Lincewood Primary School

St Anne's College Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 134022 Inspection date 08/11/2011 Inspector Caroline McKellar

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Setting address St. Annes College, Woodstock Road, OXFORD, OX2 6HS

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Telephone number 01865 274868 Email Type of setting Childcare - Non-Domestic 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 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 Anne's College Day Nursery started over 30 years ago. It serves staff and students at the university and the local community in Oxford. It is a private nursery, managed by a committee of staff and representatives from St Anne's College at the University of Oxford. The nursery is situated in premises within the college grounds and has use of two open-plan play areas, a kitchen and toilet facilities. There is access to an enclosed garden for outdoor play. The nursery opens on weekdays throughout the year including bank holidays from 8.45am to 5.15pm. The nursery closes for three weeks in the summer, one week at Christmas and one week at Easter. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years register. A maximum of 13 children in the early years age range may attend at any one time. There are currently 13 children on roll between the ages of six months and four years. The nursery receives funding to

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Description of the setting

provide free early education to children aged three and four years. The nursery provides support for a number of children who learn English is an additional language. There are four members of staff working with the children and all have suitable childcare 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 good.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

A well resourced environment and committed staff team lead all children to make good progress overall, including children learning English as an additional language. Children feel safe and security is good. All families are welcomed and encouraged to play an active role. Equality and diversity is exceedingly well represented and this is a key strength of the nursery. An exciting range of trips and visitors extends children's learning of the world around them. Effective self- evaluation has resulted in recent improvements, which enhance outcomes for children, and the capacity to maintain improvement is strong.

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further?

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

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further?

 improve further systems to help babies make a positive contribution to nursery life by reconsidering the management of daily routines, for example, meal times, so they can enjoy being in a group situation  reconsider children's access to the outdoor environment, so that children can move freely between them. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Staff safeguard children well. Only adults cleared as suitable to work with children have unsupervised access to the children and all staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities with regards to child protection. Regular risk assessment and daily safety checks help to maintain the nursery as a safe place for children. Frequent fire drills and clear identification of children's allergies help to keep children safe further.

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the early years provision

An exemplary range of equality and diversity toys and equipment enhance the learning environment of the nursery. The children have a wealth of opportunities to learn about different cultures through an abundance of enrichment activities. This helps children to foster acceptance and respect for other members of their community. The nursery's dedicated staff member for children with additional needs regularly updates training for all staff. They seek the advice of their advisory teacher for this area frequently to meet the particular needs of all children as well as possible.

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the early years provision

Parental participation in children's learning is positively welcomed and parents have many opportunities to become involved within the nursery. Induction arrangements are relaxed and follow the wishes of individual families. Parents speak highly of the nursery, particularly praising the welcoming atmosphere and the celebration of each child's uniqueness. A book-lending scheme supports parents at home and builds good links between the nursery and the child's family.

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the early years provision

Plans for children to access the nursery's indoor toys and equipment independently are effective. There are wide-ranging resources suitable for the ages and stages of development of all children. Children access freeflow indoor/ outdoor play in the spring and summer. However,children have limited access to the outdoor environment during the wintermonthsand this limits their play choices, which may disadvantage those who learn better when outside. Access to staff training is good and new knowledge and skills are used well. This training leads to improvements in mathematical activities and storytelling techniques, which has improved outcomes for children.

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the early years provision

The nursery takes a proactive approach to working in partnership with other professionals. Staff both teach and learn from other childcare facilities in the area. This sharing of good practice leads to improved outcomes for children. Their 'key persons', communicate well with the school staff, to provide good support for children when they move on to school. The nursery maintains regular contact with other settings that children may use and this leads to increased continuity of care.

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the early years provision

The staff team undertakes evaluation of the provision regularly. Parents are kept well involved by the use of questionnaires and this information is then fed into the self-evaluation process. As a direct result of self-evaluation, the nursery has highlighted areas for improvement accurately. This has lead to an improved outdoor area and increased frequency of meetings with parents. The nursery is continuing its emphasis on driving improvement by planning for a sensory garden. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Staff intend this to improve the outdoor learning experience of children.

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and outcomes for children

Staff support children well in the nursery. Knowledgeable 'key persons' provide effectively for the individual interests of the children in who they take a special interest. This helps children to remain engaged in their learning. Families are encouraged to personalise the nursery with pictures of their friends and family. This increases children's sense of security. Good use of personal information during when they first start helps children to feel safe. Children's behaviour is good and adults support this by talking about the importance of sharing and being kind. Children exhibit a helpful attitude towards other children, such as when assisting younger ones with outdoor playsuits before using the garden. Children learning English as an additional language receive increased support and the nursery is well aware of the importance of routines. This helps children to feel secure. A photo board encourages children to develop independent hand washing skills.

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and outcomes for children

Children confidently talk about the importance of hand washing before eating. They state that their hands are dirty and that this might make them sick. Parents provide lunches that are healthy and children enjoy the familiarity of the foods. This encourages them to eat in good quantities, which keeps them well nourished. Children are confident in their knowledge of healthy foods and describe sweets and biscuits as 'treat foods'. This knowledge helps children to keep themselves healthy. Children are making good progress in their learning. They enjoy the child-initiated activities that are a strength of the nursery and join in enthusiastically with adult led activities. All children, including the youngest, join in willingly with a 'Sleeping bunny' song and are able to lie still before jumping up and bouncing around with delight. This contributes to children's enjoyment of their learning. The nursery

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and outcomes for children

encourages the children to have free access to the resources and this promotes children's independence and ability to make choices. Staff make good use of open ended questions when reading books and this helps children to extend their language skills. Children generally make a positive contribution to the nursery. Cultural differences are celebrated and staff invite families to share their knowledge with the children. Older children enjoy taking responsibility for giving out milk or water at snack time and this is met with praise. Babies are not included at the main snack table, however, and sit in a line of highchairs. This means that they miss some of the modelling of good behaviour and conversation. . Trips are an exciting feature of the nursery. Children go on buses to the library, walks to the park or shopping for fruit. They visit a local paddling pool and a natural history museum. This supports children's knowledge of both the wider

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and outcomes for children

world and their local community effectively. Children use these experiences in, for example, by drawing detailed pictures of dinosaurs, including long tails. Children describe pictures ably, including the skeleton bones. These enriching activities extend children's learning well. Work displayed throughout the nursery shows that children are developing skills for the future well, including starting to write their names. Children are beginning This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 to use mathematical language. They work out that if there are six children then they will need six cups for drinks. The nursery focuses well on useful skills that children will need to go to school. These skills include learning letter sounds and taking on responsibilities, such as for managing their clothes, putting on their shoes and pouring water from a jug. 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 2 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 3 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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