The Old School Nursery

The Old School Nursery (Shapwick) Ltd West Street, Shapwick, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 9LB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 29/10/2012 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 are happy, settled and motivated to learn. The well-established key person system means children receive individual attention, and this helps children form secure attachments and promotes their well-being.  There are good systems in place to monitor children's progress and achievements. Staff use these effectively to plan for children's individual learning, and help children move onto the next step in their learning.  Staff promote children's communication and language skills well through modelling language to successfully build on children's vocabulary.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents contribute to initial assessments on entry to share what they know about their child. Daily handover discussion alongside meetings with their children's key person keeps parents well informed about their children's progress.  The nursery supports children in developing healthy eating habits. A range of nutritious,

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This provision is good

healthy meals are freshly cooked on the premises daily, making sure that any special dietary needs are catered for so children remain healthy.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Systems to monitor the temperature of the baby room are not always effective in ensuring non-mobile children are warm enough.  Role play areas are not well organised to encourage children to get fully involved and extend their imagination.

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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 play and staff interaction, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector completed a joint observation with the deputy manager of the provision.  The inspector talked with some staff, parents, and the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation including a sample of children's records, planning and staff suitability records.  The inspector looked at the systems used to review and evaluate the nursery.

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Information about the setting

The Old School Nursery (Shapwick) Ltd first registered in 2002 and has recently re- registered as a limited company. It is privately owned and operates from a converted old school building set in the rural community of Shapwick, located mid-way between the towns of Blandford Forum and Wimborne Minster, Dorset. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, all year round, from 7.45am to 6pm, except for one week at Christmas and bank holidays. The nursery provides full day care for children under the age of six years. There are 86 children on roll, of whom 83 are in the early years age range. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for three and four year old children. Children are cared for in separate rooms depending on their age, with babies cared for upstairs. There are several enclosed outdoor play areas. The nursery

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Information about the setting

employs a qualified manager who holds National Vocational Qualification at level 4 in Childcare and Education. She is supported by 23 members of staff, of whom 17 hold a recognised childcare qualification. Four staff are working towards a foundation degree and two other staff are working towards a qualification at level 3. A cook and administrative assistant are employed to support the nursery.

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

 improve the suitability of the baby room by reviewing the systems to monitor the temperature to ensure non-mobile children are warm enough

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

 develop the programme for expressive arts and design by improving children's access to role play, to support children's imagination and stimulate their interest.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of their responsibilities in meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. This supports them in providing an educational programme that offers children stimulating and interesting learning experiences, covering all seven areas of learning. Short term planning is adapted to respond to children's interests and stages of development. Staff make use of documents, such as 'Development Matters' to help them support children effectively and move them onto their next steps. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development. When children first start at the nursery staff complete an initial assessment of the children's starting points, taking into account parents' contributions. These are used effectively to help plan possible lines of development for each individual child. Systems to monitor children's progress are successfully followed by staff who

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who attend

regularly observe children's play. They record children's achievements alongside photographs in children's individual progress files. These ongoing observational assessments will contribute towards the children's progress check at age two, which staff are in the process of developing.

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who attend

Children come into the nursery motivated to learn and enthusiastically engage in the play activities. Staff interact positively in children's play, providing individual attention to successfully enhance children's learning experiences. This helps children develop confidence in exploring their surroundings and they enjoy finding out what they can do. The nursery follows the 'Every Child a Talker' initiative; this aids staff in supporting children's developing communication and language skills. Staff continually talk with children to model language and build on children's vocabulary, introducing words, such as 'smooth', 'hard' and 'soft' during a shaving foam activity. Children giggle with delight as they feel the foam telling others it feels 'squishy'. The regular use of songs and rhymes throughout the day provide fun learning experiences for children. Younger children enjoy the rhymes, they happily vocalise and join in with actions to the 'Bubble, Bubble, Pop'

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who attend

rhyme. Staff encourage all children to join in and have fun so that all children feel included.

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who attend

Children are developing their understanding of mathematical concepts through both planned and spontaneous learning. They fill water into different containers in the water tray. They confidently count the plates on the table and the number of grapes on their plate at snack time. All children have good opportunities to use their senses to explore and investigate through the broad range of learning experiences. For example, pre-school children are fascinated as they identify the different sounds created when they tap jars holding varying amount of water inside. They confidently explain to others how a particular noise is different because a jar has no water in. Children are learning to work things out for themselves through active learning. Children have access to a broad range of media and materials, such as water, sand, dough, paint, dried pasta and soil. However, the role-play activities are not always well organised to stimulate children's interest and

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who attend

enrich their learning experiences. This is because staff do not add additional resources to sustain children's interests or extend their learning further. Children, therefore, lose interest and go off to another activity.

