Acorn Nursery

Acorn Nursery Wimbledon Chase Middle School, Merton Hall Road, LONDON, SW19 3QB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 19/10/2012 29/06/2010

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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 confident, motivated and eager to learn. They demonstrate a good level of independence and curiosity as a result of the caring staff who help them to form positive relationships with adults and each other  Staff have a good awareness of each child and have high expectations of them, which results in each child making good progress from when they started at the nursery and learning useful skills that will prepare them for school  Through good planning and assessment systems, staff provide interesting and stimulating activities, engaging the children and helping them to build on their interests, so their learning moves forward  The manager ensures each member of staff has a training and development plan which motivates them and to improve their practice, and which ultimately benefits the children through improved teaching techniques.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not make the most of all opportunities to encourage children to explore and understand the world to gain the best possible dispositions they need before starting school.  Although there is a positive partnerships with parents overall, some aspects of the communications s need further development.

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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 compulsory part 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 children's interaction with staff both indoors and out

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation of an activity with the manager and discussed this with her  The inspector spoke to staff, children and some parents  The inspector examined children's development records.

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Information about the setting

Acorn Nursery is one of two nurseries run by an individual proprietor who took over the existing ownership of the nursery in March 2010. The nursery operates from a self- contained and purpose-built building in the grounds of Wimbledon Chase Primary School in the London Borough of Merton. Children have access to an enclosed outdoor play area. The nursery is situated in a residential area and is open each weekday with sessions from 9am to 11.30pm and 12.30pm to 3pm, during term-time only. The nursery also offers wrap around care for children who attend the school's nursery on a part-time basis. The nursery is also registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. There are currently 38 children aged from two to under five years on roll, most in part time places. The nursery currently supports children learning English as an additional language. There are five members of staff including the manager, three of whom hold appropriate early

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Information about the setting

years qualifications to at least National Vocational Qualification level 3 and one staff member holds level 2, while the manager is level six.

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

 develop the staff team's ability to support children's understanding of the world better by providing opportunities for children to learn skills and knowledge about changes in liquid and solids through a range of experiences, indoors and out

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

 enhance the partnership with parents by extending the system of communication where parents can meet their child's key person, share and explain practice.

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who attend

Children make good progress and show high levels of confidence and self-worth. They are confident, happy, healthy and adventurous which is key to their future success. Children gain much from the range of learning experiences that spark their imaginations and curiosity. For example, there are bottles and boxes in the dry sand to experiment with, as well as tunnels and bikes in the garden. There are comfortable cushions where they can snuggle up to soft toys and look at books indoors. These resources can be used in different ways and allow children to build on what they already know and to extend their learning across all areas. Children's progress is continuously observed, monitored and extended by watchful staff. The staff plan a good mix of adult-led activities, which make valuable contributions to children's progress and help them develop useful skills for the future.

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who attend

Children show exceptional independence and are eager to take on new challenges. Staff offer resources that encourage children to work things out for themselves, and four-year- olds show great pleasure when learning more complex skills. For example, making a 'faces' collage' and competently describing the colour of 'mummy's hair'. Children are taught to be kind, gentle and to share and take turns. Children's efforts and achievements are celebrated through displays and photographs. Children's language skills are supported to an exceptional level by staff. Children learning English as additional language are supported well as staff work with parents to identify key words in the child's home language, which they use to give children support. Staff make sure they are at the children's eye level to gain their full attention and help them to focus on listening when talking to them. Children love chatting to adults and each other.

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who attend

Fun games, songs and rhymes, all linked to phonics, help children link sounds to letters although staff do not always encourage children to write their own names, when taking part in activities, to gain further skills for when they move on to school. There are different books to look at and enjoy; these are used well to support both boys and girls in finding out about things that fascinate them. For example, some children talk about feelings and pulling faces. As a result, children confidently and creatively express their ideas in their artwork and are more considerate of each other.

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who attend

A good planning system covers the seven required areas of the learning programme with emphasis on the most important areas for the youngest children. When children start in the nursery, staff commence an assessment system where all children are observed for six weeks to get to know what the children understand and can do. Staff then plan what children need to learn or develop next, and this system of continual observation and associated planning is used successfully to guide children's progress throughout their time in the nursery. Enthusiastic staff are keen to use new systems to improve their understanding of children's learning, and these help staff to see where each child spends most of their time, the type of learner the child is and where most learning is taking place. This is proving valuable as the majority of the children present are new to the nursery.

