School House Nursery

The School House Nursery Meins Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6QF

p.1

Inspection date

Previous inspection date 22/10/2012 14/05/2012

p.1

early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 2

p.1

This provision is good

 Children are happy, interested and eager to learn. They demonstrate their independence as they settle quickly and make good choices from the good quality resources. They demonstrate positive behaviour as they become active learners.  The educational programmes are well planned by knowledgeable staff to cover all seven areas of learning and to provide challenging, interesting and motivating experiences for all children.  The secure key person system helps children to form secure emotional attachments as they skilfully support them in their play. As result, they are prepared for their transitions both across the setting and into school.  Leadership and management are strong, creating a positive ethos within the setting. The high expectations are communicated through the implementation of the recently reviewed documentation, team meetings and one-to-one supervision to ensure that the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage is strong.

p.1

It is not yet outstanding because

 Opportunities to further support babies exploratory and investigatory skills are not fully resourced with the more natural and open-ended type materials.  Children are not always involved in the planning of some activities to enable them to find their own way and develop their own ideas to represent and develop their thoughts.

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in the pre-school room, tweenie room and baby room. The inspector also viewed the outside learning environment, resources and equipment.

p.2

Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and deputy of the provision and members of staff, including key persons.

p.2

Inspection activities

 Prior to visiting, the inspector viewed the providers details and information on the setting.

p.2

Inspection activities

 During the inspection, the inspector viewed children's assessment and planning records. Regulatory documentation regarding adults suitability, children's details and information regarding any complaints and concerns received.

p.2

Information about the setting

The School House Nursery was registered in 2003 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a converted detached property in the Billinge area of Blackburn and is managed by Stewart Birchall Netstar 9 Ltd. It is one of the three nurseries in the group. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. There are fully enclosed areas available for outdoor play.

p.2

Information about the setting

The nursery employs 16 members of childcare staff. Of these, one holds an appropriate early years qualification at Level 2, seven at a Level 3 and three at a Level 5. The manager is degree qualified and there is a member of staff, who is a Qualified Teacher. The nursery opens Monday to Friday, all year round with sessions from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 70 children attending, who are within this age group. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children, who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

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

 enhance the already good provision within the baby room by providing a range of everyday objects for them to explore and investigate, such as treasure baskets

p.3

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

 develop how the good practice can be further improved by involving children more in the planning of the creative, adult-led activities, so that their participation and engagement can be increased.

p.3

who attend

Children thrive in this stimulating and good quality provision. Practitioners understand each child in their care and know how they learn. staff value and support children recognising that they learn through well-planned play in a rich and stimulating environment. The effective observations and assessments on children ensure that their needs are clearly identified and this information is used to inform future planning. Consequently, they are provided with stimulating and challenging experiences, for example, matching games and learning to understand the concept of two things being the same. Children's progress is effectively tracked through a continuous assessment of their achievements. This helps staff to support them in making good progress in their learning and development, as their unique needs are recognised and planned for. Children's learning journey records contain a range of information, including photographs and

p.3

who attend

examples of their work. Home links and good information sharing with parents are included in this process. This enables and provides a full picture of what children can do and therefore, accurately assesses their needs and the next step necessary for their continued development.

p.3

who attend

Practitioners skilfully question children and support them in their learning. For example, in the pre-school and toddler room, children are supported to engage and take part in the mobile animal handling company's visit. This involved the children touching various creatures, if they wanted to, talking about the differences of each creature and the similarities of the animals to themselves. They discuss the rat having two eyes, two ears and a twitching nose. This activity was more difficult to undertake for some children, however, practitioners sensitively support them by building their confidence and feelings of security to enable them to take part and stroke some of the animals. Through well- planned daily opportunities to explore the outside environment, children develop their physical prowess and benefit from the fresh air and exercise. They delight in sweeping up the leaves, squealing and giggling as they throw them up in the air and rush to catch

p.4

who attend

them, demonstrating their good level of coordination. Although, there is a good balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities, children are not consistently involved in the planning of some more focussed adult-led topics. Consequently, their ideas and contributions are not always fully acknowledged in developing their own methods of how to complete the task.

