Polly's Day Nursery

Polly's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY153243 Inspection date 16/02/2011 Inspector Angela Cole

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Setting address Pollys Day Nursery, The Dye House, Gydynap Lane, Inchbrook, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 5EZ Telephone number 01453 835113 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 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

Polly's Day Nursery opened in 2002 and is one of two settings run privately by the owners. It is situated in a two-storey, detached building at Inchbrook, to the west of Stroud and close to the town of Nailsworth in Gloucestershire. Younger children play on the ground floor and the pre-school group is on the first floor. There is a soft-play room, wet room and two enclosed outdoor areas with safety surfaces available to all children. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 54 children in the early years age range may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 123 children aged from nine months to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and a number of children learning

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Description of the setting

There are 17 staff members working directly with the children. Of these, 13 hold appropriate early years qualifications and four are working towards a qualification. There is one member of staff who has achieved Level 4 in management. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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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

The children are extremely happy, arriving with confidence and eagerly begin their chosen play. They make friends easily and look forward to their company. They share a warm and affectionate relationship with the caring, patient staff who know them well. Overall, they are making excellent progress towards the early learning goals, as the staff successfully promote the children's learning and development. Partnerships with parents and other agencies are a key strength and are significant in ensuring the individual needs of the children are consistently met. Excellent self- evaluation by the committed management and staff prioritises areas for further development that are swiftly focused upon resulting in a highly successful provision where children and babies flourish.

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further?

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

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further?

 reviewing the content of the pre-lunch activity for younger children so that their concentration is maximised. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The nursery's organisation is meticulous ensuring that safeguarding matters are given the highest priority. All staff are vetted and have an in-depth understanding of child protection issues to carefully consider the action they would take should there be any concern about a child's welfare. The nursery is a highly welcoming and stimulating environment that children explore safely. The premises are absolutely secure and action is taken to minimise all identified hazards. Thorough risk assessments are also carried out for range of outings in which children participate, including local walks. The nursery's record keeping is comprehensive and highly detailed. Extensive policies and procedures reflect the nursery's current practice and are easily available for parents. Hygiene practice is exemplary and healthy lifestyles for children are actively promoted.

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the early years provision

The partnership between the staff and the parents and carers is excellent, with all parties liaising closely to ensure the children receive the care and education they require. By working closely with the children's parents, staff find out many details about new children. Families report of their immense satisfaction with regard to the information they receive about the children's progress and appreciate the efforts made to share the children's achievement, for example, through daily use of the diary sheets for the youngest children and fascinating learning journals. The staff work substantially with other providers that deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage while offering their systems, so there is excellent continuity of care that considerable benefits all children.

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the early years provision

The nursery's management is exceptional. As a result, staff make excellent use of time and resources to fully meet the children's needs. Through the highly supportive key-person system, staff actively promote equality and diversity. They monitor activities and assessment rigorously to ensure children are fully integrated and achieve to the very best of their ability. The dedicated staff are, overall, highly qualified and continue to access training to increase their high level of knowledge with regard to early years. They have excellent working relationships and are highly motivated. They make exemplary use of ongoing reflection through in-depth self-evaluation in which all parents and children significantly participate and their views are highly valued. This helps the staff to fully identify the nursery's strengths and accurately target plans for the future, for example, to extend facilities for parental involvement. The nursery demonstrates an excellent capacity for

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and outcomes for children

The children achieve and enjoy to an outstanding degree at the nursery. They benefit highly from skilled, enthusiastic and patient staff who offer a wealth of exciting play opportunities that interest, stimulate, challenge and equip children with excellent skills for the future. Their conversations are advanced for their years This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 and their love of literature enables them to eagerly contribute to their own group stories. They gain considerable numerical skills and show great persistence in solving problems that they initiate, for example, to master an extensive range of technology. The children confidently design using tools of their choice and construct complex models to express their own ideas. From a young age, the children play an important part in the life of the local community, for example, taking part in charity fundraising and exploring the local cycle paths. They gain an

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and outcomes for children

excellent understanding about the advantages of recycling and the importance of caring for their environment.

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and outcomes for children

All babies and children make outstanding progress in their learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. This is because staff fully identify children's individual schemas, developmental needs and deep interests. This, along with a comprehensively monitored programme of assessment and planning, means that children's achievements are consistently valued and highly extended. Progress is excellent in all areas of learning, but particularly good in creative development. Children delight in planting flowers, vegetables and herbs outdoors and make maximum use of their senses and imaginations in the highly resourced in and outdoor play areas. For example, babies freely explore an extensive range of 'treasure basket' materials and toddlers are fully engaged in play with a very wide choice of creative media, including foam, water and paint. Children role play using

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and outcomes for children

real food and household items and create their own imaginative areas, including a 'castle' for knights and princesses.

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and outcomes for children

The high quality adult interaction and exemplary organisation of routines help babies and very young children to gain an exceptionally strong sense of security. Older children show a strong sense of security and feel safe within the nursery. They safely use the extensive range of tools and equipment in the nursery and know how to handle these to keep themselves safe. Their understanding of safety issues and how they demonstrate this is exceptional. Children are extremely confident and competent in communicating their thoughts and show a mature response to taking responsibility about their own and others' safety. Children gain exceptional understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. They follow meticulous personal hygiene routines, choose to spend time out of doors in the fresh air and make healthy food choices at the snack café and at highly sociable meal times.

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and outcomes for children

The high expectations of practitioners and the clear boundaries set mean that children behave very well and spontaneously use good manners. Children show an excellent understanding of expected standards of behaviour and apply these in order to keep themselves and others safe. For example, they suggest organising their own turn taking using a timer. They demonstrate very caring attitudes and older children are highly willing to give others help when needed. They are confident, inquisitive and enthusiastic because the nursery's outstanding provision fully meets their needs so they are totally engaged and greatly enjoy their learning. 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 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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