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who attend

Parents comment on how pleased they are with their child's progress at the nursery. They state the staff make them feel welcome and that they have a good relationship with their children, but they would like to have more planned time to meet with the staff and discuss their children's development progress.

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who attend

The nursery works very closely with the adjacent primary school and supports transition into nursery and school. There is a trained Special Educational Needs Coordinator who ensures children with additional needs are supported well.

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

There is an effective system which provides each child and family with personal support. The staff are clear on their roles which helps children settle, feel safe and form appropriate bonds with a caring adult. The children seem to understand who their 'key person' is shortly after they start and often stay close to them for reassurance. Comments from some parents show that they know who to go should they need to speak to anyone about their child, so they system is reassuring for parents too.

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

Staff help children learn what is expected of them by explaining 'rules' in a calm manner which the children take on board readily, for example, reminding the children to walk slowly when walking across a wet field. Such explanations help children behave in ways that are safe for themselves and others. The children are reminded and encouraged throughout the day to wash their hands, after coming in from outside and before sitting down for snack, One child said when she came inside, "Oh my hands are sticky" and went off to wash her hands, demonstrating her understanding of hygiene routines and ability to care for her personal needs independently.

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

The children's daily routine is carefully balanced to ensure they have lots of fresh air and exercise, along with periods of rest. Fresh fruit and raw vegetables are offered at snack time and children learn about the growing cycle by visiting the school nursery's vegetable garden. The children know how to behave responsibly and are confident to try new things because they know staff are always close by to help.

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provision

The leadership and management of the nursery are effective in ensuring children are safe. This is achieved through rigorous attention to child protection, safety, vetting and recruitment procedures. Staff have all received up-to-date safeguarding training and demonstrate a high level of awareness and understanding of this issue. For example, they understand a child's unusual behaviour could be a way of communicating safeguarding issues. Protocols and practices for referrals to other professionals are clearly understood and ensure staff are well placed to respond to any issues that may arise. Important information about children, such as collection and living arrangements, are gained from parents and notice boards around the nursery highlight the role all adults play in keeping children protected and safe. Security arrangements are robust and flexible attitudes, policies and everyday practices are very successful in promoting children's welfare. All the

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provision

doors and gates to the nursery are kept locked and the entrance has a buzzer to ring before entering. Staff give the children space and time to play and explore but are always close by supervising. The children take part in regular fire drills so they learn what to do if there is an incident.

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provision

Leadership and management systems are good; the nursery's manager provides clear leadership, and staff are fully focused on the needs of children. Development planning is aligned to local and national early years initiatives and the manager is proactive in seeking out new ways to enhance the quality of the nursery. Outcomes for children are evaluated, monitored and measured, and the expertise and skills of a united staff team combine to ensure that a good quality service is provided across the nursery. Staff update their knowledge through training provided by the local authority; for example, the behaviour management has been used effectively to support the staff in implementing consistency in dealing with challenging behaviour and the children are given clear boundaries as to what is acceptable. The nursery staff promote healthy eating, providing information to help parents recognise and make healthy choices when making the children's pack lunches.

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provision

The nursery understands the importance of partnership working and has effective links with other local schools too. This liaison ensures they are able to play their part in ensuring that children receive timely and well-coordinated support, both during their time at the setting and when moving on to school. Transition arrangements are effective, with visits from reception teachers and close contact with school staff ensuring that children and their families are fully supported when it is time to move on to full time education. Partnerships with parents are positive but need to be more effective. Parents are complimentary about the nursery and expressed their satisfaction with their child's progress and their appreciation of the caring and knowledgeable staff. Parents say they feel welcome and respected. Their views are sought through formal evaluations.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory 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 EY405936 Local authority Merton Inspection number 816259 Type of provision Sessional provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 27 Number of children on roll 38 Name of provider Radhika Nathan Date of previous inspection 29/06/2010 Telephone number 07748 687 584

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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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