Milland Valley Nursery School

Milland Valley Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY236009 Inspection date 29/06/2010 Inspector Michele, Karen Beasley

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Setting address Milland Memorial Hall, Iping Road, Liphook, Hampshire, GU30 7NA Telephone number 07876260780 or 01730 892754 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 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

Milland Valley Nursery School is a privately owned group and was registered in 2002. It operates from the Memorial Hall in the village of Milland. The group has sole use of the hall and outside play areas including a nature area when sessions are operating. The setting serves the children of the village and surrounding area.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register for a maximum of 36 children from two to five years. There are currently 38 children on roll; of these, 36 children aged three and four years receive funding for early education. The nursery school is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9am until 12 noon during the school term. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is also a lunch club available until 1pm. On Tuesdays the session extends until 3pm and on Thursdays there is a session from 12 noon until 3pm for older children starting school the following September. The nursery school supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, together with those who learn English as an additional language, as required.

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Description of the setting

There are seven staff working directly with the children, six of whom hold childcare qualifications and there are three working towards an NVQ at level 3. All staff are first aid trained. The setting has close links with local Primary Schools, sharing resources and training and is a member of the West Sussex Network Group. Additional activities provided by external specialists include music on a Tuesday and Friday and French once a week.

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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

Children are well cared for and are making good progress in all areas of their learning and development. The experienced, consistent staff team know the children well and ensure they plan activities that are interesting and stimulating. Most required paperwork is in place. All of the recommendations made at the last inspection have been fully addressed which contributes to the continuous improvement of the setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure evacuation drills are recorded in a fire log of any problems encountered and how they were resolved  ensure risk assessments for the setting identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis  create an environment rich in print where children can learn about words such as names and labels on equipment and play areas This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are well safeguarded as staff keep their child protection knowledge up to date by attending training. All of the staff are appropriately checked and children are never left alone with unvetted people. The safeguarding policy is available to parents and the referral system is displayed so they are aware of the procedures that staff would follow should they have concerns regarding a child's welfare. Risk assessments are carried out for activities based in and outside the setting and for outings to promote children's safety. Fire drills are carried out; however, these are not recorded consistently and evaluated as required. This does have minimal impact on children's safety as ratios are maintained at all times and staff are effectively deployed to keep children safe. This includes arrival and departure times when a member of staff mans the door to increase security.

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the early years provision

All staff are involved in the setting's self-evaluation which shows that they are all aware of the strengths and areas for development. Several of the ideas they had for improvement have already been addressed, for example, the delivery of new child sized round tables and storage units. All children are respected and treated as individuals. Staff work well with parents to ensure children's needs are met and use parents' knowledge to help with the children's learning. Parents are asked to provide information about their children's likes and dislikes before they start and are invited to stay for visits to help their children to settle into the routine. Once the children have started, parents are invited to share information with the staff about any new achievements their children have had. This information is then recorded in the children's development files and is used in future planning.

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the early years provision

Diversity is reflected in the group through posters, books and equipment that show positive images of gender, race and disability. Parents are kept well informed of their children's progress and have access to their children's development records at any time. The views of the parents reflect their high levels of satisfaction with the information they receive about what is going on in the group and how they can be involved in their children's learning. The nursery school shares information with other settings that deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure they work together to meet children's individual needs.

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the early years provision

Children are well supervised in the provision and the outdoor areas. The hall is set up with areas for table top and floor activities and opportunities for messy play. Children are able to select most of their own resources and activities although the staff are improving ways to increase the continuous provision to enable children to select and use the full range of equipment more frequently. The setting is considering labelling designated play areas and has identified that nursery equipment should be consistently labelled for children to see print displayed around the provision. All children experience times outside, getting fresh air and exercise in open fields, a nature area and a local park. They go on walks down to the village duck pond to feed the ducks and go on regular trips to farms. Children participate in planting hedges in the village and are involved with the Horticultural Society, planting individual fuchsias. Inside children practise their physical skills

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the early years provision

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

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery school as they are kept well occupied and are very well supported by a consistent and experienced staff team. Children show high levels of confidence and are keen to talk about what they have been learning, showing great curiosity as they observe and chat about the setting's cocoons changing into butterflies. They are encouraged to be independent and show good perseverance, for example, when cutting apples with safety knives at snack time. Children benefit from high levels of interaction from staff who act as positive role models to promote good behaviour. Children work well together, sharing and taking turns as well as working as a team during routines such as tidy- up time.

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and outcomes for children

Children's speech is developing very well as they have many opportunities to talk about what they are doing. They learn their phonics and numbers through small group times and incidental opportunities during play. Children benefit from a good mixture of adult-initiated and child-led play. They are delighted to play outside in all weathers, excitedly pulling on their Wellington boots to explore the nature area. They touch and hold coloured blocks of ice and use brushes in water to write their names on the side of the wooden shed.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain a very good understanding of their own health through regular routines of hand washing and healthy eating. They understand that germs can get into their tummies and make them unwell if they do not wash their hands before eating and appreciate that regular activity keeps their bodies fit. Safety routines such as no running inside are adopted and understood by all children to reduce the risk of accidents. Children's physical skills are developing well due to the wide range of activities both indoors and outside. Construction toys and play dough equipment are used to develop their fine motor skills and they have many opportunities to develop gross motor skills through the good range of outdoor equipment. Children show good spatial awareness as they manoeuvre around each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning good skills for the future as they play harmoniously alongside their peers and in small groups. They have access to resources which gives them an understanding of technology and have free access to a wide range of books. Children participate in a lending library where they borrow a book of their choice and take it home. On return the children are encouraged to talk about the book. As staff know the children well they plan activities that help each child make progress at their own speed. Regular observations are carried out about what children can already do and these are used to identify the next steps in their learning. Activities are evaluated to assess if learning objectives have been met and if they have not, they are adapted to use again. 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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