Graffham Nursery School

Graffham Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY358768 Inspection date 23/05/2011 Inspector Christine Clint

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Setting address Graffham First School, Graffham, PETWORTH, West Sussex, GU28 0NJ Telephone number 01798 867324 Email office@graftham.w-sussex.sch.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.

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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

Graffham Nursery School has been registered since 1997 and has recently transferred into the main school building. It is situated in a rural location close to Petworth in West Sussex. There are currently 32 children in the early years age group on roll who attend various sessions. The nursery provides funded educational places for children of three and four years old.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is registered to provide care for no more than 20 children under the age of eight; of these no more than 20 may be in the early years age group at any one time. There is no provision for children aged under two years There is no provision for overnight care. Nursery children have a dedicated classroom and use the school hall at times. They frequently share areas used by the reception class children in the schoo, including the secure, free-flow outdoor area. The nursery is open during term time only, from Monday to Friday 9am until 12 noon and from 9am until 3pm on Tuesday and Thursday.

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Description of the setting

There are currently five members of staff employed to work with the children, four staff hold early years qualifications and of these, two staff are qualified Early Years Practitioners. The nursery support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who have English as an additional language.

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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

The nursery has developed comprehensive and effective links with the school and shows a very strong level of improvement since the last inspection. A wide range of positive changes have been implemented to increase the learning and development opportunities for early years children and these are continuing to be evaluated and assessed to drive further improvement. The nursery has included routines that show a total commitment to encouraging children's independence and learning through play. There is good staff continuity throughout all sessions and staff show dedication and focus which ensures that all children's individual needs are met.

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further?

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

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further?

 include evidence of other staff recruitment checks undertaken, for example the medical suitability of staff  develop links with other carers to show how information about children's individual learning is shared and used to promote their progress This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The leadership and management of the nursery is well organised and there are very effective links within the school to ensure that all areas of the provision meet the needs of all children attending. A full range of policies and procedures are in place and these show a consistent awareness of the nursery's responsibility in meeting the appropriate regulations. Children's safety and security is thoroughly supported and has been fully monitored throughout the building changes by staff assessing risks and hazards at each stages. For example, the setting used low wooden barricades in the outdoor play area to separate the children from the building work, which children recognised and responded as a bounary. Risk assessments are detailed and include outings.They also include the specific hazards of the forest schooling that children and staff take part in.

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the early years provision

The nursery has systems in place to ensure staff are suitable to work with children and these clearances are completed through the school, however currently evidence of medical suitability is not currently included. Many staff have worked in the nursery for long periods, therefore this does not directly impact on the daily care of the children.

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the early years provision

All staff show a clear awareness of safeguarding issues and have attended training in child protection. They are confident of the procedures to follow should they have any concerns rearding the welfare of a child in their care. All accident records are fully maintained with clear descriptions and details of treatment given. All staff hold current first aid training certificates and regularly update these. There are frequent fire drills and details of these are recorded. These show that the children all understand the procedure to follow in an emergency.

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the early years provision

The nursery management has driven improvements since the last inspection to maintain the provision within this rural area and this is how the close links with the school have evolved. Many of the improvements required at the last inspection were related to the conditions in the older building and these have now been fully resolved through moving to the main school. The furniture and play equipment is appropriate to the age range of the children and well deployed throughout the setting.

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the early years provision

The children have a wide choice of activities during indoor and outdoor play and this has established very strong independence and raised self esteem. There are now higher levels of qualified staff who have established systems of planning for children's individual learning. There are clear records to show how children's development is assessed and promoted. The nursery manager has completed a full evaluation of all areas of the provision and has included the opinions of staff. She has sensibly assessed many systems for monitoring children's progress and this has enabled staff to gain a stronger level of awareness for observing and recording children's progress.

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the early years provision

The nursery staff have an open attitude to reflecting diversity in a positive way. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 They encourage children to learn about the wider world and the many different people who live in the community. They provide a range of resources which promote diversity. Staff who are from other cultures introduce and explain their traditional celebrations at appropriate times.

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the early years provision

Children learn from a visiting music teacher who is male and this challenges any stereotypical attitudes and encourages the high proportion of boys attending to respond to a good male role model. There are successful links within the community, especially through the early years network and with the next local school that children transfer to. Local early years providers meet to share information generally, however there are no specific links when individual children attend more than one setting and this could be used to better promote these children's progress and continuity of care.