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who attend

Strong partnerships are developed with parents and carers. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's care, learning and development. This is through the detailed handover discussions, use of daily diaries and meetings with their child's key person. Parents spoken to during the inspection speak positively about the nursery, commenting how they find the daily dairies 'very useful'. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children's learning, this contributes towards children's well-being and development. Children are well prepared for the transition for the next stage in their learning due to the good range of experiences offered to them, which helps them develop a positive attitude toward their learning.

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

The nurturing environment and effective care practices successfully promote children's physical and emotional health overall. The effective key person system contributes towards children feeling happy and settled. This means that younger or less confident children are happy to play and explore knowing a familiar adult is around them. Caring and supportive staff are attentive to children's individual needs. Staff link closely with parents to follow the children's routines and recognise when younger children need their 'comfort' blanket for security. Babies and younger children receive regular cuddles, helping them form positive relationships and secure attachments.

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

Staff support children in learning to share and think of others in their play. They provide gentle reminders 'not to push others' and talk to children about walking when playing inside to help keep them safe. Children know the routines and get actively involved in helping tidy up, with some children confidently using the brush and dustpan to clear up the sand and soil. The staff's regular praise and encouragement throughout the activities helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem. Staff follow clear risk assessment procedures, including an annual check of the premises plus use of a daily checklist. This helps them to identify and minimise risks to children, both indoors and outdoors. For example, staff do not use a particular section of the toddlers outside play area when it is wet as it becomes slippery. The provision of separate playrooms and outside areas for the differing age groups means that all children are able to move around freely and safely in

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

their play. However, monitoring systems to check the temperature in the baby room are not always effective. This means at certain times in the day the temperature is not maintained at a comfortable level and non-mobile children's hands become cold.

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

The nursery offers a welcoming and stimulating environment, both in and outdoors, where children can access resources and make some choices about their play. Good use is made of the outdoor areas to allow children to do things on a larger scale. Staff support children in developing healthy lifestyles. Children gain confidence as they climb on the pirate ship reassured that staff are close-by, while others show good control as they steer their sit and ride trucks making sure not to bump into others. All children go on regular walks around the local environment, either by joining in a 'wellie walk' or by staff taking younger children out in pushchairs. As a result, children get lots of fresh air and exercise, which adds to their enjoyment and overall development. The nursery promotes healthy eating. Meals cooked on the premises are healthy and nutritious, with alternative options provided to suit children's individual dietary needs. Staff liaise closely with parents to follow younger

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

children's individual feeding patterns and requirements, to help ensure children's health needs are met.

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provision

Staff have a secure understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery follows clear recruitment and vetting procedures to check the suitability of staff to work with children. Staff have regular safeguarding and first aid training to update their knowledge and skills. They understand their responsibilities to provide a safe environment for children and know to report any concerns about a child to designated safeguarding officer. All required records to support children's safety and welfare are easily accessible and kept secure.

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provision

Leadership and management is good and contributes positively on the nursery's ability to implement the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The skilled and enthusiastic team of staff work together extremely well to support children's individual needs well overall. Clear induction procedures, alongside staff development means that staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities. Some staff have specific responsibilities within the nursery, such as a key role in the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage and updating children's record in line with recent changes. The management team effectively monitor staff practice by carrying out meetings and annual appraisals, to support the staff's continuous professional development. Children's progress is monitored well, and staff are able to identify when children are in need of support, linking with outside agencies for advice and support. All staff take an active role in assessing what

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provision

they offer for children to help identify areas for development. The management and staff have a positive attitude to the ongoing improvement of the nursery. The manager regularly reviews the nursery self-evaluation document in consultation with the staff group, resulting in clear action plans for area to be developed.

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provision

Staff establish strong partnerships with parents. The nursery provides comprehensive information to inform parents about the provision. This includes access to the nursery website, a detailed welcome booklet, regular newsletters and accessible parent's notice board. Parents are actively encouraged to share their views and suggestions, and the management consider the feedback to help them improve their service. Some parents have come into the nursery to share their knowledge to extend children's experiences of the wider world. The nursery liaises with other early years settings that some children attend through use of a 'nursery to nursery' link book. This helps to promote consistency and continuity for children's care, learning and development.

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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 EY445921 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 795428 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 59 Number of children on roll 86 Name of provider The Old School Nursery (Shapwick) Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01258857922

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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.

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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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