Hazles Farm

Hazles Farm Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 508021 Inspection date 12/05/2011 Inspector kath harding

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Setting address Hazles Farm, Hazels Road, Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 4HE Telephone number 01939 250234 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. 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

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

Hazles Farm Nursery and Out of School Club has been open since November 1999. It operates from three converted farm buildings, situated in a rural location near Shawbury, North Shropshire. A maximum of 98 children may attend the nursery at any one time. The setting is open Monday to Saturday all year round, except bank holidays. Sessions are from 7am until 7pm. All children share access to an enclosed outdoor play areas.

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Description of the setting

There are currently 146 children from three months to 11 years on roll. Of these, 37 children receive funding for nursery education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The setting supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and also children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 19 staff working with children. Of these, 1 is an Early Years Professional and 16 hold suitable early years qualifications and two are currently working towards a qualification. The pre-school has a qualified teacher supporting the morning sessions within the setting. The nursery offers teaching and learning based on the Montessori method and receives support from the local authority.

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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 make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. An exceptional knowledge of each child's individual needs enables staff to successfully promote children's learning and welfare, with some areas of practice being outstanding. Staff have an outstanding partnership with parents and have strong links with other local providers. Staff have a positive attitude to improvement and have good systems in place to evaluate their practice in most areas.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the risk assessment to ensure that it covers anything with which a child may come into contact to ensure children's safety and well-being with reference to the pre-school outdoor area  review the risk assessment to include good hygiene procedures for younger children specifically after meals.

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the early years provision

Clear and robust vetting systems are in place to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and that they are effectively safeguarded. New staff complete a thorough induction process to ensure they are suitable. Staff are aware of their This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 roles in relation to safeguarding children and the correct procedures to follow in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board guidelines. Staff attend regular training in this area to keep their knowledge up-to-date. Daily risk assessments and daily checks are conducted to minimise hazards to children and staff. These include checks on equipment, activities and areas used by the children. However, this does not presently include the small adjacent area used by the pre-school children. Children are encouraged to keep themselves safe by having visitors into the setting, such as police officers to talk about road safety. They are encouraged

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the early years provision

to draw up rules that will keep them safe and learn about the consequence of their actions, such as what might happen if they run indoors. They talk about safety outside of the nursery and are encouraged to share any worries or concerns they may have.

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the early years provision

Staff know the children exceptionally well and have an excellent understanding of issues relating to equality and diversity as they provide a service that ensures equality of opportunity is central to all of its work. Staff ensure that every child, through good partnership-working, receives high levels of support. Children and their families are well integrated into the setting and the development of nearly all children in relation to their starting points is good. Staff undertake regular detailed observations of children's progress and this links directly into planning for each individual child's next steps in their development. Individual trackers are used termly to ensure that children are making sufficient progress in each of the areas of learning.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents are excellent. Comprehensive information is sought from parents at induction visits regarding their child's routine, care needs and particular preferences and interests, all of which are recorded and acted upon by staff in a consistent way. A quiet area is offered to mothers who wish to breast feed their children who attend. Staff have attended a breast feeding awareness course and are on hand to offer support and advice if needed. Parents of younger children receive daily diaries so they are fully informed about the details of their child's day. They are very involved in contributing their views and suggestions about the provision in order to bring about future improvement. Parents are invited into the setting to share elements of their working life. For example, a farmer brings his tractor into the setting and a paramedic brings her ambulance. The setting offers parents opportunities to attend consultation evenings and asks for parents'

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the early years provision

contributions to their child's profile, so ensuring continuity of care for the children. Parents are invited into the setting for social occasions, such as concerts and when planting the new trees in the forest school area. Grandparents are also welcomed into the setting and a specific grandparents day is available. Parents spoken to speak very highly of the nursery and previously collated written comments include 'the staff are all competent, friendly and aware of each child's needs', 'the nursery provides a solid foundation for a child's education whilst maintaining a fun and caring attitude', 'when choosing a nursery I visited many and this is the one that stood out above the rest', 'nursery is brilliant and staff are lovely' and 'we love how much feedback we are given by staff. Nothing is ever too much trouble they are fantastic'. Staff offer suggestions and ideas of activities to be undertaken at home.

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the early years provision

Resources are used effectively to support children's learning as children can independently access these from the low-level shelving units. The setting liaises This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 well with other local providers to promote learning and consistency of care for the children attending.

