Attwood Farm Nursery

Attwood Farm Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 959223 Inspection date 01/09/2010 Inspector Alison Weaver

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Setting address Attwood Farm, Bodle Street Green, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4RA Telephone number 01323 831781 Email lindsaygodwin@hotmail.com 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 assesses 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

Attwood Farm Nursery opened in 2001. It operates from a two-storey converted barn in a rural area near Herstmonceux. Children have access to a number of play rooms, some of which accessed via stairs to the first floor. The group opens five days a week for 47 weeks of the year. Opening times are from 8.30am to 4.15pm. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area and surrounding farmland. Older children also have access to an adventure playground.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 34 children may attend at any one time. There are currently 48 children on roll in the early years age range. The provision also offers care to children aged over five years to under eight years. Children come from a wide catchment area. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and also currently supports a number of children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs six staff. Of these, five of the staff and the two owner/managers hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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 enjoy their time in the safe, stimulating and interesting environment. Their welfare needs are met well and their individual interests are used effectively to help them settle and achieve. Children make very good progress in their learning and development due to highly skilled and supportive staff. Strong partnerships with parents help ensure continuity of care for each child. The setting shows a commitment to continuous improvement of outcomes for children through ongoing evaluation and development of their setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 obtain written parental permission for the seeking of any necessary emergency medical treatment or advice from all parents (Safeguarding and promoting children's welfare). 23/09/2010

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further opportunities for parents to contribute to children's learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 records.

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the early years provision

Robust recruitment procedures ensure that children are cared for by suitable adults. Clear safeguarding procedures help protect children in the event of a possible case of child abuse or neglect. Staff are fully aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns. Safety and security is given high priority in the setting. Daily safety checks and regular risk assessments enable staff to identify and effectively minimise risks to children so that they play free from harm. The extensive range of resources and equipment is of high quality and is kept in very good condition. Staff use this equipment extremely well to support children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Overall, the required documentation is in place and well maintained. This helps ensure the smooth running of the setting and that the welfare needs of the children are met at all times. However, the setting has failed to meet a legal welfare requirement with regard to the seeking of written parental consent for emergency medical treatment and advice for every child due to the use of a new registration form which has omitted this consent.

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the early years provision

The setting regularly monitors the effectiveness of the organisation and planning to ensure that all children are included and achieve. They take appropriate steps to address any identified areas for improvement. The views of parents and, to some extent, children are also taken into account when making any decisions about changes in the setting. Staff regularly access further training to develop their skills and knowledge and benefit children. They work closely as a team to continually improve outcomes for children. They get to know the children well and ensure that their individual needs are met and their family backgrounds are valued. Where they identify a child needs additional support, staff work closely with parents and agencies to address this.

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the early years provision

Parents are kept well informed about the setting's procedures and practices. They receive daily verbal feedback about their child's day as well as activities they have taken part in. Parents are encouraged to share any concerns and observations they have about their child with staff although these are not yet fully developed with regard to ongoing contribution to the learning records. Parents evenings provide parents with good opportunities to more formally discuss their child's achievements and progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children eagerly arrive at the setting and show their developing independence as they hang up their coats and make their way to their rooms. They are warmly greeted by adults and quickly find activities and friends to play with. The This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 environment is made very welcoming and extremely attractive with numerous interesting displays and pictures. Children make their own choices from the easily accessible resources that are available in each room. These resources are safe and suitable for the children in each room. Children happily play on their own or with others. Good relationships are built with adults and peers so that they soon learn to share and take turns at activities. They behave well and develop a sense of responsibility as they help adults do jobs such as setting out the cutlery for lunch.

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and outcomes for children

Children have a fun time at the setting and thoroughly enjoy the wide variety of stimulating and challenging activities. They have a wonderful time pouring and mixing ingredients to make biscuits. They show good fine motor skills as they manipulate the dough and use tools to cut out the shapes. As they do the activity, children are encouraged to talk about what the dough feels like and sing a song about cooking. Children learn about the wider world as they explore the outdoors and visit the ducks and horses. They show an interest in the tortoises and learn to handle them carefully. They learn about other countries and ways of life through planned activities and celebrating the traditions of children in the setting.

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and outcomes for children

The high quality planning and assessment effectively focuses on helping each child make progress in all areas of learning. Those children with additional needs are given the care and support they need to help them achieve. Children make significant gains in their learning due to extremely effective interaction by adults. This enables children to make excellent progress in developing the skills that they need for their future, for example, numeracy, solving problems and using technology. Staff show exceptional skills in promoting children's learning through play and everyday routines. Children's language skills develop particularly well as staff introduce and reinforce new vocabulary and encourage children to express their thoughts. They value children's contributions and this helps build their self- esteem.

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and outcomes for children

Children's understanding of healthy lifestyles is promoted exceptionally well. They show an excellent awareness of the importance of good personal hygiene as they wash their hands after touching pets and talk about the need to have clean hands when doing cooking activities. They make healthy choices at snack and meal times. They enjoy freshly cooked meals and have access to drinking water at all times. They engage in a wide range of physical activities in the outdoor play area as well as in the wider farm setting. The adventure playground presents a suitably challenging physical activity that enables the older children to use their bodies in different ways and learn to take risks in a controlled environment. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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 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 1 The extent to which children feel safe 2 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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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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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