Priesthills Nursery

Priesthills Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 223260 Inspection date 31/10/2011 Inspector Karen Cooper

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Setting address 42 Station Road, HINCKLEY, Leicestershire, LE10 1AP

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Telephone number 01455 614732 Email Priesthills@aol.com 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

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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

Priesthills Nursery is a privately owned setting which has been registered to provide full day care since 1984. It operates within a large three storey building in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The ground floor and first floor are used to provide care for children and the second floor is inaccessible to children. There is a fully enclosed outdoor area available for play.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens five days a week all year round, except for bank holidays. Sessions are from 8am until 5.30pm. A maximum of 51 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 83 children on roll. Of these, 32 children receive funding for early education. Children attend for a variety of sessions. All of the children attending are within the early years age range. The setting is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and both the voluntary and compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The setting supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Description of the setting

There are 15 members of staff who work with the children. Of these, 13 hold a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 3, one holds a NVQ at Level 4 and one member of staff is unqualified. The setting 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

Children make good progress as they take part in interesting and rewarding activities that cover all aspects of their learning and development. They are happy and settled and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging within the secure, stimulating and welcoming environment. Documentation is maintained appropriately and policies and procedures are mostly effective. The diversity of individual children is valued and respected. Extremely good relationships are in place with parents and other early years practitioners to help provide consistency of care for children. Systems for self-evaluation are effective and the staff demonstrate a strong capacity for continuous improvement.

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further?

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

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further?

 review the information shared with parents in relation to the complaints procedure to ensure the correct details for contacting Ofsted are included. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The staff have developed effective policies and procedures and follow these to ensure children are safeguarded. They demonstrate a clear understanding of child protection procedures and know how to implement them to safeguard the children in their care. They are proactive and have attended child protection and safeguard training to keep their knowledge updated. Daily visual checks and clearly written risk assessments are undertaken to enhance children's safety whilst in the setting and on all outings. Children are valued and individual needs are well met as agreed with parents. The staff have high expectations of behaviour and manage the children's behaviour in a way that is appropriate to each child's age and stage of development. Resources and space are used well to support play and provide a stable environment for all children, including the very young. Children access a wide variety of activities, which staff effectively plan and prepare to encourage

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the early years provision

children to develop skills and learn through play. They make sure children are not bored or frustrated, but are busy and contented. Children's sense of belonging is fostered as they move around freely in the organised space to access resources independently. Staff are well deployed to support children. They organise them into small groups to enable them to build effective relationships and to get to know individual children well.

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the early years provision

The provider maintains a professional approach to her role and focuses highly on enabling all staff to help children to progress to the best of their ability. She leads by example and, as a result, a very low turnover of staff is maintained, resulting in the majority of the staff working in the setting for many years. The staff work well together to promote children's care and learning and demonstrate a strong capacity to maintain continuous improvements by addressing all the recommendations from the last inspection. They use the self-evaluation process to identify where changes are required and are responsive to suggestions from parents and information gained in staff meetings also feed into the process.

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the early years provision

Children develop secure, trusting relationships within the setting, which is enhanced through the extremely well-established relationships between the staff and the children's parents. Children's individual needs are known and met because the staff recognise the value of working in partnership with parents and others. Questionnaires shown at inspection include lots of positive comments about the staff and the service provided. For example, they praise their professionalism, communication skills and care and commitment. The staff provide parents with detailed information about their children's activities and care routines. They make time to chat to them at drop off and collection times and the effective key worker system ensures that the children are cared for in accordance with their wishes. Learning journals, progress summaries, parent evenings and coffee mornings provide excellent opportunities for parents to be kept well informed of how their

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the early years provision

children are developing as individuals and the progress they are making in their learning. Effective settling in procedures enables parents to share what they know about their children and provide the staff with a good insight into their home and family life. Parents are provided with a vast amount of clear and concise information about the setting and service provided. However, the complaint policy This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 does not include the correct contact details of the regulator to ensure parents are fully informed of the procedure to follow should they have a concern. Regular newsletters and notice boards ensure parents are kept well informed of the settings events and daily communication sheets are used to aid communication between the setting and home. The setting works very consistently with external agencies that support staff in meeting children's additional needs and to reflect on

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the early years provision

practice issues. They are fully aware of the importance of sharing transition documents when children leave to attend other settings and have established excellent links with the local schools.

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and outcomes for children

Children's care and learning is promoted because the staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and implement this effectively to promote successful outcomes Children have formed positive relationships with staff and are happy and confident. They feel secure when held and cuddled by staff, including key workers with whom strong bonds are forged. The staff clearly demonstrate that they know the children well. They take positive steps to find out what interests each child, how much they know and what they can do. They observe the children as they play and record what children can do and the information gained is used effectively to plan further for children's development across all areas of learning. Individual needs are met through group activities and all children have opportunities to be involved in activities that promote their learning competently. Photographs and samples of children's work are attractively

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and outcomes for children

presented in individual folders, which are shared with parents to ensure they are fully informed of their children's developing progress.

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and outcomes for children

Children are inquisitive and eager to learn. They happily play, both independently and with the staff. They enjoy group time when they listen to familiar stories and staff are skilled in talking to the children, responding well to them and listening to their ideas. They ensure children are engaged in the activities and ask them questions that extend their experiences and learning. For example, encouraging them to predict what is going to happen next in the story. Children are provided with plenty of opportunities to develop their early writing and reading skills. For example, they have access to a variety of books, crayons, chalks and posters and displays around the setting encourage them to see letters in print. Children are gaining a good understanding of the world through play and this helps them to develop skills for the future. Information technology is available to promote computer skills and they learn about the wider community through visits to the

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and outcomes for children

local shops, library and park. They explore a range of living things, such as, seeds that they have planted, ladybirds that they observe in their nature reserve and ducks and chickens that they feed and care for. Cooking activities promote the children's understanding of weights, measures and textures. They have great fun decorating Halloween biscuits and using corn flour to make 'gunge'. They love using their imagination in role play and enjoy dressing up in various Halloween costumes. Children respond excitedly to a wide range of creative activities. They sing and dance, explore paint and collage and enjoy allowing staff to chalk around This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 their bodies to reveal their silhouettes. Children show increasing skill in recognising and using numbers to support their play. For example, they join in number rhymes and confidently count the number of legs on the spider shaped biscuits that they

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and outcomes for children

have created for Halloween. Younger children enjoy using treasure baskets filled with various household items to increase their senses and play with shaving foam, macaroni, baked beans and water to experiment and explore different textures.

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and outcomes for children

Children learn about keeping themselves safe through the discussions and activities provided. They regularly join in fire evacuation practices to ensure that they know what to do in an emergency and when on walks around the local community they learn how to cross the road safely. Children are encouraged to follow good hygiene routines and know when to wash their hands. There are good arrangements in place to care for children who are ill and all staff are trained in administering first aid. Children develop a good understanding of healthy eating; they are provided with a variety of nutritious meals and snacks and menus are available for parents to view. However, although children are provided with drinks at certain times of the day, fresh drinking water is not always readily available for them to independently access. Meal times are relaxed social occasions where children and staff sit together around the table to enjoy their food and each other's

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and outcomes for children

company. Staff are fully aware of each child's individual dietary needs and ensure these are met. Children have ample opportunities for physical play. The well- resourced outdoor area is used effectively to promote large muscle control as children ride around on push along toys and great fun is had as they crawl through and over the tunnel. This helps children to develop confidence to enjoy moving with control, using their bodies in various ways. 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 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 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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