Countryways Nursery

The Learning Lodge For Little Explorers Aldershaw Farm House, Kent Street, Sedlescombe, BATTLE, East Sussex, TN33 0SD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 10/09/2012 04/03/2010

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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

 Children are happy, motivated and eager to learn. They develop a positive sense of who they are and form good relationships with practitioners and each other. They are well prepared for their future learning.  The nursery assesses and supports children's communication and language development well. As a result, the majority of children make particularly good progress in this area.  Well established partnerships exist with parents, who are fully encouraged to support their child's learning at home.  Children enjoy a carefully planned menu of nutritious snacks and meals that encourages them to learn about making healthy choices.  The staff make good use of the rural environment to provide interesting and stimulating experiences that effectively promote children's learning.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The key person system is not yet utilising the skills of all staff as it relies heavily on certain members of the team. Although children are making good progress, assessment processes are not precise and sharply focused to enable all adults to extend children's learning further.  Children are not given enough quality opportunities to practice making marks or writing during a wide range of activities, both indoors and outside.

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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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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the two play rooms and the outside area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the owner/manager of the nursery and completed a joint observation in the nursery.  The inspector looked at tracked children's records, including assessment.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of safeguarding practices, staff recruitment, ongoing professional development and self-evaluation processes.

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Information about the setting

The Learning Lodge For Little Explorers is a privately owned nursery and registered in 2009. It operates from a converted section of the farm house on a working farm in Sedlescombe, East Sussex. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area and visit areas of the farm. The nursery is open Monday to Thursday from 8.15am to 5.30pm, for 49 weeks of the year.

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Information about the setting

The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and cares for a maximum of 14 children in the early years age group. There are currently 17 children aged from nine months on roll, some in part-time places.

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Information about the setting

There are five members of staff, three of whom hold appropriate early years qualifications to at least National Vocational Qualification at level 3. A part-time member of staff has Early Years Professional Status. The nursery provides free early education for three- and four-year-olds.

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

 strengthen the educational programme for literacy by improving opportunities for children to practice writing during activities such as role-play and by providing mark making tools, so that children can explore their use both indoors and outdoors.

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

 improve the key person system to enable all practitioners involved in children's learning to be fully engaged in the children's assessments, and identification and support of their next steps

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who attend

Children make good progress from their starting points, across the areas of learning. Staff regularly assess children's progress from observations as they play and from discussions with parents. However, the nursery is yet to establish the systems to demonstrate focused and precise assessments against the revised areas of learning. Not all staff are engaged in the key person system but they All staff are fully involved in children's activities and play although they are not all engaged in the key person system. This means at times they are not fully updated with individual children's learning needs to support them further in their learning.

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who attend

Very good use is made of the outdoor areas to engage children's interest in the natural world. They make regular trips to visit the farm animals and be involved in feeding. Children enjoy looking for minibeasts under wooden blocks in the garden and investigating these in magnifying bug boxes. Children use a factual book to identify the creatures they find. However, they are not always fully encouraged to use writing materials and tools during different activities such as role play or during outside play. In particular, the nursery promotes children's communication and language development very well. The detailed assessments for this area enable the staff to identify any concerns early. Children talk confidently to adults and use increasing vocabulary as the recall their weekend events or request resources to extend their play. For example, one child says 'I need binoculars or microscope to see' when they discover some bugs outside. The staff

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who attend

have high expectations of the children that develops children's eagerness to learn. This prepares them well for the next steps in their learning. Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They crawl through tunnels, build with large blocks and use climbing apparatus with confidence. Children learn to use various tools, including scissors and mark making equipment. However, children are not always fully encouraged to use writing materials and tools during different activities such as role play or during outside play.

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who attend

Parents are regularly informed of the progress that children are making. This may be through discussion or from viewing and commenting on the written reports. Parents are actively encouraged to support their children's learning at home.

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

The nursery carefully monitors and supports all children's emotional and social well-being. Much care is taken when settling new children and thorough discussions with parents staff support children's individual care needs in being met well. All children develop strong relationships with the staff and each other. This helps promote their confidence and growing independence.

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

The staff enable all ages of children to come together at certain times throughout the day. The younger children gain considerably from watching the older children play and are able to join in activities. All children's behaviour is exceptionally good. They gain an awareness of people's differences in the wider world through some planned activities and resources that positively reflect diversity.

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

The welcoming and interesting environment, both in and outdoors supports children's all- round development. Equipment is of good quality and resources are easily accessible to children. Children learn to keep themselves safe from the staff explanations as they play, visit the farm or practice fire evacuation drills.

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

The provision of home prepared and cooked meals using produce from the farm is a strength of the nursery. Children help to grow fruit and vegetables in the kitchen garden. All children thoroughly enjoy their morning snack of raspberries and grapes and a main meal of Irish Stew. The nursery uses a system based on the colours of the rainbow to help children learn about the need for a balanced diet, encouraging them to make healthy choices.

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provision

The provider is fully aware of her responsibilities in meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She has recently completed relevant training on safeguarding and staff read and fully understand relevant policies and procedures. A comprehensive recruitment process that includes a focused induction process helps determine staff suitability. Ongoing supervision and appraisals, with the availability of further training, supports the staff team's ongoing professional development. Monthly staff meetings and daily discussions effectively enable the staff to provide experiences and activities that support all children's learning needs. The provider's thorough knowledge of children's progress means that she can identify and addresses any achievement gaps. There are currently no children on roll who attend other settings or need support from other agencies. However, the provider is extremely aware of the need to work in partnership

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provision

with others if the need arises. She appreciates that this supports children's continuous learning.

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provision

The nursery has fully met all actions and recommendations made at the last inspection. All staff are involved in the nursery's self-evaluation that also takes account of the views of parents and children. This helps ensure that the evaluation considers the needs of all in any action plan. The provider has a good overview of the nursery's strengths. There are clear development plans in place demonstrating a drive for positive improvement. For example, the manager recognises that she needs to increase the range of resources that reflect diversity. In addition, she intends to reorganise the key person system as children's numbers have increased.

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provision

The nursery very successfully engages with all parents and regularly informs them of their child's progress. Positive relationships develop and this means that the effective sharing of information enables the right support for individual children.

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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 EY399786 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 816149

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 14 Number of children on roll 17 Name of provider Lynne Margaret Fenwick Date of previous inspection 04/03/2010 Telephone number 07824875682

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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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