Barkston Ash Nursery School

Barkston Ash Pre School Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY256241 Inspection date 13/05/2010 Inspector Diane Lynn Turner

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Setting address The Village Hall, Church Street, Barkston Ash, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, LS24 9PJ Telephone number 01937 557 602 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

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.

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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

Barkston Ash Pre-School Nursery has been operating since 1985 and is a privately owned provision. It is based in the village hall at Barkston Ash and serves several local communities. The nursery has sole use of the premises for all sessions and comprises of a large hall, small hall, kitchen and toilet facilities. There is also an enclosed area for outdoor play. Opening times are from 8.30am to 3pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 1pm on Friday, during term time only. A breakfast club is also offered for children aged four to 11 years which operates Monday to Friday from 7.30am until 9am and uses the same facilities as the nursery.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for a maximum of 26 children aged from two to eight years of age, all of whom may be in the early years age group. The nursery is also registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 81 children on roll, 56 of whom are within the early years age group. There are six members of staff, including the three owners. Of these, three have relevant childcare qualifications at level 3, with one having an additional qualification at degree level, and three have a level 2 qualification and are working towards level 3. The nursery receives support from the local authority early years consultant and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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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

Children are cared for in a vibrant and stimulating environment where their uniqueness is truly valued and nurtured. They are offered a range of exciting and innovative activities, both indoors and outdoors, which ensures they are extremely well supported in their learning and development. As a result, they make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. The highest priority is given to establishing and maintaining close working relationships with all parents, the local community and providers of other settings the children also attend or will move on to. Meticulous attention is paid to monitoring and evaluating the service to ensure continuous improvement of a very high quality. Staff, children and parents all play a valuable part in the process, resulting in a service that is highly receptive to the needs of all its users.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 improving the presentation of the computer to ensure children are able to use this comfortably. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff give the highest priority to safeguarding children. They have a comprehensive awareness of their responsibilities in regards to child protection issues. Robust systems are in place for the recruitment and vetting of any new staff, and meticulous attention is given to ensuring the premises are safe and secure in all areas. Any potential risks are effectively minimised and staff follow highly effective practices in their everyday routines to ensure children's health is safeguarded. For example, they consistently implement an hourly cleaning schedule for the toilets and cloakroom area. Staff provide an inspiring and exciting environment where children very confidently make independent choices in their play, selecting freely from the excellent range of resources available. The only exception to this is that the computer is not presented at child height, which means it is not comfortable for them to use. Comprehensive policies and procedures underpin the extremely

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the early years provision

efficient management of the nursery. These are reviewed annually, with input from parents welcomed. All of the required documentation is in place and is meticulously maintained.

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the early years provision

The extremely close working relationships of the three owners and the staff team are fundamental in providing high quality care and learning. They are all passionate about the nursery, have a clear, shared vision of what it is they want to achieve and are highly committed to extending their knowledge through training. For example, they animatedly discuss how particular courses have inspired them to make changes to their practice. They take self-evaluation very seriously as a means of ensuring continuous improvement, with excellent use being made of the Ofsted self-evaluation form alongside the nursery's own well thought out action plans, which accurately identify strengths and areas for development. Parents and children are fully consulted about all major aspects affecting the nursery. For example, the children played a very active part in deciding what should be included when the outdoor area was recently refurbished. Questionnaires are sent out

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the early years provision

regularly to gauge parents' continuing satisfaction of the service, with their replies collated and analysed, and letters sent out showing how any issues will be addressed.

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the early years provision

Staff are highly committed to and very successfully promote equality and diversity, ensuring that the nursery is open to all children and their families. They meticulously ensure the needs of all children are met and are highly effective in taking steps to narrow the gaps in children's achievements. For example, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are extremely well supported through the staff’s excellent communication with their parents and collaborative working with other professionals. Relationships with the local schools are very strong, and staff are particularly proud of the links they have established with a local care home for the elderly, with both the residents and the children gaining pleasure from the visits the children make and the activities provided, such as a teddy bear picnic. The highest priority is given to maintaining excellent partnerships with the parents. Great care is taken to ensure they are well informed

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the early years provision

about all aspects of the nursery and that they are fully included in the children's learning. Consultations with the children's key person are thoughtfully tailored to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 suit parents’ needs. Books are available to share at home and some wonderful accounts are displayed arising from the children taking the empathy dolls home with them. A 'Dads’ week' was held recently to give the male figure in the children’s life the opportunity to come in and take part in activities with their child. Parents spoken to at the visit were overwhelmingly supportive of the staff and the care provided. Consequently, the outcomes for all children and their experiences are extremely positive.

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and outcomes for children

Children settle extremely well in this very welcoming nursery. They develop excellent relationships with the staff who care for them and know which key person group they belong to because staff each wear a different coloured item of uniform that reflects this. All staff have an excellent understanding of how children learn and develop and they strive to help them become autonomous in their learning. Their enthusiastic approach inspires the children to take part in the activities, and as a result, they make excellent progress and develop valuable skills for the future. For example, they excitedly share the discoveries they make, such as beckoning their friends to look at a small piece of ice they find outdoors and then watching it melt. They become fully engrossed as they experiment with transporting water and filling bottles, showing an excellent understanding of capacity as they stop pouring the water at the right moment to prevent it

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and outcomes for children

overflowing. They initiate their own exciting games, such as pretending to be pirates, and they make a very positive contribution to the life of the nursery. For example, they help one another to use the computer, help to draw up the snack menu each week and write the labels for the plants in the garden. Staff meticulously maintain a detailed learning journey for each child. These are full of memories, accurately record the children's progress and are sent home every term for parents to view and add their comments.

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and outcomes for children

Staff support the children extremely well as they play. They very skilfully give them time to explore and gauge when to join in to extend their learning. For example, they observe as the children become immersed in exploring the textures of shaving foam and paint, raise their awareness of colour changes and promote an in-depth discussion on textures. Children's development in communication, language and literacy is supported extremely well by the staff, and as a result, the children have excellent conversational skills, confidently discussing what it is they like about the nursery and showing an avid interest in books and stories. For example, at story time they knowledgably identify the title of the book and that the author is the person who wrote it, and they listen, entranced as the story unfolds. The children's personal, social and emotional development is excellent and their behaviour is exemplary. For example, they readily help each other to use the computer,

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and outcomes for children

independently decide when to have their snack, pour their own cereal and milk, and proudly put their work in their 'busy box' ready to take home.

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and outcomes for children

Staff give the highest priority to promoting children’s understanding of following a safe and healthy lifestyle. They provide them with free access to the outdoor area throughout the session and all children relish the time they spend out there, This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 showing excellent coordination as they use balance equipment, dig in the sand and send balls down the tubes. They enjoy puddle jumping as they go for walks around the village and photographs show them fully immersed in making dens. The children learn to eat healthily as they grow a multitude of vegetables in the garden, taking great care to tend these, and then harvest items such as potatoes for their snacks. A volunteer visits regularly to lead baking activities. During role play, the children demonstrate an excellent understanding of first aid, enthusiastically inviting a member of staff to be their patient. They know to put on

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and outcomes for children

a face mask to stop germs, skilfully bandage her 'injuries' and wrap her in a survival blanket while they telephone for the ambulance, showing great concern when one of the telephones does not display a number nine to enable them to do so. They very successfully learn to manage their own risks, for example, explaining why they must not run indoors and spontaneously reminding one another not to throw the toys into the box at tidy up time. 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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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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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