p.4

who attend

The good organisation of the rooms and the well-planned activities means that children are able to make choices. Through the daily story time, they use their improving speaking skills, as they develop an understanding of the rhythms of the English language. Children are confident in expressing their wishes, including those who have English as an additional language. They happily use pictures and gestures to communicate. Children's imagination is fired through the extension of their favourite stories, for example, one about a 'Bear Hunt'. This evolved from the story to the outdoors as children looked for the bear and led onto making the den, as they develop their own ideas as to where the they could live. In the younger age group, children are supported to develop their coordination and finer hand movements as they make the jigsaw puzzles. Practitioners provide sensitive support helping them to achieve and as a consequence, building their self-esteem. They learn

p.4

who attend

about volume and capacity, developing their mathematical concepts in the water play by pouring and filling containers. This is further enhanced as practitioners introduce, shapes and colours at all times and consistently. They help children manage their behaviour as they learn to take turns, explaining about sharing, distracting children with other resources and talking about feelings. Although, the baby room is well-resourced with high quality interactive toys, soft areas and imaginative areas, there are missed opportunities to include everyday objects for children to use in a more open-ended way. This supports younger children's investigatory and exploratory skills. Extra-curricular activities including Spanish and swimming lessons further enhance the quality experiences provided for all children.

p.4

who attend

By practitioners working closely with parents, assessing children's starting points and completing comprehensive documentation, their needs are accurately assessed and planned for. This is highly effective and implemented in a number of ways, including the completion of the transition profile for children moving across the provision. Interaction between the children and practitioners is good and is exceptionally strong in the toddler age group.

p.4

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

The highly effective key person system means that children form secure attachments and their emotional well-being is exceptionally supported. For example, children are extremely independent as they self-select resources, put on their own coats and manage their own personal needs in readiness for school. Their good health and self-care is securely embedded as they attend to their personal needs. Children are fully aware of the importance of healthy meals and talk about good foods as they eat their lunch, with practitioners engaging in discussions regarding healthy foods. They display high levels of confidence and self-esteem as they negotiate with others, talk about what they are doing and confidently express their needs. All children show a strong sense of belonging in the setting as they explore their environment freely.

p.5

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

Through consistent routines, children understand what is expected of them and this is especially apparent in the baby room. Practitioners have highly individual care plans and are extremely aware of each child's individual routines, comforters, sleep and feeding habits. These are followed and through the close links with parents, changes are discussed and plans updated to reflect the change in the child's overall development, especially across the prime areas of learning. Younger children seek reassurance from the practitioners as they explore the stimulating environment or go outdoors to play. Through effective daily reminders, practitioners reinforce the behavioural expectations regarding listening and not running. Children's understanding of being safe is fully promoted ensuring that they can play and learn in the safe setting. Children show extremely good levels of understanding of the behavioural expectation, demonstrating self-control, as they

p.5

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

listen to staff explanations, share resources and play harmoniously together. Older children display exemplary behaviour, they are well mannered and polite.

p.5

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

They engage in achievable and motivating tasks, develop an excellent level of emotional security, in order that they can make the best of all activities in preparation for their next stage in their learning.

p.5

provision

The educational programmes are monitored and through the regular team meetings to review children's progress and planning, means that practitioners are involved in and contribute to the development of the provision and improve their own skills. Through robust recruitment and selection procedures, for example, induction, probationary periods and completion of checks pertaining to their suitability, ensures that practitioners are skilled and safe and children are protected. Staff's ongoing suitability is monitored through supervision, appraisal and a programme for training to address underperformance and to increase staff skills. The management team and the qualified teacher take responsibility for overseeing the educational programme and ensuring the effective implementation. Through robust support systems, such as observation of practice and acting as highly effective role models, practitioners are guided in their practice to achieve the high aspirations of the

p.5

provision

management team. The self-evaluation is robust with clear targets set for improvement, it incorporates the views of children and parents and demonstrates the commitment of the team to improve staff skills and continually improve and better the service provided.

p.6

provision

Arrangements for safeguarding children are secure. Staff are aware of who they need to contact and are confident of taking action with procedures being strong and embedded. Managers review all documentation and ensure that all welfare and safeguarding requirements are both met and fully understood by all staff.

p.6

provision

Partnerships with parent are strong. Children's learning journeys are shared with them and information is also provided through displays, photographs and regular newsletters. However, a great emphasis is placed on daily, face-to-face communications achieved through the meet-and-greet door policy. Systems for effective working with external agencies are in place and provide consistency for children's care and learning.

p.6

The Childcare Register

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

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.7

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.

p.7

Setting details

Unique reference number EY265818 Local authority Blackburn Inspection number 886715

p.7

Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 61 Number of children on roll 70 Name of provider Stewart Birchall Netstar 9 Ltd Date of previous inspection 14/05/2012 Telephone number 01254 689808

p.7

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.

p.7

Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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.

p.8

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,

p.8

Type of provision

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. 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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.9

Type of provision

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

p.9