspection the toddlers were happily playing with water, different mark making materials and investigating natural materials, such as brushes and sponges from the treasure baskets, while the babies enjoyed musical toys and rattles. Art work is also displayed on the walls for parents to see. The children make their needs known, they are starting to develop good communication skills and are keen to try new things.

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and outcomes for children

The children are all making very good progress, whatever their starting points, with staff very aware of their additional needs or any support which is required. By working with parents they ensure the children's development is also fostered at home and any achievements or interests are included in their records. Children's confidence, independence and communication skills are developing very well. They happily chat to staff and their peers. Most were curious about the visitor in their midst, the older ones happily discussing their nursery, what they like to do and why they needed to be inspected. 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 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 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 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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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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