St Mary's Day Nursery

St Mary's Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 220164 Inspection date 23/05/2011 Inspector Tracey Boland

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Setting address Towcester Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN4 8EZ Telephone number 01604 767923 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

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

St Mary's Day Nursery is managed by a voluntary management committee and is a registered charity. It was established in 1981 and operates from two main rooms in a church building. It is situated in the Far Cotton area of Northampton. The nursery is accessible to all children and there are two fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 8am until 5.45pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register. A maximum of 38 children may attend the nursery at any one time, all of whom may be on the Early Years Register. There are currently 81 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 10 members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications. 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

The children enjoy an excellent variety of stimulating and worthwhile activities that contribute to them making excellent progress towards the early learning goals. All staff demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of how children learn and how to link this to the Early Years Foundation Stage. This setting is fully inclusive and all children are valued and recognised as unique. Their needs are continually met through the excellent interaction of the staff, who have a thorough understanding of each child's needs. The staff team regularly evaluate their practice, seeking the views of the parents and making any changes needed for the benefit 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 for children to enhance their independence, with particular regard to meal times.

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the early years provision

Children's welfare is continually safeguarded. All staff are vigilant in ensuring that the children are always supervised inside and outside the building. Risk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 assessments are in place and effectively ensure that all areas the children access are safe and suitable. Excellent procedures are in place for when children arrive and leave the premises to ensure that children cannot leave the premises without an appropriate adult. All staff hold valid first aid certificates, ensuring that if a child has an accident they would be treated immediately and appropriately. All staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of their role and responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect and are fully conversant with the procedures to follow if they had a concern about a child. A comprehensive range of policies and procedures are in place and shared with the parents which truly reflect the ethos

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the early years provision

of care provided. All staff have been effectively vetted and are experienced in caring for children.

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the early years provision

Staff work extremely well together, with their priority being the needs of the children. They continuously monitor all aspects of the provision and decide together what changes are needed for the benefit of the children. Staff value training and see this as an essential part of their own development, which only enhances the care provided. This is a fully inclusive setting; children's individual needs are effectively met through the staff's positive interaction and their knowledge of the children and their families. There are many resources and worthwhile activities that ensure the children are introduced to their immediate and the wider world. Children who need extra support are cared for effectively by the experienced and knowledgeable staff.

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the early years provision

The nursery is a vibrant, exciting and welcoming environment where children clearly enjoy spending their time. The wealth of resources are thoughtfully laid out to ensure that different areas are created, for instance, somewhere to be quiet, somewhere to undertake messy play or somewhere to eat. Photographs of the children actively involved in a wide range of activities enable them to share their day with their parents and recall past events in their lives. This compounds their feeling of security and gives them a sense of belonging. The resources are displayed to encourage children to become independent by self-selecting for themselves what they would like to play with. Children can choose to play inside or outside and a free-flow system is in place to enable them to access the outdoor play area. Resources both inside and outside are changed each day to keep the children interested and engaged, and staff use the knowledge of the children's

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the early years provision

interests to plan. Children are confident to request additional resources if they want them and they eagerly show the staff what they are involved in or have made. The outdoor area is secure and children have planted many plants and bulbs and made mobiles to hang from the trees, which to make the area look attractive and give the children a sense of ownership.

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the early years provision

The staff are fully committed to promoting an excellent two-way partnership with parents and other carers. Communication is effective and parents are actively involved in discussion about the activities and experiences their children have been involved in. Staff take time to talk to the parents each day about their child; their child's records are easily accessible and they are asked to contribute to these regularly. They are fully aware of the progress their children are making and the next steps in their child's learning, allowing the learning to be continued at home through the use of newsletters and recipe books which contain the cooking activities their child has undertaken. There is an informative notice board giving This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the parents a wealth of information about how their children's play links to the different areas within the Foundation Stage. Parents are made fully aware of the

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the early years provision

themes and forthcoming events through regular newsletters and notices in the hall, enabling them to support their child in bringing in, for instance, items that may contribute to the theme. Parents speak highly of the excellent care provided by the committed, caring staff, who are thoughtful and supportive and always have the children's best interests at heart.

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and outcomes for children

The experienced and dedicated staff ensure that all children receive a wide-ranging wealth of experiences that promote their learning through their play. Children are making excellent progress; they are interested, motivated and eager to participate in the excellent activities on offer. Staff are extremely skilled at interacting with the children; they are fully aware of each child's developmental stage and therefore are able, through discussion with the children, to consolidate or extend their learning. In addition, the planned short focused activities are differentiated to meet each child's individual stage of development. There is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities and staff are proactive in ensuring that all of the resources effectively support their learning. Children have many activities that stimulate their creative skills; they are able to choose, for instance, from a wealth

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and outcomes for children

of art and craft materials. While cooking, children are encouraged to use their language skills as they talk about following a recipe, weighing and measuring the ingredients and then the changes through the cooking process.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain knowledge and have first-hand experiences to learn about the world around them. They are monitoring the tadpoles as they change and can confidently talk about how they change into frogs using pictures and fact sheets to show what happens. They have observed the changes of the caterpillar through to a butterfly and then been involved in releasing them. Children learn about their environment and are actively involved in putting waste food into the compost heap. They also learn about recycling.

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and outcomes for children

Children's language and literacy skills are developed through the extremely well- planned environment and resources and the interaction of the staff. The attractive book area inspires children to spend time looking at the books and they have developed good recognition of letters. More confident children recognise a wide variety of letters and are able to write their names. Children have a love of books and are eager to listen to stories, where they join in with familiar text and rhyme. Behaviour is excellent and staff are good role models, promoting listening, respecting each other and being kind and thoughtful towards each other.

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and outcomes for children

Children are learning about caring for themselves and healthy lifestyles. They understand the importance of fresh air and exercise in their lives and enjoy spending as much time outdoors as possible. Their physical development is continually enhanced through the tremendous variety of outdoor equipment which encourages their coordination, balance and control when using climbing frames, slides and large tyres embedded in the ground. They have a good understanding This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of taking turns with the equipment and staff praise them for their thoughtfulness.

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and outcomes for children

Children choose when they wish to have their snack and understand the importance of washing their hands beforehand. They make an informed choice with regards to their foods as pictures are displayed of the fruits and foods available to them and they are able to help themselves. However, routines at lunchtime do not always enable children's independence to be extended further. Drinks are freely available at all times. Mealtimes are a very social occasion and enable children to chatter about what they have been involved in and what they have learned. 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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