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the early years provision

Parents are welcomed into the nursery at any time; they can follow individual routines to settle children at the nursery and staff often visit them at home to establish relationships at the start. They provide clear information and often the links with home are secured through photographs. Parents are exceedingly happy with the provision and know that their children thoroughly enjoy attending. Parents recognise the improvements that have recently taken place and believe this has enhanced the provision. Parents know that they can raise any concerns with the staff, although they are delighted with their children's records of progress and often take these home to share with family members. They are also able to become involved with the forest school and can visit the children's outdoor classroom.

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and outcomes for children

Children have ample freedom in the well resourced nursery classroom and the outdoor play area. The move between all areas with confidence and show a clear sense of purpose in all activities and in the interaction that takes place. Children are learning quickly because they mingle and share activities with the slightly older children in the reception class of the school. They are busy and involved in making a paper octopus with glue and glitter. They show increasing skills of concentration and enjoy spreading glue and sprinkling glitter. Children use scissors capably and they are eager to explain what they are doing. Children have previously made large puffer fish and designed their own patterns; these are hanging at different positions on the wall. Other children use equipment with determination, learning how to position the paper to punch holes and counting confidently the number of holes they have managed to make. There are regular opportunities for mark

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and outcomes for children

making during indoor and outdoor play and children are learning to identify their own names. They show they are keen to write and record information. They understand that written words and symbols carry meaning and as they progress, children are learning to construct simple sentences.

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and outcomes for children

Children spend their time moving freely between the classroom and the outdoor play area.They pretend to be the builders, wearing hard hats and using brooms to This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 sweep the leaves. They say they have lots of work to do and show diligence in searching for the dustpan and brush to finish the task. Children have a strong awareness of the natural world around them and they try to find bugs on the plants, and enjoy describing a caterpillar. They name the strawberry plants and recognise the tools that are used in the garden. Children enjoy following their own ideas and fetch water to turn the dirt into mud. They actively make the cars dirty and enjoy using fresh water to wash them clean again. They ride and manoeuvre on a selection of wheeled toys and use the slight slope and the dirt to make tracks, balancing well on the bicycles with no peddles, thereby strengthening their leg

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and outcomes for children

muscles and gaining confidence. Children are beginning to understand about fairness and they know there is a system for turn taking with the popular balance bikes because individual names are listed on the white board. Staff encourage children's understanding of time passing by providing a timer which children can watch.

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and outcomes for children

Children are happy to take turns when making the play dough. They spoon the flour and salt, measuring this in cups and learning to level the top to gain an exact measurement. They describe the flour as ''soft'' and recognise that they can make a hand prints. Children talk about the colour and eventually decide on green and add a favourite smell, which they announce is ''spearmint''. They have good team skills and clearly enjoy playing with each other as a group.

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and outcomes for children

Early maths skills are encouraged. Staff ask children to recognise number symbols on cards, and they easily identifying which number is 'more' than another. Children show precision in lining up the larger foam bricks and positioning these in an outdoor vehicle. Again they are extending their thinking about maths concepts such a volume and weight; they talk about how 'heavy' it will be and they are unsure if it will be too heavy go up the hill.

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and outcomes for children

Children delight in dressing-up and wearing different shoes that make sounds as they walk. They happily wear their role play clothes during stories and when dancing and moving their bodies to action songs. Children show that they know these well and sing the words successfully, clapping and tapping their feet in time with the music. They sing counting songs and show a secure understanding of quantity when staff suggest finding nine items around the room to link with the song. Children show enthusiasm for singing at any time and they readily join with the visiting music teacher to sing again at the end of the session.

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and outcomes for children

Children are fully responsible for managing their own personal care and have very easy access to the toilets and hand washing facilities. They manage their own snacks efficiently, helping themselves to fruit and pouring their own water. Children's physical health is promoted through the continual open air activities, the daily opportunities for regular exercise through physical play, frequent walks and learning in a forest school environment.

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and outcomes for children

Children's understanding of safety is promoted through the clear boundaries established by staff from the nursery and the school. There are also high ratios of adults to children and this encourages children's feelings of security. Children take part in regular fire drills to increase their understanding of what to do in an emergency.. They are frequently reminded about the rules and regulations of 'big' This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 school because they play and mingle with the reception age children and learn from them throughout. This strongly develops children's ongoing skills for the future and provides support for their easy transition to the more demanding daily routines in primary school 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 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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