Bolland Hall Day Nursery

Bolland Hall Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 301758 Inspection date 24/11/2010 Inspector Julie Morrison

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Setting address Bolland Hall, Pottery Bank, Bullers Green, MORPETH, Northumberland, NE61 1DF Telephone number 01670 511977 Email bollandnursery@sky.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.

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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

Bolland Hall Day Nursery is privately owned and managed has been registered since 1992. The building is located close to the centre of the town of Morpeth and close to local amenities. The nursery provision is accommodated on the first floor of a two storey building which is in its own grounds and is accessed via a flight of stairs. Childcare is provided in one large playroom, which is divided into play areas including a sleep room, office, fully equipped kitchen and toilet facilities for children and staff. An enclosed outdoor play area is adjacent to the premises.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for a maximum of 30 children from birth to five years of age. They currently have 30 children in this age range on roll. The nursery is also registered to provide care for children over the age of five years this is registered by Ofsted on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, 8.15am to 5.30pm, all year round, except for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Overall responsibility for the nursery lies with the proprietor who is also the manager. There is a deputy manager and five other regular members of staff who work with the children. Along with the manager who has completed an honours degree in early years, all of the staff team hold appropriate early years qualifications. The nursery receives support from an early years adviser and is a member of the National Day Nursery Association.

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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

All children and their families are warmly welcomed into the friendly nursery. The enthusiastic and dedicated team create an inclusive setting where children's welfare is promoted well and all children are respected and valued. This safe and stimulating environment provides a firm basis for children to make good progress in their learning and development. Their individual needs are met well as effective procedures are in place to work with parents and share information with other providers. Systems to evaluate and improve practice are secure and result in a continually improving setting.

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further?

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

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further?

 make effective use of time to ensure that records of children's learning are up-to-date and clearly dated in order to easily show progress  further develop the risk assessment to ensure that it covers anything with which a child may come into contact with. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety and welfare is promoted well at the setting. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their role and responsibility with regard to safeguarding children. Consequently, children are well protected. Clear recruitment, vetting and induction procedures ensure that all staff are well qualified and suitable to work with children. Daily checks along with risk assessments are completed to minimise the likelihood of accidents. However, some of these are not specific and do not fully cover anything with which a child may come into contact with, for example, large play equipment in the outdoor play area. Nevertheless, effective procedures, including constant supervision of children, mean the risk of harm is very low. A wide range of comprehensive policies and procedures effectively underpin the work of the setting and promote all aspects of the children's care, welfare and learning.

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the early years provision

The setting is well maintained and divided into bright play areas where children can self-select from a good range of stimulating toys and resources. Colourful displays of the children's work along with a variety of photographs create a child- friendly environment where children feel valued and secure. A separate sleep area allows children to rest according to their individual needs whilst others continue to play. Staff are deployed effectively to ensure children are well supervised and supported in the learning. They demonstrate enthusiasm and an ongoing commitment to further developing their skills and knowledge to improve the outcomes for children. This is supported well by a committed manager who has a good understanding of the areas for development. The setting works closely with other professionals and makes use of questionnaires to gather feedback from parents. This enables them to develop and reflect on their practice. All

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the early years provision

recommendations and actions from the previous inspection have been positively addressed, for example, all required documentation is in place. This helps to safeguard children.

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the early years provision

Staff have established positive relationships with parents and other providers. A good level of information is gathered from parents at the start. This enables staff to support and meet their children's individual needs. Parents receive an informative information pack when their children first start and noticeboards display important information such as Ofsted contact details, public liability insurance and certificate of registration. This is combined with regular newsletters to ensure that parents are kept well informed about the setting. Daily feedback, parent's evenings and regular opportunities to take home their child's file keeps parents well informed about their child's learning and care. The setting is working hard to establish systems to involve parents in their child's learning, such as a take home bear and diary for children to complete and encouraging parents to bring photographs of their home and family into the setting. This supports staff to

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the early years provision

gather more information about children in order to recognise and support their individual differences. No children currently attend with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or English as an additional language. However, the team demonstrate a genuine commitment and understanding of working with parents and other professionals in order to meet all children's individual needs. Effective systems are in place to share information with other providers. This helps to promote This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 consistency and continuity in children's care and learning.

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and outcomes for children

Children are making good progress in their learning and development because staff have a solid understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and implement it well. Key workers plan activities which cover all areas of learning and are based on children s individual learning and next steps. Each child has their own file which includes observations which are clearly linked to the areas of learning, identified next steps, photographs and examples of their work. However, some files are not up to date and some observations have not been dated. This makes it difficult to see progress. However, as most files are up to date and staff clearly know their key children very well the impact of this on outcomes for children is very minimal.

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and outcomes for children

Children's independence is promoted well. They are able to make decisions about their learning and play as they move around the well resourced space confidently, accessing toys independently and helping to tidy away. Good levels of support from staff and effective use of questioning helps to promote children's language skills. For example, staff encourage them to describe what the shaving foam feels like and they respond to children's delight at seeing snow by talking about how it makes them feel and asking what clothes they might need to wear. Children's communication skills are further developed as they are beginning to show an interest in books both as a group at circle time and independently as they select them and discuss with their friends. Well planned activities support children's mathematical skills and helps them to develop skills for the future. For example, they make rulers with the staff and measure their favourite toys. Staff further

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and outcomes for children

support their learning as they ask them questions such as "which one is the biggest? Is it the same?" A variety of creative activities such as play dough, painting, cutting, water and sand play are provided and this gives children ample opportunity to explore textures and develop their fine motor skills as they hold brushes, scissors and pour and scoop. Discussion and good resources encourage children's growing knowledge of equal opportunities. This is complemented with the celebration of a range of festivals that represent the children's own cultures and those of others, such as, celebrating Diwali. Children confidently use the computer to write their name and use play phones as part of their role play. Planned activities, such as asking children to take photographs of their favourite parts of the nursery further promotes their information, communication and technology skills and also allows the staff and parents to gain an insight into how

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy a variety of experiences that promote a healthy lifestyle. They play outside on ride on toys, with chalks and balls. Indoors weekly yoga sessions enable children to explore how their bodies move in different ways and support their physical development. The children benefit from balanced menus which take into account individual dietary requirements and enjoy a range of planned activities such as making fruit salads and growing cress to further support their understanding of good health. Consistent daily routines for hand washing along This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 with visits from the dentist further help children to learn about healthy lifestyles. Warm and caring relationships with the staff help children to feel safe and secure in their surroundings. They are beginning to understand how to keep themselves safe through regular routines such as practising fire evacuation procedures. This is

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and outcomes for children

supported by visits from the fire brigade and gentle reminders such as how to carry scissors safely. Children behave very well at the nursery; they receive high levels of attention and are engaged in interesting activities. During group activities they learn to share, take turns and respect the needs of their peers, thus supporting the development of skills they will need 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 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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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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