Bridgewater Primary School

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 105912 Inspection date 10/05/2011 Inspector Dinah Round

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Type of setting Childcare on 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 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

Start Right Nursery School opened in June 1988. It is privately owned and operates from the owner's own home in the Countess Wear area of Exeter, Devon. The nursery operates from four main rooms with access to a variety of outdoor play areas and an art studio. Children also have access to the family dog. The nursery serves the local area and surrounding villages.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the pre-school at any one time. There are currently 54 children aged from two to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. It provides funded early education for children aged three and four years. The nursery currently supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery runs from 8am to 5pm, from Monday to Friday during school term times.

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Description of the setting

The nursery has nine staff, six of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least level two. The manager holds the Early Years Professional Status qualification and is a qualified teacher.

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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 are confident in the welcoming and friendly environment that is provided. Staff know each child well, and the excellent partnerships established with parents and other agencies ensures continuity of children's care and well-being. Children have access to a good range of stimulating play activities and experiences. The staff team work together well, and overall, the deployment of staff and organisation of most of the activities supports children's welfare and development well. The management and staff have a positive attitude to continuous development of the provision and use a variety of measures to reflect on ways to improve the care provided for children.

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further?

To meet the specific requirements of the EYFS, the registered person must:

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further?

 provide fresh drinking water, so it is available for children at all times (Promoting good health) 17/05/2011

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further?

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

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further?

 review the organisation of staff deployment, so that children are sufficiently supervised at all times This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  improve organisation of large group activities, so that consideration is given to all children's needs enabling them to fully participate.

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the early years provision

Policies, procedures and records are well organised and used successfully to support children's individual needs. This includes clear recruitment and vetting procedures to check that staff are suitable to work with children. Effective security measures are put in place so that children cannot leave the premises unsupervised. Regular risk assessments are completed on all areas children come into contact with, which contributes towards identifying and minimising potential risks to children. Staff have a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and their responsibilities in following procedures if they have any concerns about a child in their care. This contributes towards the safeguarding of children.

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the early years provision

Children have access to different play areas throughout the day and are provided with a good range of clean, age appropriate resources. Children benefit from regular access to the various outdoor play areas, which enhances their learning and enjoyment by enabling them to explore and investigate in a natural environment. However, at times, the deployment of staff is not well organised to ensure that children are fully supervised when using the outdoor play areas, which compromises children's safety. The enthusiastic staff work together well as a team, making sure that information about children's individual needs is regularly shared. Children with specific needs are well supported and equipment is adapted so they are able to access resources.

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the early years provision

The nursery management and staff have a positive approach to the ongoing development of the provision and have addressed most of the previous recommendations successfully. For example, detailed observation and assessments have been implemented to help monitor children's progress. However, staff do not make sure that children are able to access drinking water at all times, which was a previous recommendation and is a welfare requirement. Staff are supported in attending training to continue to improve their knowledge and skills. For example, all staff recently took part in training on children with special needs where external agencies visited the setting to raise their awareness on how to support children with specific needs. Effective systems are in place to evaluate and reflect on areas for development to benefit children, through regular staff meetings and completion of the Ofsted self-evaluation form. There is currently a clear focus to develop the

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the early years provision

outside area further to enrich children's learning experiences.

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the early years provision

Staff promote excellent partnerships with parents. Parents are supplied with detailed information about the nursery, through displays and notices, ongoing discussions, and access to the nursery website. Information about each child's abilities and starting points is obtained from parents on the 'child profile form', which the staff use to plan future activities to support children's ongoing development. Children's progress and achievements are well documented and regularly shared with parents, who are actively encouraged to get involved in their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 child's learning. For example, books are sent home for parents to read with their child, and comments on children's experiences at home are contributed through ongoing discussion and the ''my child at home'' sheets. Parents feel well informed about their child's care and well-being, commenting staff are friendly and

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the early years provision

approachable. There are effective systems in place to link with external agencies and other early years settings, which successfully promotes continuity for children's care, learning and development.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, children are happy, settled and secure. Children feel confident to approach staff for support as they can be assured of a warm and friendly response. Staff know children well, and support children in developing good relationships with others. Children's independence is fostered well as they taker responsibility for small tasks, such as pouring their own drinks at snack time and putting on their boots when they choose to go outside. There is a good balance of both adult-led and child initiated activities. Children benefit from the positive interaction they receive from staff, who ask questions to support their learning and development. Ongoing observational assessments are completed to effectively monitor children's progress and achievements. These are used successfully alongside children's individual interests to plan for each child's future learning. Flexible planning is followed so that children are actively involved in giving

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and outcomes for children

suggestions for future topics, such as fairies and treasure.

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and outcomes for children

Children are confident and motivated to learn. They behave well and know what is expected through familiar routines and the explanations given from staff. Children are supported in learning to share and take turns, such as waiting patiently to use the computer program. Children use language well to communicate; for example, the older children eagerly share ideas to make up their own story and proudly recall 'that was my bit' as it is read to everyone at the end of the session. However, group story and circle time activities are not always effectively organised and some children lose interest and distract others, which impacts on the enjoyment of others. All children have regular access to mark making tools which helps to develop their emergent writing skills. Children are introduced to numbers, counting and simple problem-solving through planned and spontaneous activities. They learn to sort and match the colours and sizes of bears to create the different

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and outcomes for children

patterns. Children's physical development is fostered very well; they have use of challenging outdoor play equipment and take part in weekly dance sessions, which successfully develops their balance and coordination skills. Children learn about nature as they take part in planting, growing and caring for vegetables in the nursery garden. Children enjoy using their senses to explore and experiment with a variety of creative materials, such as sand, paint, shaving foam, collage and the weekly baking activities. Children take part in local walks of the surrounding area, which helps to raise their awareness of their local environment.

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and outcomes for children

Overall, children health and safety is promoted well. They adopt good personal hygiene routines and staff help them understand the importance of washing their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 hands to remove dirt and germs. Children enjoy a good variety of healthy snacks, and the nursery liaises closely with parents to ensure that any individual dietary needs are followed. Children learn to keep themselves and others safe during their play through the gentle reminders they receive from staff; for example, staff talk to children about the importance of wearing helmets when riding their bikes outside. A 'safety' week is organised to reinforce the safety messages, which involves children taking part in a fire drill to raise their awareness of what to do in an emergency situation. 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 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 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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