Hunsdon House Garden SchoolOfsted inspection, 22 Jun 2011

Hunsdon House Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY316340 Inspection date 22/06/2011 Inspector Janice Leo

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Setting address 12 - 14 Osler Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9BJ Telephone number 01869 325075 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

Hunsdon House Nursery School was first established as a privately owned nursery school in 1923. It has been registered under new ownership since December 2005. The nursery is situated in Headington, on the outskirts of the city of Oxford and it serves the local community. The nursery occupies two rooms on the ground floor of a detached property and there is access to a surrounding garden. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 40 children between the ages of two years and under eight years may attend at any one time and all may be in the early years age group. There are currently 44 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged three and four years. It is open for 39 weeks a year, operating on Mondays and Fridays between 9am and 12 noon, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays

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Description of the setting

and Thursdays between 9am and 2.30pm. The nursery supports children for whom English is an additional language. There are five members of staff employed to work with the children and of these, two have a qualification at level 2 or above and four are training to gain a qualification or increase their level of qualification.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is inadequate.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

The quality of this provision is very mixed with children benefitting from strong staff support and effective use of resources to make good progress, while serious safety concerns have the potential to compromise their well-being. Aspects of equality and diversity are promoted exceptionally well resulting in confident and sociable children who are developing valuable skills for the future. Good health is fostered consistently and staff supervision is generally very effective but risk assessments, building security and staff checks are weak and do not comply with specific legal requirements. Links with parents and children's other carers are well established but some of the information they share is basic and lacks detail. The staff work well as a team and attend further training, showing a desire to continue their own development in order to raise standards. They use informal methods to review and evaluate the service but the management lacks understanding of the

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Early Years Foundation Stage Requirements and consequently some weaknesses go unrecognised and unaddressed, resulting in a breach of four legal requirements.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall, the early years provision requires significant improvement. The registered person is given a Notice to Improve that sets out actions to be carried out.

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further?

This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 To comply with the requirements of the EYFS the registered person must take the following action by the specified date:

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further?

 take steps to prevent intruders entering the premises (Safeguarding and welfare) (Also applies to the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register) 18/07/2011

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further?

 obtain an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance for every person over the age of 16 years who works directly with the children (Suitability of adults) (also applies to the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register) 18/07/2011

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further?

 conduct a risk assessment to identify aspects of the environment that need to be checked on a regular basis; make a record of these aspects, when and by whom they have been checked. Review it regularly, at least once a year or more frequently where the need arises, record the date of review and any action taken following the review (Suitable premises, environment & equipment, Documentation) 18/07/2011

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further?

 keep a written record of all complaints and the action which was taken as a result of each complaint (Safeguarding and welfare) (also applies to the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register) 18/07/2011

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further?

To improve the early years provision the registered person should:

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further?

 improve the two-way flow of information with parents to ensure they all know who their child''s key person is and are regularly informed of their children''s aims and achievements.

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the early years provision

The staff understand their responsibility to safeguard children from harm and follow the internal policy to refer concerns. Some have attended training to gain understanding of the child protection procedures but the management does not always take appropriate action when concerns arise, failing to record initial concerns and the action taken in order to build a full picture of welfare issues in case concerns escalate. The staff supervise children closely for the majority of the time without inhibiting their exploration and development. However, there is no thorough system in place for assessing risks and no record of safety reviews to show the action taken as circumstances change. Security regarding access to the nursery is lax, allowing adults to walk in at any time with no guarantee they will be seen before entry. The registered provider follows the required checking process for permanent staff working with the children but does not recognise the need to

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the early years provision

follow the process for those who help on a less permanent basis. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 In contrast to the safety aspect of the setting, the staff are all fully committed to promoting equality and valuing diversity. Each key person plans specific areas for their key children to work towards and supports ongoing development, actively encouraging the children to join in, try new things and make new friends. Parents however, do not always know that their child has a key person to help them. The staff make excellent use of their language skills to include those with English as a second language, using French, German and Japanese during singing and in conversation to aid communication. As a result, the children feel very welcome.

