Lower Earley Day Nursery and Pre-School

Yellow Brick House (Earley) Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 148634 Inspection date 12/05/2011 Inspector Jenna Hamilton - Heward

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Setting address Chalfont Park Pavilion, Chalfont Way, Lower Earley, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 5HQ Telephone number 0118 9873441 Email charlotte.wilkinson@ntlworld.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

Yellow Brick House (Earley) nursery is one of three nurseries privately owned by the Yellow Brick House chain. The Nursery has been open since 1994 and operates from Chalfont Pavilion in Lower Early, Berkshire. Children have access to a large hall with several smaller rooms also available. There is a secure fenced outdoor area for children to use. The nursery serves the local community and surrounding areas. It is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday. Children can attend all day or for morning/afternoon sessions which are from 9:00am-12:20pm or 1:00pm-4:00pm. A maximum of 77 children can attend at any one time and of these not more than than 15 may be under 2 years at any one time. There are currently 122 children on roll, 88 of whom are in receipt of nursery education funding. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and disabilities together with children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The setting employs 24 members of staff. The majority of staff hold relevant teaching and childcare qualifications, and two have also attained Early Years Professional Status.

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Description of the setting

The setting is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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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 make exceptionally rapid progress in their learning and development in this well-managed and generally very inclusive setting. They are eager to attend and make significant developments in their learning. Children play a dynamic role in their learning and show high levels of independence, curiosity, imagination and concentration. Excellent partnerships with parents and the settings well-established partnership with other agencies successfully promote the learning, development and welfare of the children.

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further?

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

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further?

 develop further opportunities to incorporate all six areas of learning into the role play area, including aspects of cultural diversity. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Clear and robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure all adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Children are effectively safeguarded because staff are knowledgeable about child protection procedures and attend regular training in this area. This is securely underpinned by the comprehensive policies and procedures. All required documentation is in place. Risk assessments are conducted regularly and this ensures children's safety is maintained at all times to create a safe and supportive environment for children to develop towards the early learning goals. Children thrive as a result of a purposeful environment where outcomes are clearly attributed to excellent use of resources, including highly effective deployment of staff. The setting is highly effective at ensuring all children are well integrated, taking steps to closely identify any gaps in children's achievements. Practitioners

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the early years provision

actively promote inclusion as they acknowledge and value differences, ensuring that children's individual needs are included in their plans. Children have the opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions through a range of activities, such as cooking foods from around the world. The setting has exceptional systems in place for working with parents. They provide tailored guidance and precise ways parents and carers can support their children's learning, development and welfare. An effective open-door policy enables parents to express any concerns and contribute to their children's learning by actively taking part in the settings activities. The nursery have superb links with local schools and other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage, ensuring excellent exchanges of information to effectively support the children through the transition to the reception class. Children with special educational needs receive exceptional support from the dedicated staff

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the early years provision

team and a wide range of other professionals. They work closely in partnership with the setting to ensure children's individual needs are effectively met and children make the best progress possible, from their various staring points. The management team has inspirational direction and vision for the future of the setting. On-going self-evaluation of their strengths and weakness helps them to identify areas for improvement. For example, the setting has plans to extend their outdoor area to include the forest school philosophy, in order to further develop the children's knowledge and understanding of the world through exploration, of their natural environment. This clearly demonstrates the settings commitment to improving outcomes for children

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and outcomes for children

The whole staff team have an excellent understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which means they are extremely confident in delivering the curriculum and supporting children's learning effectively. They have developed This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 systematic observation and planning methods, which take into account each child's needs and interests exceptionally well. Rigorous systems are in place to ensure all children are achieving and progressing well. Incredible 'learning journey' journals are used very effectively to map and record each child's progress across each of the six areas of learning. Staff conduct regular audit trails that enable them to highlight gaps in children's progress and plan additional support for children in these areas. The settings highly stimulating and welcoming environment fully reflects the children's backgrounds and the wider community. Children are very happy and

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and outcomes for children

settled within the setting and show an extremely strong sense of belonging and know what is expected of them. Children have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities, in which they display high levels of concentration and confidence. Behaviour is exemplary and children begin to show an excellent awareness of responsibility within the setting. For example, children independently tidy away and clean up after their activity. Overall activities are of an exceptionally high quality and embrace all areas of learning, including helping children understand the diverse society in which they live. Organised events help children respect the needs of others. For example, they take part in fund raising events for different charities. As a result, children develop positive attitudes towards acknowledging the needs of others and respecting diversity. Excellent use of signs, labelling and photographs around the nursery assist

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and outcomes for children

children with communication skills and help them to gain a strong sense of belonging. For example, the children have their own book where they can stick their work and write their name, which gives children a sense of ownership within their nursery. Sign language is used to support children with their communication and language skills and enables every child to enjoy signing to rhymes. Staff provide excellent opportunities to further extend children's communication skills and the setting is involved in the 'every child a talker' project. All children show a strong sense of security and demonstrate they know how to keep themselves, and each other, safe. For example, they confidently use sharp safety knives to cut fruit and toast for the group at snack time, because they have been shown how to do so safely and are well supervised. Children are extremely confident at communicating their thoughts and feelings. They settle well and

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and outcomes for children

develop excellent relationships with adults and each other. Each child is highly valued and enjoys excellent interactions with the whole staff team. Children gain exceptional knowledge of healthy practices as they have access to an open snack bar where they are able to make their own snack independently with a variety of choice. Children are well informed about healthy living through activities, such as independently watering the plants they grow in the garden. The exciting outside areas are used continuously and children benefit from ample amounts of fresh air, physical activity and exercise.

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and outcomes for children

Children display extremely high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they have independent access to resources in their environment. For example, children have access to a well-equipped art room, which enables them to make outstanding progress in their creative skills. 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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