Hazel Tree Montessori Nursery Limited

Hazelwood Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 307154 Inspection date 17/01/2012 Inspector Helen Blackburn

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Setting address 38 Edgeley Road, STOCKPORT, Cheshire, SK3 9NQ

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Telephone number 0161 477 0549 Email admin@hazelwoodnursery.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. 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

Hazelwood Nursery opened in 1989 and it is managed by Hazelwood Nursery Limited. It operates from a converted detached property in the Edgeley area of Stockport. There are schools, parks, shops and public transport links in the local area. The nursery is accessible to all children and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play. Children attend from the local and wider community.

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Description of the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round except bank holidays and Christmas. Sessions are from 7.45am until 6pm. Children are able to attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and a maximum of 45 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 72 children on roll. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

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Description of the setting

The nursery employs 17 childcare practitioners. All practitioners hold appropriate early years qualifications to level 3 or above. One practitioner is qualified to Early Years Professional Status and two are working towards this qualification. The nursery receives support from the local authority and they are affiliated to Edgeley and Cheadle Heath Children's Centre. The nursery is a member of the National Day Nursery Association and 4Children. The nursery has achieved the Heartbeat Award for the high quality food they serve, a Food Safety Award for hygiene and a gold award in the Stockport Healthy Workplace Award for their commitment to health and safety practices.

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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

Practitioners have excellent relationships with children, parents, other professionals and settings involved in children's care. Children are cared for in small groups by consistent practitioners, they are very happy and they approach their play with enthusiasm. Practitioners provide a safe, clean and inclusive environment for children, where they support and encourage them to become independent, well behaved and respectful towards others. Overall, comprehensive documentation, policies and procedures contribute to promoting the safe and efficient management of the setting. Quality improvement processes are robust and they ensure children are at the centre of all targets set.

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further?

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

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further?

 reviewing information provided for parents in the arrivals and collections policy so that it clearly outlines all the procedures that are followed if they This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 fail to collect their child at the appointed time.

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the early years provision

The arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children's welfare are excellent. Practitioners at all levels regularly receive safeguarding training. This means they fully understand their responsibilities and ensures they effectively implement the comprehensive polices and procedures that are in place to safeguard children. Robust recruitment, vetting and induction procedures ensure practitioners are suitable to work with children. Management have high regard towards practitioners' care and welfare and this contributes to staff retention at the nursery being excellent. Overall, there is an extensive range of comprehensive documentation, policies and procedures in place, which practitioners implement consistently. This supports the safe and efficient management of the setting. Policies include an arrivals and collections policy that includes information on late collection of children. However, due to a slight omission in the policy, parents are

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the early years provision

not aware of all the procedures practitioners actually implement. Practitioners provide a safe environment for children to play. This is because they have comprehensive risk assessment arrangements in place, including the monthly monitoring of accidents. In addition, practitioners are vigilant in ensuring they inform each other as children move around the setting. Safety of the children is supported by high levels of supervision because children are cared for in small groups. Through effective organisation, practitioners manage the layout of the building very well to ensure children experience the wide range of activities on offer. In addition, they make excellent use of resources within the local community to extend children's experiences. For instance, children go on walks and they regularly invite parents and other professionals into the nursery so that they can share their skills and experiences.

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the early years provision

Practitioners' commitment to promoting improvement and high standards of care and education for children is excellent. There are comprehensive quality improvement processes in place, including self-evaluation, addressing previous inspection recommendations, reflective practice, audits on children's progress and the curriculum. This contributes to practitioners setting clear targets for improvement, such as the ongoing renovation programme taking place within the nursery. Practitioners also take part in a number of initiatives, such as healthy eating awards and a listening to children programme to support them in promoting positive outcomes for children. Practitioners access a wide range of training opportunities and they make effective use of early years publications to keep up to date, this contributes to them being a well-qualified skilled workforce. The approach to self-evaluation is inclusive. For example, following feedback from

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the early years provision

parents, practitioners now share information via e-mail and they considered the views of children and parents during the recent garden renovations.

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the early years provision

Practitioners have excellent relationships with the parents and other settings children attend. They effectively share information in a number of ways, such as discussion, home link books, communication books and diary sheets. This includes practitioners visiting children in any other settings they attend. An extensive range This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 of detailed policies, notice boards, newsletters, information booklets and other parenting information ensures parents access high quality information regarding their child's achievements, well-being, development and service provided. Parents speak highly about the service. For example, they are very complimentary about how safe they feel their children are, the welcoming and homely atmosphere provided and the extensive range of activities on offer. Through practitioners working extremely well with other professionals, settings and external agencies,

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the early years provision

children receive high levels of support to meet their individual needs.

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and outcomes for children

Practitioners care for children in small groups and this contributes to them having excellent relationships with children, strong bonds and attachments. This results in children feeling extremely safe and secure in their care. Through everyday routines and a wide range of activities, children are developing a very good understanding of the importance of effective personal hygiene practices and health issues. For example, they independently wash their hands at appropriate times throughout the day. The nursery menu consists of freshly cooked highly nutritious homemade meals, which effectively support children's healthy growth and development. Others have recognised this, for example the nursery received an award in recognition of their healthy menu. Opportunities for children to be active and to access fresh air are excellent. All children regularly play outdoors and access an extensive range of activities. For example, babies thoroughly enjoy walks in the

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and outcomes for children

local park where they listen to the sounds in the environment, all children enjoy the outdoor classroom and older children enjoy building and constructing with large boxes, and climbing, running and jumping activities.

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and outcomes for children

All practitioners are qualified and they have a confident and secure understanding of how young children learn. Through high quality interactions, effective questioning and robust observation, and planning and assessment arrangements practitioners plan for all children's individual needs. This includes those identified as working above expectations for their ages so that all children are challenged effectively. Practitioners make excellent use of all the space available and by offering different experiences in each room, children access an extensive range of activities across all areas of learning. Practitioners ensure children are at the heart of all activities planned. For example, plans include a good balance between planned focus activities, child-initiated play, children's ideas, likes, needs and interests. This means children are extremely motivated, curious and enthusiastic learners. For example, they confidently and eagerly ask questions and express

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and outcomes for children

their own opinions as they cleverly explain that they think turtles have shells to protect their bodies. Children are very inquisitive, for example they notice what is happening around them, such as the aeroplanes flying above them and the ice melting on the ground. Children take part in a wide range of activities that help them develop their understanding of early science, literacy, reasoning and numeracy skills. For example, they count in everyday situations, such as the stairs when moving rooms, and they explore colour, light and dark when seeing what happens when they mix colours using the light box and kaleidoscopes. Children are creative and imaginative learners who are encouraged to use all their senses. For This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 instance, they express their ideas through art. Babies have excellent opportunities to experience different textures and sensations. For example, they thoroughly

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and outcomes for children

enjoy body painting and body massage. In addition, all children engage in a wide range of role play activities, which enables them to use their imagination. For example, children suggest looking for treasure in the garden after taking part in an activity where they talked about maps, the globe and planets.

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and outcomes for children

The children behave extremely well for their ages and stages of development. This is because practitioners provide consistent boundaries, routines and excellent role models for children. Through play, children talk about being kind, sharing and taking turns. This results in children having harmonious and cooperative relationships with their peers. Children have high levels of confidence and self- esteem because practitioners effectively praise and value their contributions. In addition, practitioners have an excellent understanding of children's backgrounds, culture and heritage, which they fully embrace within the setting. Through extensive activities, resources and discussions, children have a positive self-image and they effectively learn about and understand the society in which they live. 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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