Northlands Park Nursery

Northlands Park Neighbourhood Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY294263 Inspection date 27/05/2011 Inspector Fiona Robinson

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Setting address Northland Parks Childen's Centre, Davenants, Basildon, Essex, SS13 1QX Telephone number 01268725616 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

Northlands Park Neighbourhood Nursery is run by the Pre-school Learning Alliance and was registered in 2004. It operates from a purpose built single storey building located in the grounds of Felmore Primary School in Basildon, Essex. Children are cared for in separate home bases appropriate for their ages and stages of development and share access to a secure, enclosed, outdoor play area. The nursery is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

A maximum of 50 children aged from three months to under eight years may attend the nursery at any one time. Currently there are 102 children on roll, all of whom are within the early years age group. The nursery receives funding for early education places. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm all year round. Children come from the local and surrounding areas, and attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, one holds a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at level 4; 10 hold NVQs at level 3; one holds a NVQ at level 2; and one is working towards a NVQ at level 4. The nursery 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 outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children eagerly participate in an excellent range of indoor and outdoor activities and achieve exceptionally well. They feel highly valued and fully included in activities because staff are very effective at promoting the children's welfare. Partnerships with parents, the host school, the Children's centre and other outside agencies are outstanding. Information is shared very effectively and fully supports children's care and well-being. Staff have an excellent understanding of safeguarding and protecting children. The manager and staff have a very clear knowledge of the nursery's strengths and areas for improvement and there is an excellent record of continued 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?

 developing children's awareness of problem solving in the outdoor learning environment. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children's safety is protected exceptionally well because staff have an excellent awareness of safeguarding and child protection procedures. Comprehensive policies and procedures are fully implemented to ensure children's safety. The premises are very secure and risk assessments are carried out daily to ensure that the environment is kept safe. Babies and children are very well-supervised indoors and outdoors and they play with an exceptional range of resources that are safe and suitable for their age. Staff practise fire drills with the children so that they are familiar with the procedures for evacuating the building in an emergency. There is extra help in an emergency for the baby room, with an evacuation cot used to transport younger babies outside to the designated point. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures ensure that adults working with or having contact with the babies and children are highly suitable. Collection procedures are rigorous and

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the early years provision

followed very carefully by staff and parents. Children are very well-cared for in a well-maintained and safe environment.

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the early years provision

The nursery is led and managed outstandingly well. The manager and staff meet regularly as a team to discuss activities, assessments and areas for improvement. Continuous reflective discussion and evaluation takes place and the views of parents and children are highly valued and acted on. Staff work very well as a team and share the vision to provide high quality childcare. There is excellent involvement of babies, toddlers and children in daily routines and play. Staff promote equality and diversity to an exemplary level. They ensure that children are fully included in the celebration of festivals, such as Harvest, Diwali, the Chinese New Year and Easter. There are regular appraisals of staff and they work hard to enhance their existing qualifications and experience. Staff make very effective use of an excellent range of resources to meet the needs of the children. Activities are regularly monitored and challenging targets are set for all of the children.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with parents and carers are outstanding. They are kept very well- informed of special events and activities through informal discussions, newsletters and through the use of the parents' notice board. Parents say that staff work hard to provide a welcoming, happy and inclusive environment. Key staff keep parents very well-informed of their children's achievement and progress. They are appreciative of their children's learning journeys which are shared with them regularly. Parents also value the consultation meetings where they are invited to comment on their child's progress. They are very supportive of activities, such as the Christmas concert and the 'bring a dad or granddad' event which took place recently. There are excellent links with the Children's Centre and the host school. Staff are very experienced in caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise extremely well with parents, outside agencies, staff

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the early years provision

at the children's centre and local schools to ensure children have a smooth transition into full-time education. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

There is a strong emphasis on learning through play and babies, toddlers and children achieve exceptionally well in a bright, stimulating environment. Staff value their ideas and include these in the planning. They regularly monitor their achievements and progress and use the information to plan the next steps in learning. Themes, such as people who help us, transport and animals enhance their experiences and result in colourful displays featuring children's artwork. Children behave very well because staff are excellent role models with high expectations and a consistent approach to managing behaviour. Staff encourage children to be independent and confident in their choice of activity. Babies and toddlers build excellent relationships with staff and learn to share their toys with one another without protest. Pre-school children acknowledge their acceptance of the rules and boundaries they have helped to introduce. There is excellent support

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and outcomes for children

for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language. Topics about other lifestyles, customs and cultures enhance children's understanding of the wider world. Parents from Nigeria, Poland and Spain tell them about life in other countries. Children especially enjoy food tasting and African drumming experiences.

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and outcomes for children

Children are encouraged to make healthy decisions and are introduced to an active healthy lifestyle. They develop an excellent understanding of keeping healthy and safe. Children experience regular outdoor play. They balance very carefully on the climbing apparatus and aim and throw balls into a large basketball net. They make healthy choices at snack time and learn to use tools carefully as they make their own fruit salads and cakes. Children enjoy healthy and nutritious meals prepared by the chef based in the children's centre. They enjoy growing vegetables, such as courgettes, green beans, pumpkins and tomatoes and tasting these at mealtimes. Children benefit from interesting talks on safety from the police and fire services and enjoy practising their road safety skills as part of Safety Week. They feel highly safe and secure at the nursery.

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and outcomes for children

Children thoroughly enjoy coming to the nursery and achieve significantly well in their activities. They develop their creative skills very well through painting, collage activities and model making. They enjoy listening to stories about bears and eagerly join in to retell their favourite stories. Most can count up to twenty and beyond by the time they leave the nursery and can identify two-dimensional shapes inside and outside the play environment. Songs, such as 'Five Speckled Frogs' help them to practise their counting skills. They confidently ride their bikes and pedalled vehicles in the outdoor area; however, there are fewer opportunities for children to develop their problem solving skills in the outdoor learning environment. They confidently cross the bridge in their outdoor area and cooperate very well as they play parachute games. Their communication, language and literacy skills are developed very well and they are proud of the books they

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and outcomes for children

have made which tell the story of a hungry caterpillar. They enjoy singing to elderly people who live nearby and take them presents at Harvest and Christmas. Children are prepared exceptionally well for their next stage in learning and life This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 outside the school day. 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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