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the early years provision

The staff team demonstrate great enthusiasm for their work and have a clear commitment to reviewing and improving practice to enhance children's experiences and maximise their learning and development. Staff prioritise areas for improvement and have been working on enabling children's free access to the outdoor areas and resourcing this.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy, confident and settled and particularly enjoy their time spent in the outdoor areas. Most children make excellent progress towards the early learning goals. Children behave very well and form strong relationships with each other and with adults. Good manners are encouraged throughout the nursery and staff role model respectful interactions with children and each other. Children adopt good personal hygiene routines as they wash their hands prior to eating. They use individual paper towels to reduce the risk of cross infection and hand- washing signs encourage children to wash their hands properly. However, younger children's faces and hands are washed after lunch but not effectively dried. The setting holds the gold award for healthy eating as they provide nutritious meals and snacks. Children take part in food topics on good and bad foods, so encouraging them to make healthy choices. They get plenty of fresh air and

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and outcomes for children

exercise as they go out daily to play in the outdoor area where they can access a wide range of physical activities such as slides, a climbing frame, go karts, bikes and sit-and-ride toys. During wet weather they are able to access the indoor 'Jungle gym' where they can climb, slide and jump, so promoting their large scale skills.

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and outcomes for children

Babies and young toddlers are supported sensitively in becoming aware of the needs of others as well as their own. They become caring towards each other as they try to cuddle a child that has woken up. They begin to actively explore their surroundings with curiosity and interest as toys, treasure baskets and books are accessible for them to crawl or shuffle towards. They are soothed by warm and consistent responses from familiar adults. Staff interact well with children and constantly chatter to them, so encouraging them to talk as well as using smiles and facial expressions. Babies freely approach staff for cuddles and reassurance and staff snuggle them in as they look at books together. They anticipate food routines as they know when the cover comes out they are going to have lunch. They explore with interest as they use the musical toys and have fun as they try and press the buttons and roll the roller. They get fresh air daily as they go

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and outcomes for children

In the toddler room the children enjoy exploring in the water. As they fill, empty and pour from different containers they make comparisons between quantities and learn to problem solve. They choose what song to sing and sing action rhymes whilst waiting for their lunch to be served. They listen well as staff relay stories in a lively way, so encouraging children's interest in books. Staff get fully involved in This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the story and ask open-ended questions, so extending children's learning as they ask the children what animals they might see at the zoo. They encourage children to recall the story to the other children. Staff continually chatter with the children, so modelling language effectively to encourage development of communication skills.

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and outcomes for children

In the pre-school area children sing a welcome song at circle time in order to give the children a sense of belonging and make them feel valued. Staff use Montessori teaching methods exceptionally well to promote children's independence, develop their practical life skills and their individual development. Children are familiar with the Montessori practices of finding their own resources and putting things back where they belong. They confidently approach staff for help to put aprons on and to help put shoes on prior to going outdoors. During child-initiated time they can freely access the adjacent outdoor area where they paint with water and explore with the sea creatures in the water and the sand. They have weekly opportunities to take part in a forest schools project on site, where they can plant, grow, pick and eat their home grown produce. They can access this area in all weathers and experience and identify features of the natural world. As they look at a globe and a

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and outcomes for children

map of Europe they identify Great Britain and sing their continent song, so becoming more aware of the wider world. They look after the chickens and fish, so beginning to be aware about caring for living things. As children mark make in the writing area they freely chat about who they are drawing a picture for. They are beginning to form recognisable letters as they have written captions for their wall displays. They begin to problem solve as they use specific Montessori equipment and count the sections of each stick. They begin to recognise numerals as they find the corresponding numeral to match with the correct amount. They gain a good sense of responsibility as they sweep the sand up and tell staff they have done this. They play imaginatively in the baker's shop and explain that it is not open until ten o'clock. They explore what happens when they mix colours and have fun as they attempt to guess what colours they will make when mixed together.

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and outcomes for children

Children take part in charity events, such as a sponsored toddle to gain an understanding of others and the wider world. They develop their knowledge of their local community as they go for outings to the library, the bakers and post office. They have access to an excellent range of toys and resources that help them to learn about diversity. They look at different festivals, such as Diwali, have visitors into the setting, wear traditional costumes and cook customary dishes with 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 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 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 2

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 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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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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