The Avenue Day Nursery - Savernake

The Avenue Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY349149 Inspection date 09/11/2011 Inspector Jan Moutter

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Setting address Unit 5, Warren Courtyard, Savernake, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 3UU Telephone number 01672 870790 Email amber@avenue-nursery.co.uk 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.

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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

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

The Avenue Day Nursery opened in 2007. It operates from rooms within the Warren Courtyard complex at Savernake, near Marlborough, Wiltshire. The nursery is situated in a rural setting and is in the grounds of a working dairy farm. The setting is open each weekday from 8am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. All children share access to a secure, enclosed, outside play area.

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Description of the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. They are registered to care for 58 children under eight years at any one time, all of whom may be in the Early Years age group. There are currently 67 children aged from three months to under five years on roll, some in part-time places. Of these, 16 children receive funding for early education. The nursery currently supports children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 14 members of staff. Of these, all staff hold appropriate early years qualifications and 2 are working towards an Early Years degree qualification and the Manager holds a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies.

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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

Children enjoy their time in this welcoming setting. Staff are motivated and enthusiastic. They know the children well and create a nurturing environment. Effective self-evaluation leads to ongoing improvements that benefit children and families. Observation, planning and assessment systems are strong and actively support children's good progress. Practices and procedures are mainly consistent to promote successful inclusion and partnerships with parents. The nursery has good communication and works soundly with others involved in children's care and education. Children's good health, safety and wellbeing are effectively considered. Recommendations raised at the previous inspection have been successfully addressed to improve outcomes for children.

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further?

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

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further?

 encourage parents to review their children's progress regularly and contribute to their child's learning and development record  monitor the child-led activities both inside and out, to ensure sufficient materials are available to enable all children to have easy access to them and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 consistently cover all six areas of learning including communication, language and literacy.

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the early years provision

Robust recruitment procedures support the effective safeguarding of children. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities to children's welfare and undertake training in safeguarding, for example, as part of their induction. Children develop their understanding of safety through clear boundaries and positive behaviour reinforcements, such as, using 'our walking feet inside'. The nursery promotes children's good health through maintaining a clean, hygienic environment. They gain good information that enables them to manage children's health needs effectively.

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the early years provision

Staff have clearly defined roles and responsibilities which results in successful team working. Staff, parents and childrens contributions to the nurseries self-evaluation are valued. The manager regularly monitors staff practice and the provision with a good range of strategies. She works 'hands on' within the nursery, which provides a good role model to the staff. Staff undertake further training to extend their professional development. The nursery successfully reviews and reflects on its provision, which drives improvements effectively and leads to the active implementation of continuous improvements. For example, Forest School training to enhance children's learning in the outdoor environment.

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the early years provision

Parents, children and visitors benefit from a welcoming environment and atmosphere. Resources are of a good quality and are generally easily accessible to the children. This mostly supports children's independent play choices. Photographs alongside children's names provide children with a sense of belonging at the nursery, for example, by children's pegs. Staff have a good understanding of children's individual backgrounds. In particular, the children's key person spends time with children and their parents as part of the effective settling in process. In this nursery the key person follows her key children as they grow and move through the nursery, thus giving all the added benefit of learning new skills and challenges with familiar and secure support. Parents benefit from good information, such as, newsletters and notices on display. They receive regular verbal feedback about their child's time at the nursery. Parents speak very

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the early years provision

positively about the nursery, and are clearly happy with the care and learning experiences their children receive.

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the early years provision

Partnerships with other early years providers are well established and make a strong contribution to children's achievement and well-being. Communication takes place on a regular basis between the early years settings, such as many schools that children attend so that each child's transition to school is smooth. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Children are settled throughout the nursery and appear to feel safe and happy. They develop close friendships with their peers, play well together and show high levels of good behaviour. They make a positive contribution to the nursery, such as helping to tidy up and preparing tables at lunchtime with placemats and cutlery. They have good relationships in place with their key person and other staff, often cuddling up to them and initiating discussions. They benefit from sensitive transition arrangements between rooms. Staff manage behaviour consistently and calmly. They are good role models to the children, for example, they use and encourage good manners. There is ongoing warm praise and encouragement for children. This increases children's self-esteem and confidence.

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and outcomes for children

Good planning systems promote children's learning and development effectively. Staff undertake regular observations that feed into the short term planning. This results in children making good progress in relation to their starting points. Parents are aware that records of children's progress are in place, but most parents have not reviewed their children's progress or contributed to their records. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of children as individuals, such as likes and interests and take these into account when planning activities and themes. This enables the nursery to build successfully on children's interests and ideas, for example, extending topics that children demonstrate a keen interest in.

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and outcomes for children

Children benefit from good interaction with staff, who support their active participation in activities and learning experiences. Children enjoy exploring and investigating different materials, such as, oats, sand and water. Children benefit from regular times throughout the day to sing songs and rhymes. They enjoy looking at books and listen to these being read by staff. Most children benefit from activities to promote their mark making and early writing skills. For example, the younger children use paint with objects and their hands, and the older children are able to access a good range of resources, such as, pens, pencils, rulers, and tape. This effectively underpins children's communication, language and literacy development. Staff are consciously using sustained shared thinking, such as clarifying what children say and using open-ended questions, to help children make connections in their learning. Staff use daily experiences to consolidate children's

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and outcomes for children

mathematical understanding, for example, counting the number of children going in or out of the garden play space. They build dens and bonfires to share their imaginations as well as negotiate what materials work best for the build. This enables children to develop good skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

All children benefit from plenty of fresh air as they regularly use the outdoor areas and go on local outings, such as visiting the nearby woods. The nursery is nestled in a rural area on a working farm. The children can see from windows in the soft play area the cows and tractors. This increases their knowledge and understanding of the world and promotes a good sense of community. However, not all the children have the opportunity of free flow to the outdoors and access to all six areas of learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 Children learn to play safely outside, for example, to put their arms out to balance. Children and staff follow consistent hygiene routines that effectively minimise the potential spread of infection. Meals and snacks are prepared and cooked freshly on the premises and are healthy, well balanced and nutritious. Children benefit from

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and outcomes for children

social meal and snack times with staff sitting with them. They increase and develop their independent skills, such as, the older children pouring their own drinks and serving themselves food. The younger children develop skills, for example, learning to feed themselves, and develop self-care skills, such as cleaning their faces after meals. 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 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: 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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