Sunninghill Nursery

Sunninghill Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY337251 Inspection date 04/10/2010 Inspector Nicola Hill

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Setting address The Terrace, Sunninghill, Berkshire, SL5 9NH

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Telephone number 01344 875 179 Email enquiries@countrysidenurseries.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 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. 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.

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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

Sunninghill Day Nursery was registered in 2006. It is one of seven nurseries run by Countryside Nurseries, and operates from a converted chapel in a residential road in Sunninghill, Berkshire. Children are grouped in rooms according to age and stage of development. All share access to a two-storey soft play gym and a small enclosed outside play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery serves the needs of families in the area and the local community. The group is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is registered to care for a maximum of 42 children aged under five years. There are currently 36 children on roll. The setting welcomes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and there are currently three children attending who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery operates each weekday from 7.45am to 6pm, excluding Christmas and Bank Holidays. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are six full-time and two part-time staff currently working with the children, five of whom hold a recognised early years qualification.

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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 engage in a stimulating range of experiences at this nursery. A highly safe and welcoming environment is created to ensure all children are happy and enjoy themselves as they play and learn. Staff have a secure understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and recognise the uniqueness of each child, promoting inclusive practice for all. There are very good relationships between staff, parents and carers and the welfare of the children is promoted to a high standard. Effective self-evaluation systems that include parents and others ensure that the outcomes for children are good. The staff and management team work very well together, striving to make continuous improvements for the benefit of children's care and learning.

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further?

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

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further?

 ensure children's use of the snack bar is monitored in the pre-school room  further develop the current planning and assessment systems by detailing how planned activities can be differentiated to meet individual children's needs, and by developing a clearer system of tracking children's progression in skills towards the early learning goals  ensure that parents' views about their child's development are more formally This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 secured to enable the early identification of children's learning needs.

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the early years provision

There is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues among the adults within the setting at all levels, all of whom receive regular training on safeguarding. In-depth policies and procedures ensure that staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting the children in their care. Children are further safeguarded by thorough recruitment and vetting procedures, including the successful induction of new staff. All aspects of the premises both indoors and outdoors are risk assessed effectively to ensure children are able to move with confidence and safely within the nursery premises. Effective planning allows for staff to be deployed well throughout the nursery setting and provide high levels of supervision.

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the early years provision

The setting is well-led and managed and there are good self-evaluation procedures in place for identifying what works well and areas for improvement. The staff are committed and strive for improvement and to provide high quality care and education. They employ a whole setting approach and work collaboratively as a team and with parents and children to evaluate practice and implement action plans which lead to improvements in outcomes for children. For example, the nursery has now introduced a small growing area outside to promote children's nutritional awareness, and have introduced a visual timetable for the older children to aid their transition from one activity to the next. Recommendations from the previous inspection have also been addressed. The management team effectively motivates staff and enables them to develop through the staff appraisal system and by offering staff every opportunity to attend training. This creates a positive

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the early years provision

atmosphere within the setting, in which children can play, learn and develop.

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the early years provision

Children are cared for in rooms according to their age and ability, which helps them to feel settled and safe. All areas of the nursery are brightly decorated with the children's work, and staff appropriately use and manage the available resources to meet the needs of children. The staff organise the space well to encourage independence, for example, by storing toys at low level and by introducing free-flow play to the garden areas outside. A positive feature of this nursery is that, due to the small outside space, children have many opportunities to learn about the wider and natural world and the society in which they live as they go on regular walks, play in the nearby park and go on trips to places such as the library and the post office. The manager and staff have a good understanding of how to promote an inclusive environment, and welcomes and values children of all backgrounds. They work closely with outside agencies and other professionals

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the early years provision

as necessary to ensure they meet children's additional needs. Children are helped to recognise and value a diversity of cultures, gender, age and disabilities and find out about how different people celebrate their beliefs and traditions through a good range of activities and resources.

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the early years provision

A strong engagement with parents and carers is a particular passion of the manager and a strength of the provision. It contributes significantly to meeting This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 children's needs. Parents receive good information about the early years provision and are kept well informed about their child's achievements. They are encouraged to contribute to their child's 'learning journey' development files by writing about their child's interests at home, which helps staff to find out how the child behaves outside of the nursery setting. Parents are actively encouraged to be involved in supporting their child's learning and development by helping out during sessions, borrowing books and 'chatter packs' from the lending library and borrowing song boxes to take home and sing nursery songs with their child. Regular newsletters keep parents up to date with the latest developments at the provision and written

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the early years provision

daily sheets are provided for parents of babies. The nursery is currently trialing the use of communication books for parents in the pre-school room which would also be of benefit to parents in the toddler room. Good links with other early years settings the children attend help ensure children receive consistent care and education.

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and outcomes for children

The nursery provides a welcoming and stimulating environment for children. A well motivated staff team works well together to support the children's learning and development around the six areas of learning. All staff have a good knowledge of the learning and development requirements. They discuss children's abilities with parents before they start at the setting, although this does not appear to be formally recorded and this can prevent staff from quickly identifying the children's starting points. Once the children have settled, however, staff document children's learning through photographs and written observations. Staff consistently record children's next steps for learning and it is clear how this is used to inform the planning. However, staff have not yet devised a clear system to assist them in tracking children's progression in skills towards the early learning goals. Staff ensure that each child receives an enjoyable and varied learning experience

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and outcomes for children

through providing a range of activities daily. There is a good balance of adult-led and self-chosen activities and staff interact positively with the children. However, it is not clear on the written plans, how activities can be differentiated to meet individual children's needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children respond well to the warm and gentle interaction from staff, which enables them to feel confident in their abilities and enjoy their play. Babies enjoy exploring and feeling different textures, such as pasta and oats, and items from the treasure baskets. They clearly enjoy singing sessions, joining in with the actions and clapping their hands after each song. They receive lots of cuddles from staff. Toddlers also enjoy messy play, such as playdough and painting and sit happily with a member of staff to listen to a story. They are already showing curiosity in numbers and are starting to draw clear body parts such as fingers and thumbs on their drawings. Older children show good imagination as they play doctors and nurses, and take each other's temperatures. Some can spell out their name and recognise their names on their coat pegs and drawers. Children are very interested in the vegetables a member of staff has brought in for them to look at and they

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and outcomes for children

talk about the Harvest Festival. They go on to experiment with the pine cones they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 have found to see if they close in the rain. Children are also developing good independent skills as they serve their own meals.

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and outcomes for children

All children show a strong sense of security and feel safe within the setting. They show an excellent understanding of what standards of behaviour are expected and apply these in order to keep themselves and others safe. Their understanding of safety issues and how they demonstrate this is exceptional. Children benefit from well-balanced and nutritious meals which are prepared fresh on the premises. The nursery operates a rolling snack bar for the older children enabling them to decide when they want to sit down for a drink and something to eat. However, staff do not always monitor or keep a watchful eye to make sure children have a drink. There are well established hygiene practices in place and children learn healthy habits such as brushing their teeth after lunch and washing their hands at appropriate times. Children have opportunities for rest and quiet activities and also have busy times with plenty of opportunities for fresh air. The inviting soft play

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and outcomes for children

gym ensures that children are able to be active and take exercise as a continual part of the nursery session. Children behave very well at the setting and respond to gentle prompts and reminders from staff. Staff are good role models and positive methods are used throughout the nursery that are age and stage appropriate. Staff provide children with the necessary resources, activities and opportunities they need to help them gain important skills for the future. 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 2 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 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 1 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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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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