Birkenshaw CofE (Controlled) First School

Woodpeckers Nursery School Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 127785 Inspection date 10/05/2012 Inspector Shanti Flynn

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Setting address Conyngham Lane, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5JX

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Telephone number 01227 831159 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

Woodpeckers Nursery School was registered in 1996. It operates from a single storey building in the grounds of Bridge and Patrixbourne School, near Canterbury, Kent. Children have access to a secure outdoor play area. The nursery serves the local area and the surrounding towns. It opens Mondays to Thursdays from 8.45am to 3.15pm and on Fridays from 8.45am to 11.45am during term time only. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register for a maximum of 26 children aged from two years. Currently there are 46 children on roll. The nursery provides funded free early education for three and four-year-olds. It supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. There are seven staff working with the children, six of whom, including the manager, hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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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

Staff work exceptionally well as a team to help ensure that children's individual needs are fully met within this highly inclusive nursery. Excellent relationships with parents and others have a significant positive impact on promoting outstanding outcomes for all children. Children are extremely confident and thrive in the exceptionally safe, secure and nurturing environment. The manager communicates very clear ambition and all staff are actively involved in self-evaluation. Overall, the nursery demonstrates an outstanding capacity to support continuous improvement.

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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 and continually developing the systems for self-evaluation in order to maintain exemplary practice.

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the early years provision

Staff robustly implement comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures to keep children safe. All staff are suitably vetted and keep up to date with current procedures through extensive training. They know what to do and who to contact if they have any concerns about a child in their care. They implement excellent security measures to enable children to play in a safe and secure environment. Detailed risk assessments help staff identify potential hazards and minimise any This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 risks to children. Staff maintain all the required documentation to an extremely high standard and this has a highly positive impact on promoting children's welfare. The nursery regularly reviews all policies and procedures so that all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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the early years provision

The manager and her staff work extremely well together as a team. They are highly committed and passionate about improving all outcomes for children. All staff are involved in the self-evaluation process and exemplary reflective practice takes place. They actively seek the views of parents and children and incorporate these into the development plan. The manager regularly monitors any actions to promote sustained continuous improvement. The continual review of self- evaluation in order to maintain the exemplary practice of the nursery is an area for on-going development.

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the early years provision

Children play in a rich and vibrant environment which is extremely well organised. Staff clearly label resources and activities and store them at an appropriate height. This allows children to independently choose what they want to play with and explore different resources. They move freely between the indoor and outdoor space and have daily opportunities for fresh air and physical exercise. Highly effective staff deployment helps to ensure that children are fully supervised and their individual needs are exceptionally well met.

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the early years provision

Partnership with parents is outstanding. All staff promote a welcoming and inclusive environment. They are fully committed to equality of opportunity, treating each child as an individual. Each child is allocated a key person who works closely with parents to find out about children's backgrounds and their individual needs. Staff observe the children regularly and record their progress and achievements in individual 'Learning Journals'. They share these with parents and actively encourage parents to add to them. Parents comment that they particularly welcome the opportunity to share in their children's learning and development. They also value the highly innovative system of sharing unused sessions, either through illness or through holiday, in order to meet their family's needs.

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the early years provision

Procedures to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are extremely effective. The nursery works very well with other professionals to identify and meet any additional needs that children may have. A few children currently attend other early years settings and highly effective links ensure that the settings work together to promote the continuity of care and learning. The nursery has also developed excellent relationships with the local school and participates in joint activities. This has a significant positive impact in helping prepare children for the transition into school.

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and outcomes for children

Children make outstanding progress in their learning and development. They are supported by nurturing staff who demonstrate a highly impressive knowledge and This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff know the children exceedingly well and use their knowledge and observations of individual children to plan interesting and challenging activities to help children become inquisitive and active learners. The manager tracks the progress of each child to make sure that learning opportunities in every area of learning are stimulating and tailored to their individual learning needs.

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and outcomes for children

Children freely explore the exciting resources and activities on offer. They play with buckets of water and paintbrushes as they 'paint' the fences and develop this game into making 'mud pies'. They independently fetch resources, such as shovels, to help them dig the mud. They develop their writing skills as they carefully write their names on their artwork. Staff further encourage children's independent skills through fully embedded routines. They find their own name peg to attach to their work to take home and their creations are displayed for all to admire. Posters and visual aids in the environment help support children's learning exceedingly well. Children know where to find the number line and enjoy taking the numbers off the wall to use as an example in their writing. They discuss the numbers with their friends and develop their counting skills. These activities help them develop excellent skills for the future.

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and outcomes for children

Excellent hygiene procedures are fully embedded to prevent the risk of infection. Children routinely wash their hands after playing outside and before meal times. They choose from a range of fruits and vegetables at snack time and pour themselves drinks of water or milk. Children learn to adopt healthy lifestyles and enjoy the benefits of daily physical activity as they play on the climbing frame and wheeled toys outside. They also enjoy going on walks to explore the local environment around them. Staff use these outings to teach children about road safety and how to keep themselves safe. Staff also involve the children in deciding nursery rules such as 'no running inside' to further promote their safety and well- being. They regularly practise fire drills so that all staff and children know what to do in an emergency.

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and outcomes for children

A key strength of the nursery is the highly positive interactions staff have with all the children. Children are exceptionally well behaved, happy and confident. They display high levels of self-esteem as staff constantly praise their efforts and acknowledge their achievements. They develop excellent relationships with their peers and work extremely well co-operatively. They spontaneously share their resources and staff support them to learn to take turns. They learn to respect each other's differences and to value diversity through extensive activities and resources. 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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