Little Chestnuts Day Nursery and Preschool

Little Chestnuts Day Nursery Chestnuts Combined School, St. Georges Road, Bletchley, MILTON KEYNES, MK3 5EN

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 09/10/2012 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: Not Applicable 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 establish close bonds with their key person and they settle happily with the support of the kind and caring staff.  Children are very well-behaved; they play in a safe and secure environment.  Children make good progress in all areas of learning because overall, the staff plan an exciting range of activities which build on their current interest and abilities.  Staff provide good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.  The staff place a strong emphasis on establishing effective partnerships with parents and others in order to successfully meet the children's individual needs.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Younger children are not always encouraged to represent and develop their own ideas during art and craft activities.  In the small garden, there are missed opportunities for children to fully understand and investigate the natural world.

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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

 The inspector observed activities in all play rooms and in the garden.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at children's records, assessment procedures, policies and procedures.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector sought the views of the children through discussion and observation during the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector discussed leadership and management of the nursery with the manager, deputy and operational managers.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Little Chestnuts Day Nursery re-registered in 2012 and it is managed by a private company, Kids Play Limited. The nursery is one of six nurseries that the company operate. It is situated on the same site as Chestnuts Combined School in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. There is access to three play rooms in a purpose-built building and a secure outdoor play area. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare register. It provides a service for children from the local community and it is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm for 51 weeks of the year. Little Chestnuts also operates an after school club each day from 3pm to 6pm and a holiday play scheme from 8am to 6pm during all of the school holidays.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 50 children on roll in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education to children aged two, three and four years. Systems are in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The setting employs seven staff. Of these, six hold appropriate early years qualifications.

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

 provide further opportunities for younger children to begin to find their own ways to represent and develop their own ideas, particularly during expressive arts and design activities.

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

 strengthen the programme for understanding the world by planning the use of the smaller outdoor area to provide opportunities for investigations of the natural world.

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who attend

The nursery's effectiveness in helping children to learn and develop is good because staff successfully raise children's self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning. A clear picture emerges of how each child is developing through effective assessment procedures. The manager has devised a thorough procedure for the newly required two-year-old progress check. Provision is in place for the parents' full involvement in this check. Staff have a good knowledge and understanding of the childcare guidance document 'Development Matters' and use this effectively to provide a well-balanced curriculum.

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who attend

In the pre-school room, staff set up a range of interesting and thought-provoking activities. Across the nursery, children achieve particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development. There is a clear focus on developing children's confidence and self-esteem through praise and encouragement. Children are acquiring independence skills for future life as they begin to dress and undress themselves when going out in the garden and putting on painting aprons. Children are learning to take care of their environment, for instance, by using child-size brooms to sweep up the sand. Pre-school children are highly involved in challenging outdoor activities. They thoroughly enjoy filling containers with water to pour down the pipe in to the bowl, planting fruits and vegetables, and digging to find creepy crawlies. However, the planning in place for the small garden does not encourage children to fully understand and investigate the natural

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who attend

world. Children are developing good control over their bodies as they balance and climb on various apparatus. Babies push a sturdy truck to support them when they are learning to walk. Children have great fun and are fully engaged in joining in an adult-led activity which involves moving their bodies to music, primarily to enhance their early-writing skills. They also demonstrate that they are very are good at listening and following instructions.

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who attend

Children enjoy a good variety of painting and sticking activities. In the pre-school room, several children are able to paint recognisable pictures of themselves. However, the younger children are not always encouraged to represent and develop their own ideas through expressive art and design. The words and letters displayed around the nursery help children to understand that print carries meaning. Children spend time acquiring good literacy skills as they make marks in paint, sand and gloop. They have many opportunities to write for a variety of purposes. For example, in the home corner and caf they write shopping lists and menus.

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who attend

Staff skilfully and quickly identify children who may require extra help in their learning and development. Boys, girls, children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and English as an additional language make equally good progress because their needs are taken into account in both planning and teaching. Staff talk to the parents about languages spoken at home and provide key words which help staff to meet the children's needs within the nursery. The value of 'Learning Journeys' to monitor all children's progress and involve parents in their children's education is good. These include photographic evidence and samples of children's art work and early writing to further demonstrate the good progress they make. Staff encourage parents to observe their child in their home environment and they offer support to extend children's learning at home. For example, by asking parents to help children to find and bring in items for the interest table.

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

Children have close relationships with their key person and other kind and caring staff. Staff nurture the children's emotional well-being so that the settling procedure is individual to each child. Consequently they happily separate from their parents. Children develop a strong sense of belonging as they find their name on their coat peg and drawer. They are well behaved, learn to cooperate successfully with each other, to take turns and share. Children show kindness towards one another. For example, as they help their friends to put on their boots before they dig in the vegetable patch. Children learn good manners and they politely thank their friends for helping them with their boots. There is a wide range of toys and resources to support planning in all areas of learning. Good quality furniture is available in the baby room so that babies can sleep, eat and play comfortably. All children are developing their independence skills as they help themselves to toys and

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

resources from low level shelving, boxes and baskets. Staff cater for children's individual dietary requirements and they enjoy healthy snacks and meals. Children make their own decision about when to stop playing and have their snacks. They learn about eating healthily when taking part in cooking activities and discussions.All necessary documentation is in place to promote children's well-being, such as accident and medicine administration records. Good hygiene procedures are in place throughout the nursery. In the baby room, staff wear protective clothing to change nappies to minimise the possibility of cross-infection. Children are learning to keep safe and staff allow children to experiment and take calculated risks. In the builder's area, children learn about wearing safety clothing, such as hard hats and high visibility jackets. The staff demonstrate how to use a range of real tools safely, such as hammers and saws.

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

By the time children leave the nursery, they are well on the way to meeting the goals set for the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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provision

Effective safeguarding procedures are in place to protect children. Staff are aware of the nursery's child protection policy and their responsibilities with regard to children's welfare. Robust recruitment procedures mean that all adults working with the children are suitable to do so. Staff prioritise children's safety and security and take action to eliminate possible hazards. Staff maintain an accurate record of everyone coming into contact with the children and all visitors are required to sign in and out using the visitors' book.

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provision

The management team are passionate about what they do and are committed to developing their service. Self-evaluation is good because of the ongoing refining and adjusting of the nursery's service to meet the changing needs of children and their families. Parents' views are highly respected and valued; they take part in the nursery's evaluation process through discussions and completing questionnaires. Good systems are in place to monitor staff performance and professional development through the observation of work practices and staff appraisals. Staff have good opportunities to build on their knowledge and skills by attending training courses.

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provision

Partnerships with parents, carers and external agencies to help children achieve as much as possible is a particular strength in this nursery. Parents are encouraged to share information about their child's routine, care and development when their child first starts. In the baby/toddler room, parents take home a link book that clearly informs them about their child's daily routine and activities. All parents have open access to their child's learning journal and are involved in planning the next steps for their children's learning. They also receive comprehensive information about their child's progress during parents' week. Parents are unanimous in their positive feedback about the care their children receive. They state that staff are very caring and supportive and they are well informed about their child's learning and welfare.

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provision

The nursery promotes an inclusive environment where all children are respected and valued. Staff successfully develop partnerships with others and seek support from a range of professional agencies, such as the educational psychologist and speech and language therapist. This further supports the staff to plan positive and rewarding experiences for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The nursery establishes good links with Chestnut primary school and they share information about the children's learning with parent consent. This supports children's successful transition to school.

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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 EY447163 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 795441 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 45 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Kids Play Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01908643539

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Setting details

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. 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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