Cornerstone Day Nursery

Cornerstone Day Nursery Priestley Road, BASINGSTOKE, Hampshire, RG24 9PU

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 11/09/2012 08/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 3 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 2 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

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This provision is good

 Positive relationships between children and staff develop children's sense of belonging. As a result, children are happy and well motivated to play and explore.  The effective key person systems in place enable all children to be well supported, secure and settled. This means that staff accurately identify children's individual needs and abilities and develop effective partnerships with outside agencies.  The newly appointed manager effectively develops the staff team through monitoring and evaluation. This shows the nursery is taking positive steps to bring about changes to improve outcomes for children. Staff are well motivated to undertake training to develop their skills and knowledge.  Children are enthusiastic and independent as they freely access a wealth of resources in a welcoming, attractive child-friendly environment. Staff organise rooms effectively to enable children to make good progress overall in all areas of development.

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This provision is good

 The nursery develops successful partnerships with parents. Information is shared between staff and parents on a daily basis. This enables staff to be aware of children's individual needs, which are consistently met.  Staff keep parents well informed about children's learning through the regular sharing of development records. Parents contribute to the evaluation of the nursery through completion of regular questionnaires to assess their satisfaction and contribute suggestions for improvement.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The programme for physical development and mathematics sometimes lacks challenge for more competent and able children.  Children do not have good access in all areas to non-fiction and homemade books showing family members and everyday objects.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are scheduled:  at least once in every inspection cycle. The current cycle ends on 31 July 2016  more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged as inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage; or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised for inspection where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 Two inspectors carried out the inspection due to the size of the setting.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors had meetings with the manager, which included carrying out a joint observation of an activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspectors spoke with the practitioners working in the nursery and recorded observations of their interactions with children.  The inspectors held discussions with parents and carers of children in the setting.

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Information about the setting

Cornerstones Nursery opened in 2002 and re-registered under new ownership in 2004. It is one of three nurseries owned by the same provider in the Basingstoke area. It is situated on the outskirts of Basingstoke, in Hampshire. It operates from ten rooms, and has a large central hall, which is used for a variety of activities. There is a fully enclosed garden available for outdoor play. The nursery is readily accessible and supports children with special educational needs and /or disabilities and children learning English as an additional language.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is on the Early Years Register and on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. There are currently 130 children on roll and the nursery receives funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The group opens each weekday from 7am to 6pm full year. The nursery employs 36 staff who work with the children. There is one member of staff qualified at level 6, 25 members of staff qualified at level 3, and two at level 2 in childcare and education. Five members of staff are currently undertaking training at level 3.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 Improve the educational programme for physical development and mathematics to ensure they provide sufficient challenge for all children, with particular regard to the outdoor learning environment

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 Enhance children's literacy by enabling them to access and use a wide range of books in all areas, including non-fiction and child made showing significant people in their lives and familiar objects

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who attend

Children make good progress in all areas of learning, in relation to their starting points. This is due to a skilled staff who have a thorough knowledge of children's individual needs and how they learn. For example, children make marks in the sand using paintbrushes to write letters. Staff skilfully develop children's use of phonics during this activity. For instance, they encourage children to identify the initial letters in their names, and those of others present. Children take pride in demonstrating their knowledge, confidently sounding the letters as they write in the sand. Overall staff plan effectively to develop children's skills, knowledge and understanding as they identify next steps in their learning. However, staff do not consistently include the outside area in planning activities to fully enhance all children's skills. For example, the use of resources in the outdoor play area does not sufficiently challenge the physical skills of older and more able children. Staff

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who attend

have begun to provide labelling outside to enhance literacy skills although have not yet included numbers to increase children's mathematical understanding. Most staff ably demonstrate positive teaching skills.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good range of books which are readily accessible throughout the nursery, including the outdoor area. Children of all ages confidently select from these and enjoy listening to stories. However, children do not have good access to non-fiction books. The nursery has introduced child-made books which include photographs of familiar adults, for children with special educational needs. They have not considered the benefit of such books for all children within the nursery.

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who attend

Staff find out about children's individual needs through the effective key person system. Information gathered is recorded well and provides a good base for establishing children's starting points. This enables staff to plan for individual children's progress from their earliest days in the nursery. As a result, children settle quickly because their needs are understood well and met consistently. Parents are actively involved in contributing to their children's development through effective daily discussions and the recent introduction of 'wow' boards. Staff have effective systems in place to use their observations to assess all children's progress across the areas of learning. They have developed two-year-old progress checks and are in the early stages of implementing them to meet requirements.

