Hall Farm Nursery School

Hall Farm Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY399787 Inspection date 04/08/2011 Inspector Sarah Clements

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Setting address Hall Farm Nursery School, Hargham, NORWICH, NR16 2JW

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Telephone number 01953 888516 Email hallfarmnursery@aol.com 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

Hall Farm Nursery School was established in 1993 and registered again in 2010 following a change in the company's name. It is one of two nurseries and out of school facilities that are privately owned and managed by the registered individual. It operates from six rooms within a range of converted farm buildings in Hargham, just outside Attleborough in Norfolk. Children share access to several enclosed outdoor play areas and surrounding grounds.

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Description of the setting

The nursery school opens Monday to Friday all year round. Sessions are from 7.30am to 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. A maximum of 90 children may attend the setting at any one time. There are currently 204 children attending who are within the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery school also offers breakfast, after school and holiday clubs for children aged over five years. Staff are able to escort children to and from local schools. The nursery school is registered on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. Funded early education is provided for three and four-year-olds. The nursery school is currently supporting a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and has strategies in place to support children who have English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

There are 35 members of staff who work directly with the children, 25 of whom hold relevant early years qualifications. Three staff hold Qualified Teacher Status and two staff have Early Years Professional Status. There are six members of staff who are currently working towards additional early years qualifications.

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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 thoroughly enjoy their time in the nursery school, forming secure bonds with the staff and their peers. Their excellent progress towards the early learning goals is fully promoted by the inspiring and interesting range of play opportunities provided by the staff. Inclusive practice is fully embedded in the ethos and practice of the setting, and strategies to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are highly effective. Children reap the benefits of the excellent partnerships formed between staff, parents, carers and outside professionals. Rigorous self-evaluation of the provision ensures that actions for improvement are very well targeted and always highly ambitious.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 extending children's learning experiences through regular visits to places of interest in the local neighbourhood. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Children are fully safeguarded through the robustly implemented policies and procedures of the setting. All staff and students complete rigorous checks to ensure their suitability to be in contact with children. Safeguarding procedures are displayed throughout the premises and highlighted in documents, such as the staff handbook. This means that staff know exactly what to do if they are concerned about a child's welfare. The nursery school premises is maintained to an extremely safe and secure standard as a result of stringent daily risk assessments. It offers bright and airy surroundings where children have plenty of space to move around freely as their play. High quality resources and equipment are provided to fully promote all areas of children's learning and development.

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the early years provision

Everyone involved with the nursery school has an exceptionally strong commitment to providing an inclusive setting, which strives to promote the best possible outcomes for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff have genuine understanding of children's needs and they work hard to link up with all possible outside agencies to ensure children benefit from appropriate one-to-one support and specialist interventions. Staff attend ongoing training to ensure they can meet children's complex medical needs, and review their policies to ensure these reflect the needs of all children attending. Parents and carers express their high levels of satisfaction with the quality of care and education provided. They delight in reading their children's beautifully presented learning story records, particularly enjoying the many photographs included. There are numerous initiatives that promote parents and grandparents involvement in nursery school

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the early years provision

life. For example, they keenly meet requests for resources to fill treasure baskets for the younger children, and events, such as a royal wedding party and sport days, are always well attended. Parents also link closely with their children's support workers as they provide ideas for staff to use a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) with their children in the setting. Children experience a very smooth move into full-time school because the setting has well- established links with many local schools. There are opportunities for children to visit their new school, and detailed information is passed on to teachers in the form of a final report for each child.

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the early years provision

Systems for self-evaluation are very effective and these involve input from management, staff and parents. Self-evaluation is used to inform a comprehensive monthly action plan which includes a range of highly ambitious targets to extend the existing high quality practice at the setting. For example, innovative plans are well under way to create a sensory room for the children. Staff morale is exceptionally positive as they share a joint commitment to continuous improvement and are provided with staff meetings, appraisals and supervision meetings where their ideas and expertise are fully valued. This means that children benefit from motivated and enthusiastic staff who have the skills they need to successfully meet their needs. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The nursery school provides an extremely warm and welcoming environment which is a fun and interesting place for children to be. Children are eager to get involved with activities as soon as they arrive and are confident in separating from the parents and carers. All staff are fully engaged with the children, know them well and take time to form genuinely strong relationships with them. As a result, children are very happy, settled and feel secure as they approach staff for comforting cuddles and help with everyday tasks. The innovative range of resources, equipment and activities fully enhance all areas of children's learning and development. Staff make the most of spontaneous opportunities to offer children rich first-hand experiences. For example, the discovery of several young frogs in the outdoor area inspires children to talk about their lifecycle, to build them a home and to read books featuring frogs. From a young age children have

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and outcomes for children

lots of opportunities to explore a range of materials through art and messy play. For example, they enjoy exploring shallow trays filled with porridge oats, rice and soil. Older children have great fun as they make marks by moving their fingers through shaving foam on the table. Groups of children demonstrate excellent negotiation skills as they work together to build a complex train track, testing different sections of the track to find the best fit. Staff encourage them to problem solve as they estimate and test how tall a bridge needs to be to enable a train to fit underneath it.

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and outcomes for children

From an early age children develop their competencies exceptionally well in communication, language and literacy. For example, babies spend time babbling joyfully to themselves as they explore the toys around them, whilst older children are mastering secure early reading skills. Staff create fun games which help children to develop a strong awareness of letter sounds, including a game of 'I Spy'. In group situations, such as snack and story times, the children listen attentively to others and are animated as they join in with conversations about the characters in stories. Children are very independent in their play as they are able to move freely between the indoor and outdoor environments and easily reach an array of resources from low shelves and labelled boxes. For example, they know exactly where to find their favourite board game, and confidently help themselves to boxes of construction blocks. Children's behaviour is very positive. They happily

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and outcomes for children

take responsibility for tidying away resources at the end of the session and are encouraged to handle books with care. Diversity is reflected in all areas of the provision. For example, children access a wide range of small world characters, books and role play props that reflect different cultural traditions and practices. Children's own backgrounds are also celebrated, for example, as they share a family's links to Australia which inspires opportunities to look at an Australian passport and to make traditional Lamington cakes. Children enjoy walks in the grounds surrounding the nursery school to observe birds and insects and to collect leaves to use in craft activities. The staff are currently considering ways to enhance children's experiences by planning visits to places of interest in the wider community. Regular visits from local fire fighters and police officers promote children's awareness of important road and fire safety issues, and help them to

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and outcomes for children

build respect for people in the community who can help them to stay safe. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Physical play is carefully planned for both indoor and outdoors on a daily basis. A full range of opportunities to access large and small equipment and to run around freely ensures children benefit from regular exercise and plenty of fresh air. The nursery school offers a varied menu of snacks and meals which are freshly prepared, highly nutritious and tailored to meet children's individual dietary needs. Children enjoy social meal times and are often supported to use a knife to spread bread and to pour their own drinks. Babies and younger children are actively encouraged to use their spoon to eat their yoghurt and learn to wipe their own faces after meals. The procedures for nappy changing are very hygienic and give utmost respect to children's safety and privacy.

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and outcomes for 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 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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