Growing Up Green

Growing Up Green Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY417951 Inspection date 18/04/2011 Inspector Lisa Toole

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Setting address 208 Preston Road, BRIGHTON, BN1 6RA

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Telephone number 01273 542888 Email info@growingupgreen.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

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

Growing Up Green opened in 2010 and is located in a converted premises in Brighton, Sussex, close to a railway station, parks and schools. It is one of two nurseries owned by the same providers. Children use five different rooms, spread over two floors and also have access to an enclosed rear garden.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 55 children may attend the nursery at any one time and it is registered on the Early Years Register. The nursery is open each weekday from 8.00am to 6.00pm, full year.

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Description of the setting

The nursery provides care for children aged from birth to five years only. There are currently 48 children on roll and children come from a wide catchment area. The nursery currently supports children with English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 13 members of staff. Of these, eight hold appropriate early years qualifications and three members of staff are in training.

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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 outcomes for children are excellent because of the exceptional care they receive. This results in children making very good progress in their overall learning and development towards the early learning goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage. One area for them to consider relates to how they promote the children's good health. The nursery is extremely well led and managed, by a team who are highly ambitious and motivated. They aim to provide the very best care and education for children that they can. They evaluate their practice on a continual basis and have a very strong and positive capacity to continue to improve.

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further?

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

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further?

 supporting children's good health in all areas of the nursery through routine handwashing before eating and providing drinking water outdoors for children to freely access.

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the early years provision

The staff are skilled practitioners who understand their roles and responsibilities very clearly; this includes how they safeguard children. Staff have a comprehensive This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understanding of how to protect children on a daily basis throughout the nursery environment in and outdoors. They have robust procedures in place to reduce risk and hazards to children, and are fully aware of the referral procedures to follow if a child is identified at risk of harm. The nursery's recruitment, vetting and induction procedures are extremely robust, to ensure only suitable adults work with the children. The staff team create a harmonious environment, where they work extremely well together and show that they are ambitious. All of the staff show a strong commitment to driving improvement in the nursery, by attending further training, holding regular staff meetings and contributing to the nursery's

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the early years provision

self-evaluation. Priorities for improvement are very clearly targeted to enhance the provision for every child, taking account of equality and inclusion so that none of the children are disadvantaged in any way.

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the early years provision

The nursery environment is stimulating, secure, and is very well resourced, with high quality toys and equipment in all areas. Robust procedures are in place to maintain a clean and safe environment through risk assessment, regular cleaning and maintenance. The garden is particularly stimulating for children of all ages, with a separate sensory play area, a vegetable growing garden, as well as plenty of space for children to run around and get physical exercise.

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the early years provision

The nursery has extremely positive partnerships with parents and with agencies in the wider context. Parents are encouraged to feel welcome and a valuable part of the nursery right from the initial settling visits. They are given a wealth of information about the nursery and how their child will be cared for, so they can feel reassured about the welfare of their child. They are kept very well-informed about their child's day and given the opportunity to talk to their child's key person on a regular basis. Newsletters are translated when needed into languages other than English, reflecting their very strong commitment to inclusion, and promotion of equality and diversity for everyone involved in the nursery. The nursery also works with language support agencies to aid communication for families who speak a range of languages other than English. Links with the local authority are strong; the nursery has just begun their quality assurance programme to help

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the early years provision

drive their improvement further. The views of children and parents are highly valued by the senior management, with their comments actively taken on board in order to enhance the provision even further.

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and outcomes for children

Children of all ages show through their behaviour that they feel very secure, happy and settled within the nursery. They have formed strong attachments to staff and their peers which contribute to their feelings of belonging and their positive relationships. All of the children are extremely well behaved; they respond to requests from adults and treat each other with respect. Staff act as exemplary role models; they are attentive, caring and have fun with the children, for example as they sing songs and do action rhymes in the garden. The children are active learners who delight in taking part in a stimulating range of activities. The educational provision is exceptionally well organised and very strongly reflects the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 needs and interests of each child in their age group, as well as teaching them about diversity in the world around them. This is because of the meticulous

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and outcomes for children

observation, assessment and planning for each child by their key person. Children's next steps for learning are clearly identified and supported, so that children are challenged, gain confidence and are able to make exceptional progress. Babies, for example, are supported as they take their first steps walking. Older children practise mark making, to begin to learn how to write their first name. Children who speak another language as their home language make exceptionally good progress in learning English because of the support given to them by staff; this successfully helps narrow any achievement gap. Children show active imaginations as they play together pretending to operate a car wash, using water and brushes to clean the ride-on toys in the garden. They also manipulate playdough to make pretend birthday cakes, with a cherry on the top, for a member of staff. Children are learning key skills for the future extremely well because of the high quality

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and outcomes for children

teaching and provision of very good resources and activities. They develop good communication and language skills because they are encouraged to express their views and ideas, as well as being given time to think and respond, without adult interruption. Toddlers enjoy looking at books, naming pictures as they increase their vocabulary. Outdoors the children delight in tending to their vegetable patch; this supports their developing understanding of growing things and healthy eating.

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and outcomes for children

The children show an excellent understanding of keeping safe, whilst also feeling secure enough to take manageable risks. For example children practise balancing along the wooden edges of the large sand pit, expressing their delight as they succeed. They regularly practise fire evacuation procedures and learn how to manage the stairs independently. The food provided for children is extremely nutritious, mainly organic and is freshly prepared at their sister nursery. Children enjoy a balanced range of meals and snacks, which include items such as oily fish and plenty of vegetables and fruit. Indoors children have constant access to fresh drinking water, though outdoors this is less readily accessible, to prevent children dehydrating in warmer weather. The nursery staff follow meticulous procedures to reduce risks of cross infection most of the time; they have rotas for cleaning toys and equipment, and follow robust nappy changing procedures. Most children in the

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and outcomes for children

nursery wash their hands before each snack and meal time, so they learn about keeping clean and healthy. An oversight about washing hands before their morning snack in the 'teenies' room has an impact on how they consistently learn about good hygiene practices. The children's emotional well-being is given a great deal of consideration as they are given plenty of cuddles and reassurance when needed; their routines from home are followed for continuity of care, which contributes to their feelings of security. 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 2 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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