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who attend

Children are well supported as they attend settling-in sessions as they move to new rooms within the nursery. Regular opportunities to mix with other children and staff in different age groups also aid transitions. Systems are in place to support children as they move onto school with some reception teachers visiting them in the nursery. As a result, children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are happy, settled and content as they form strong attachments to their key person, staff and other children within the nursery. Older toddlers confidently acknowledge visitors, cheerfully saying ' hello ladies' when they enter the playroom. Babies seek reassurance from their key person as unfamiliar adults enter the room showing secure attachments. Staff work hard to create child friendly, age-based play rooms where there are attractive displays of children's art work, posters, and photographs. Rooms are organised so that good quality resources are accessible on low-level shelving in order that all children can freely make choices. Children demonstrate confidence and good self-esteem as they are motivated and enthusiastically explore the environment. For example, babies actively investigate a tray of rice and other sensory materials while older toddlers confidently ask to paint. Staff actively involve them in making choices and

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

decisions regarding resources to paint with. For example, they use tools such as brushes or toys, with children eagerly choosing to use cars. Staff thoughtfully use older children's interest in dinosaurs to develop their mathematical skills in recognising numbers. For example, staff have created numbered dinosaur foot prints encouraging children to identify numbers up to ten. Staff quickly note children's needs and interests through their observations and detailed information provided by parents at the settling-in sessions. Staff consistently complete detailed observations and assessment records which they use to plan for children's development. These are shared on a regular basis with parents.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children gain a clear understanding of good personal hygiene and healthy lifestyles through consistent routines. Older children are competent in self-care skills as they take themselves to the toilet, put on their coats and independently serve themselves lunch. They confidently wipe their noses and dispose of tissues appropriately. They eat a varied balanced diet, which includes fruit and vegetables, and are able to eat as much as they want to satisfy their appetites. The nursery caters effectively to meet children's individual dietary needs and drinking water is freely accessible in each room. Children play in a clean well-maintained environment and have frequent access to fresh air in the large outdoor play area. Most rooms enable children to have free flow to patio areas adjacent to their playrooms. Staff follow good nappy changing procedures, which limit cross infection.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Overall children behave well as staff treat them with kindness and respect and there are well-established procedures to manage behaviour. The special educational needs co- ordinator works well with staff and parents to develop strategies to manage behavioural difficulties. Consistent praise and encouragement reinforces children's understanding of expected behaviour as they learn to share, take turns and respect each other.

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provision

Children play in a secure, safe environment where staff complete daily safety checks and regularly review risk assessments. Staff have undertaken safeguarding training and are confident in procedures to follow if they have any concerns. The nursery has a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place, which is updated to take into account of any new requirements. All polices are shared with parents. Staff closely supervise children when they play and sleep. Regular fire evacuations enable staff and children to know what to do in an emergency. Staff have a thorough understanding of how to promote children's welfare. All staff undertake paediatric first aid training and there are effective procedures in place for recording accidents and the administration of medication.

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provision

The newly appointed manager and deputy are positive and enthusiastic. They have formed an effective partnership to identify and continually improve practices throughout the nursery. The setting uses Ofsted's self-evaluation form to effectively reflect on their practice. They clearly identify areas for further development, taking positive actions to address identified issues. For example, the manager has reorganised staff deployment and the rooms where children are based. The owner has a programme in place to refurbish the nursery, including installing new flooring. There are robust vetting, induction and appraisal systems in place. Staff are suitably qualified, and keen to update their knowledge and skills through training. The management team regularly monitor and update the planning, taking into account new requirements including the introduction of progress checks for two-year-olds.

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provision

The nursery is well organised and staff work well together to provide an enabling environment where children play happily and learn successfully. The well-qualified staff team have a good understanding of how children learn. They organise the environment to encourage children to be independent learners. The nursery has successfully sought funding to develop the role of the special educational needs co-ordinator. This enables them to assist children who learn English as an additional language as well as support children with special educational needs. Effective monitoring is in place to identify children who require additional support and close any gaps in learning. Well-established partnerships with other agencies, schools, and parents enable staff to quickly identify children's individual needs and meet them well.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY285254 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 814719

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 150 Number of children on roll 130 Name of provider Fencebright Ltd. trading as Cornerstone Nurseries Date of previous inspection 08/04/2009 Telephone number 01256 818118

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Type of provision

set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises that are usually their own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. 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,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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