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the early years provision

The staff consider carefully how they deploy the resources, providing a wide and stimulating range of equipment for children to choose from. They offer for example, six different levels of climbing to help children challenge themselves within a supervised environment, supporting as necessary to help prevent injury. As a result, the children explore confidently and make good progress.

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the early years provision

The nursery operates an open door policy to help parents feel welcome and some stay for whole sessions to settle their children. Essential information is on display and staff are happy to share children''s records on request. However, children's profiles are not always up to date, there is no record of children's rate of progress and some of the policies lack detail. The requirement to keep a record of complaints is not met and information is sometimes difficult to locate. Links with staff of local schools help ease children's transition when they move on and the staff understand the value of exchanging information with other carers if children's care is shared.

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the early years provision

The staff enjoy their work and in many aspects they serve the children well. They have a desire to make improvements but lack the leadership needed to develop procedures and documentation effectively in order to support the service fully. The setting has a suggestions book to seek input from users of the nursery but this is not always available for parents and carers to add to it.

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and outcomes for children

The children play very well together, choosing what to do and developing their own games very successfully. All are respected and have the opportunity to manage their day to suit their own needs. For example, some opt to eat their snack early when feeling especially hungry and others like to linger over a leisurely lunch to renew their energy levels before joining their friends. The children have a well balanced day which includes free play, adult led activities and both indoor and outside learning experiences. The staff oversee children?s play from a distance when appropriate, moving closer to assist and support children when they try something new or more challenging. The staff frequently join in games to extend learning and make the activities fun. For example, one member of staff pushes children around the garden in a truck, chatting to them as they giggle and enjoy the ride. Another actively initiates a game of tennis to encourage new children to

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and outcomes for children

mix with others, mindful of how easily they make friends during play. Most children join in effortlessly and keep themselves productively occupied while some follow This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 the lead of their peers in order to develop and practise new skills. For example, one climbs steps to begin a physical challenge, striding over a bar before balancing carefully as they walk across a plank in order to go down a slide. Another watches to find out what to do before joining in and within a very short space of time several others feel inspired to copy. The children eagerly wait in line for their turn, chatting to friends and excitedly showing off their skills. All move well and repeat the activity demonstrating concentration and enthusiasm for active play.

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and outcomes for children

The staff have a sound understanding of how children learn and they make good use of routine tasks to help promote a healthy lifestyle and make learning relevant. They involve the children in cleaning the tables to remove germs before eating, promote good hygiene and talk about healthy eating whenever appropriate. The children develop their independence by, for example, cutting their own fruit into pieces and opening food packaging at meal times. They use knives safely and sensibly to help develop their motor skills and they chat sociably with staff as they eat, sharing their interests and things about their home life to help develop knowledge of the wider world and diversity.

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and outcomes for children

All behave very well and some show affection for others by hugging their friends or holding hands with the staff. The children share and take turns fairly, help pack away between activities and respond well to instructions. They have opportunities to read books as a group and choose favourite publications to read alone. Music sessions specifically include songs to promote kindness and consequently the children are developing a strong sense of community and useful skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

The children benefit from a varied and stimulating programme including items such as a cello recital and making instruments. All participate at their own level with challenges to suit their stage of development. The staff observe what children do in order to plan their next steps but records are not used to full advantage and are not routinely updated to aid planning. 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 4 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 4

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 2 The extent to which children feel safe 4 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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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Not Met (with actions)

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The registered provider does not meet the requirements of the compulsory and or voluntary part/s of the Childcare Register.

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability to care for children, or have regular contact, Suitability and Safety of premises and equipment, Procedures for dealing with complaints) 18/07/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 undertake a risk assessment of the premises and equipment at least once in each calendar year, and immediately, where the need for an assessment arises. Ensure that all necessary measures are taken to minimise any identified risks (Suitability and Safety of Premises)(also applies to the voluntary part of the Childcare Register) 18/07/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

To comply with the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the registered person must take the following action/s by the specified date:

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified in the early years section of the report (Suitability to care for children, or have regular contact, Suitability and Safety of premises and equipment, Procedures for dealing with complaints) 18/07/2011

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

 take action as specified for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (Suitability and Safety of Premises) 18/07/2011

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