Lord Williams's School Day Nursery

Lord Williams's School Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 133497 Inspection date 20/06/2011 Inspector Angela Cole

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Setting address Oxford Road, Thame, Oxfordshire, OX9 2AJ

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Telephone number 01844 260231 Email Nursery@lordwilliams.fsnet.co.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. 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

Lord Williams's School Day Nursery was registered in 1992. It is a non-profit making organisation managed by a committee of parents and members of the local community. The nursery operates from a purpose-built building in the grounds of Lord Williams's Secondary School at Thame, Oxfordshire. There are separate, enclosed, outdoor areas for the babies and older children. There is a car park on site. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 5pm for 46 weeks of the year, excluding bank holidays.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is on the Early Years Register. It is registered to care for 39 children at any one time in the early years age group and there are currently 89 children on roll. Children aged six weeks to five years may attend on a full and part-time basis. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. Children come from a wide catchment to attend and preference is given to children of staff at Lord Williams's School and other employees of Oxfordshire County Council. The nursery currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 11 members of staff working with the children. Of these, 10 hold an appropriate early years qualification, including one with a Degree in Early Childhood Studies. There are three members of staff working towards a Foundation Degree in Early Years. Operational links are in place with the school on whose site the nursery is located.

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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 effectively meets the needs of all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is because practitioners plan well, overall, in order to provide experiences that are stimulating and engaging so children's learning and development is effectively promoted. They take positive steps to ensure children's safety and well-being. Many aspects of partnership are in place and implemented to work closely with parents and some other professionals in order to support children effectively. Established systems for self-evaluation ensure that the setting recognises the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and takes positive action in order to drive future improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 consider the nursery routines and use of small groups to extend children's concentration and independent learning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006  develop systems for partnership working by reviewing the use of planning and assessment that includes parents' comments to further plan for children's learning based on their individual interests and by building links with each setting that the children attend so there is continuous and consistent care.

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the early years provision

The nursery is well organised and flexible to take into account the requirements of families. All required policies, procedures and records are in place, clear and up to date. The confident management well supports committed staff who enjoy their work, communicate well together and are clear about their delegated roles and responsibilities. Good systems are in place for staff recruitment, induction and regular appraisal, ensuring that the strengths of the adults and areas for development are identified. As a result, the teams of well-qualified staff are motivated, enthusiastic and keen to develop and improve what they offer to the families using the setting. Children are safeguarded effectively through staff knowledge and understanding of required procedures. Staff are vetted, receive training on child protection and have a secure understanding of the indicators of abuse and neglect. Nursery staff record detailed risk assessments on the premises,

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the early years provision

activities, quality resources and outings to reduce hazards and ensure the safety of the children.

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the early years provision

The nursery effectively promotes equality and diversity. Children's needs are effectively met, as staff are considerate towards their individual requirements and ensure they are happy and relaxed. There is good partnership through liaison with health professionals. Where children attend other registered settings, the nursery is aware of the need to link with other providers; systems are not yet robust to contribute to the continuity of their learning and care. The nursery engages effectively with parents and carers. There is good exchange of detail about the children between the key staff and families so that individual needs are effectively met. Ongoing information is shared through daily, informal feedback and in informative babies' diaries. Parents attend half-yearly meetings with the children's key persons to discuss their child's progress record. They are involved in projects, such as some 'wow' notes and photograph books about babies' families, though

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the early years provision

their comments are not regularly included to support the planning and assessment for each child. Parents think highly of the quality of care their children receive and the caring attitude of the staff who are friendly, caring, approachable and relaxed, as in an extended family.

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the early years provision

The nursery's self-evaluation is good and includes in-depth reflection on practice to recognise strengths and areas for further development. The welfare requirements notice, notices to improve and recommendations given at or since the previous inspection have been effectively tackled in terms of improved outcomes for children, including their safeguarding, hygiene and educational programme. Comments and preferences of the management committee, staff, parents and children well considered to ensure that the service is inclusive. Using their views, detailed action plans are drawn up. For example, staff are reviewing the outdoor This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 areas to increase the challenges for children in all areas of their learning.

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and outcomes for children

The staff's warm reassurance help babies and new children to settle well. Children are happy, often motivated and make good progress in their learning and development. They enjoy an attractive, stimulating range of activities and play opportunities that cover all areas of learning. Babies and older children select toys and activities for themselves to support their growing independence. Children develop their creative skills well as they sing and concentrate to experiment with sounds of instruments, including dustbin 'drums'. They explore freely to make marks; for example, using water and different brushes they paint from still life and design patterns when sticking materials. Children of all ages enjoy new challenges. They effectively use their senses when exploring interesting collections of natural materials. They cooperate to play imaginatively in the home area and when searching for 'treasure'.

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and outcomes for children

Children gain good skills for the future. Babies and older children enjoy books and listen intently when staff read to individuals, joining in with their own responses. They speak confidently during social times about themselves and their families, though the use of larger groups for circle and story time does not encourage full involvement. Children effectively solve problems using their initiative and choose the equipment they require from accessible storage. They make good use of information technology to support their learning, eagerly listening to recorded stories and gaining good mouse control as they 'paint' pictures and work through appropriate computer programs. Staff carefully plan in and out-of-door activities for different ages, based on their close observations of the children's play and interests. They have a secure understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage to use information gained from their observations to monitor and support

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and outcomes for children

children's learning through play. All children make good progress towards the early learning goals, including those with special educational needs, and/or disabilities who are well involved in the life of the nursery. Staff make sure that these children know the daily routine by sharing picture cards so they understand what they will be doing next.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health and well-being are effectively promoted. Their understanding of healthy hygiene is actively fostered so they take responsibility for washing 'because we've got germs on our hands'. Babies are taken outdoors regularly, while older children can choose to play in the fresh air. They manoeuvre wheeled toys, plant vegetables, play with sand and water, balance on bowl shapes and create low structures on which to climb and balance. From a young age, children learn how to keep themselves safe as they negotiate rough ground and handle large items with increasing control, including crates and tyres. Children learn road safety as they go on visits, for example, to the local park and library, and practise monthly fire drills to know how to respond in an emergency. Children have good independence to see to their own needs, such as eating, dressing and personal hygiene. They care for their environment, growing vegetables and helping

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and outcomes for children

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to rear butterflies and chickens. They willingly take responsibility to tidy the play areas, and older children volunteer to set the lunch tables. They negotiate, discuss helpful rules and develop good self-esteem through regular use of praise and encouragement. Pre-school children gain competent self-help skills and confidently make decisions, so they are well prepared for transition from the nursery to 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 3 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 2 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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