Little Spring School

Mongewell Park Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133512 Inspection date 19/04/2011 Inspector Jill Milton

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Setting address Elizabeth House, Reading Road, Cholsey, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 9HA Telephone number 01491 824040/837764 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

Mongewell Park Nursery School is one of a number of nurseries run by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. The nursery opened in 1997 and is located on the outskirts of Wallingford in Oxfordshire. The intake of children is from a wide catchment area. The accommodation consists of large rooms in a large Victorian building as well as a new extension. All children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 160 children in the early years age range may attend at any one time and there are currently 178 children in this age range on roll. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery opens on weekdays from 7.30am to 6.30pm all year apart from public holidays and a week over the Christmas period. The nursery supports children with

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Description of the setting

special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery also supports children for whom English is an additional language. The nursery employs 31 members of staff, of whom 26 hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

Children across all age groups are thriving in this extremely well organised nursery. Staff pay excellent attention to the needs of each child in their care, successfully supporting their progress in learning and development. Children benefit from excellent partnerships between home and nursery. Links too that are beginning to develop with other providers are encouraging. Staff are fully committed to a comprehensive self-evaluation process which results in a successful programme of reflection and improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 extending links with local schools to ease children's transitions to full time education.

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the early years provision

Staff are confident in their knowledge and understanding of how to safeguard children. They receive regular up-dates to their training in this area and they conform to in-house procedures, for example with the strict ban on use of personal mobile telephones when working with the children. The nursery has the benefit of This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 support from a dedicated human resources team so that new staff to the organisation undergo a rigorous checking procedure. An extensive range of daily check lists provide staff with helpful reminders on how to keep the environment safe for children. Staff receive a fifteen module health and safety training plan covering all aspects of their daily work so they are equipped with the skills to help them work effectively. This is one of a number of highly effective ways that staff receive support to their daily work. There is an excellent attitude to improvement,

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the early years provision

which covers plans at a individual level for staff and works through to rooms and for the nursery as a whole. Managers include staff in their well thought out self- evaluation and there is a consistent positive approach to improving the nursery. This has a beneficial impact on the outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The nursery provides a high quality standard of accommodation, which is clean, bright and airy. Delightful displays of children's art and photographs decorate colourful and spacious rooms. Staff organise resources extremely well to ensure children have access to stimulating activities that amply cover all areas of early learning. Outdoor play space is an aspect of the nursery that demonstrates considerable improvement since the last inspection. A recent audit by staff of their resources is resulting in an improving selection of images and toys to promote diversity in a positive way. Staff are attentive to the needs of each child in their care. They are diligent at maintaining high standards of hygiene and they are confident in nursery procedures for tasks such as recording accidents or administered medicines.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with families are excellent and parents praise the way staff take active steps to address any concerns. Regular meetings with key staff enable an effective dialogue to take place about the children's development and for joint setting of targets to help children progress. Staff value the input from parents and are proactive in organising events to encourage their participation in nursery life. Stay and play sessions are a regular feature and parents wishing to share their excellent story telling skills receive an enthusiastic welcome from the children. An active parent participation group provides volunteers who are willing to talk to families about the nursery and provide feedback to staff. Staff work successfully with other professionals when children require extra support, for example with behaviour management or speech therapy. They are also starting to build links with the range of schools that children will move on to in the local area.

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and outcomes for children

Children's health is benefitting from spending time in the extensive gardens where they enjoy fresh air and sunshine. All age groups, from the baby room upwards, are able to make strides with their physical development as they run in the wide- open spaces or use equipment for balancing and pedalling. Children over two years make their own decisions when a green 'go' sign indicates to them outdoors is an available option. Older children move their name cards on a board by the door to show when they go outside and they correct staff if they do not keep up with the system. Children eat well at the nursery with a nutritious range of meals that takes This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 into account any individual dietary requirements. They are keen to sit down for freshly baked scones and jam at morning snack time, with older children showing excellent levels of independence. Staff are meticulous about keeping areas clean

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and outcomes for children

and they consistently wear protective aprons when serving food or when attending to children's personal care to minimise cross-infection. Children's awareness of how to stay healthy is developing successfully as they use the bathroom independently and sing a song to ensure they spend sufficient time on hand washing.

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and outcomes for children

Children develop excellent bonds with staff who are aware of their unique needs and routines. Babies play in attractive rooms with caring staff and steps are in place to keep them safe whilst sleeping. Staff make use of a ten minute timer to ensure checks on the cot rooms take place and they share information with parents about safe positions for sleeping babies. Transitions between rooms are managed effectively with a well-planned system of visits and offers of meetings for parents with new key staff. Older children demonstrate high levels of confidence in their play and they are becoming inquisitive and keen learners. Many examples of co-operative play take place during the day, for example, a game of 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' is organised by the children with little intervention by the staff. Behaviour is very good throughout the nursery and older children take an active role in discussing boundaries, using stickers of smiley or sad faces to decide if they

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and outcomes for children

are meeting expectations. Children also take an active role in safety checks with their own laminated cards to tick if standards are met. During a recent activity to observe chicks hatching in an incubator the children set some ground rules of their own to keep the birds safe.

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and outcomes for children

Staff display the children's art work or early writing exceptionally well and they annotate pictures with phrases from the children. It is easy to see the obvious delight children show in the activities, whether it is a nature topic for older children or body painting for the babies and toddlers. There is an excellent emphasis in all rooms on sensory play using a stimulating range of media and natural objects. Children are able to make substantial progress in all areas of learning. Staff maintain consistently good records of the children's development and use the information to inform planning. Those records sampled are up-to-date and contain helpful observations of children's achievements, which are then brought into planning activities to match their interests. A recent focus on recycling introduced some children to making new paper from old scraps and children are keen to talk about these activities and to share their accessible 'learning journey' folders with

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and outcomes for children

visitors. Children of all ages access resources in both the indoor and outdoor environments that help them with key skills, such as early understanding of number, technology and literacy. They are receiving excellent levels of individual support from staff who know their needs. When children require extra help, staff develop partnerships with other professionals and they work alongside parents to support children who are learning English as an additional language. The recent addition of display boards showing family photographs in the rooms is a further demonstration of the respect staff show to parents and sends positive messages about inclusion to the children. 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 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 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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