A.G.N.E.S Day Nursery

A.G.N.E.S Day Nursery Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number EY339356 Inspection date 17/05/2012 Inspector Sarah Clements

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Setting address Bocking United Reformed Church, Church Street, Bocking, BRAINTREE, Essex, CM7 5LH Telephone number 07804 700 557 Email agnesnursery@btinternet.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.

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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

A.G.N.E.S. Day Nursery registered in 2006. It is managed by a group of trustees, including parents of some of the children who attend the nursery. The nursery operates from a hall within Bocking United Reformed Church in the Bocking area of Braintree, Essex. Children share access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery opens each weekday from 8.30am to 4pm, for 46 weeks of the year. Children from the local and wider areas attend for a variety of sessions.

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Description of the setting

The provision is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. A maximum of 26 children may attend the nursery at any one time. There are currently 65 children aged from two to five years on roll, some in part-time places. The nursery has strategies in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and is currently supporting a number of children who have English as an additional language. Funded early education is provided for three- and four-year-olds.

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Description of the setting

There are eight members of staff, including two managers. All staff hold relevant early years qualifications to at least level 2 and one member of staff is currently working towards a further qualification. 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 benefit from a wide range of play opportunities which help them to make good progress in their learning and development. The nursery is inclusive with some strategies in place to support children who have English as an additional language. Children's welfare and safety are well promoted as a result of the nursery's clear safeguarding procedures and the effective deployment of staff. Partnerships with parents and carers are actively fostered to ensure children experience good levels of continuity of care. Partnerships with other early years settings are less purposeful at this stage. Through effective self-evaluation, the managers and staff have made significant improvements since the last inspection.

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further?

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

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further?

 create further opportunities to share relevant information with the other early years settings that children attend in order to promote further continuity in each child's care, learning and development  strengthen support for children with English as an additional language by providing more opportunities for them to develop and use their home language in their play and learning. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

Effective systems are implemented to promote children's welfare and safety. All staff working with the children have completed the necessary checks to confirm their suitability and details of all enhanced Criminal Record Bureau disclosures are now clearly documented. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding issues, including their duty to share information with relevant agencies in the event of a concern being raised. Both managers, who take lead responsibility for safeguarding children, have continued to extend their knowledge by completing advanced safeguarding training courses. Staff carry out a robust risk assessment of all areas of the nursery prior to children arriving each day. As a result, children remain very safe in their surroundings. Arrival and collection times are particularly well managed to ensure children are only released into the care of authorised adults. Children are closely supervised at all times because staff are deployed

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the early years provision

effectively across the indoor and outdoor areas. Children benefit from furniture, equipment and resources that are of high quality and suitable to stimulate and extend their thinking. This includes a good range of resources that reflect positive images to strengthen children's awareness of differences in ethnicity, religion, culture, and special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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the early years provision

Strong partnerships are established with parents and carers. Staff involve parents in their child's learning from the beginning as they work with them to gather important information about children's starting points using an 'All About Me' form. A welcoming prospectus, colourful displays and comments written in each child's home-link book provide parents with ongoing updates and ensure they are kept fully informed of their child's progress. There are good systems in place to ensure that partnerships with other professionals support children well. These are particularly successful when staff liaise with speech and language therapists and occupational therapists to assess and support the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Although the setting is keen to establish wider partnerships, the current arrangements for sharing relevant information with other early years settings are fairly casual and do not yet maximise opportunities

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the early years provision

for children to experience continuity across the different settings they attend.

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the early years provision

The managers and staff have worked hard to establish an effective system for reflecting on their practice. For example, they make good use of the Ofsted self- evaluation document to identify the key strengths and weaknesses of the provision. The nursery has secured a number of significant improvements since the last inspection. For example, all of the required documentation, including a revised registration form, is now in place to ensure the safe and efficient management of the setting. Morale is high within the well-qualified and experienced team. The experienced and well-qualified staff work together as a cohesive team. Their individual expertise and interests are put to good use through the development of specific responsibilities. For example, the development of a Equalities Coordinator role ensures that equality and diversity are promoted in the nursery's work. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

Staff use their good understanding of the learning and development requirements to plan a wide range of play and learning experiences for children. As a result, children arrive happy and eager to delve straight into the different types of activities on offer. An effective key person system ensures children are well supported by staff who have a thorough understanding of their individual needs and interests. There are effective systems in place for observing and assessing children's ongoing progress, including clear identification of the next steps in each child's learning. For example, individual children are provided with specific tailored support to develop their confidence in interacting with others or to think more creatively in their construction activities. Children benefit from the purposeful interactions they have with staff. They enjoy meaningful conversations with them at snack times and often invite them to share books with them. Children are

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and outcomes for children

becoming increasingly confident in managing everyday tasks for themselves, such as hanging up their coats and pouring their own drinks. The atmosphere within the nursery is calm and children's behaviour is consistently very positive. For example, they self-manage their turns on the popular laptop and patiently remind each other that it is important to share toys. Children's experiences are widened through walks in the local neighbourhood. For example, they enjoy trips to take photographs of the local windmill and visits to the shops to buy cooking ingredients.

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and outcomes for children

Children are developing good skills in communication, language and literacy. They are encouraged to listen carefully during group story sessions and have a good range of opportunities to practise their early writing skills. For example, children enjoy tracing around the letter stencils to write their names and like to scribe freely using paints, chalks and pencils. Children's speech is also developing well as they confidently articulate the names of different dinosaurs including diplodocus and tyrannosaurus. Staff are starting to consider more carefully the needs of younger children who have English as an additional language. However, there are few opportunities for children to use their home language at the nursery to ensure they build confidence in communicating and using key words in their different languages. Children enjoy playing creatively and imaginatively. They engage in various arts and craft activities and like to explore the feeling of custard, jelly and

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and outcomes for children

spaghetti in the messy tray. The home role play area is well equipped with resources that promote children's strong awareness of everyday technology, including an imaginary kettle, toaster and telephone. Children develop further skills for the future as they explore numbers and count in everyday routines and games. For example, they confidently identify numbers during a game of hopscotch and count the eight legs they need to add to their play dough spider.

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and outcomes for children

Children's good health is well promoted. They learn about the importance of healthy eating as they grow and harvest fresh produce, such as strawberries and tomatoes. Easily accessible facilities enable children to follow effective toileting and hand washing routines with increasing independence. Outcomes for children's health are promoted further as they have daily opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. Here they enjoy moving around more energetically as they pedal the This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 ride-on toys, balance on stilts and wave ribbon streamers. Staff place lots of emphasis on explaining safety issues to children, helping them to make sense of their environment and to play very safely. For example, children demonstrate safe use of scissors and remind others of the need to wear their seatbelts as they play in an imaginary bus. 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 3 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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