Pumpkin Patch Nursery

Pumpkin Patch Nursery 37 Preston Drove, Brighton, BN1 6LA

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 30/10/2012 14/05/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 2 Previous inspection: 2 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

 Staff promote early communication and language skills particularly well and the environment is rich in literacy opportunities.  The nursery and in particularly the manager have a clear vision to improve practice through new initiatives gained from training.  Staff take a lead role in establishing partnerships with other settings and agencies to provide children with consistent, coordinated care.  Parents are highly appreciative of the nursery. They know about the themes and plans so that they can support learning at home and contribute items to support the curriculum. They are very confident in the skills of the manager and her team, who they feel are always approachable and helpful.  Staff are supportive yet unobtrusive, allowing children to work and play without dominating them. The result is confident and independent children with a good sense of self and belief in their own achievements.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Staff do not always encourage children to practise their independence skills through daily routines.  Although children learn to use some information and communication technology (ICT) equipment, staff do not offer a wide range of such resources in order to help children make as much progress as possible in this area.

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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 talked with available staff and some parents and held discussions with the manager and the owner.  The inspector observed children's play and staff interactions, indoors and outside.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector examined documentation, including a sample of children's records, development plans and staff suitability records.

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Information about the setting

Pumpkin Patch Nursery is privately owned and registered at its current location in 2006. The nursery is easily accessible and is situated in the Preston Park area of Brighton and Hove. Childcare takes place on the ground and first floors. Children have access to a large secure garden. The nursery is open each weekday from 8am to 6pm. There are currently 140 children on roll in the early years age group. The nursery is also registered on both the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for children aged three and four years. It supports children learning English as an additional language. A total of 21 staff work with the children, five of whom hold degrees and 13 hold a relevant National Vocational Qualification at level 3.

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

 support children in acquiring further skills in information and communication technology by providing a wider range of equipment

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

 support children's developing independence skills, specifically during meal times, by allowing children to serve their own food.

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who attend

Bright, colourful displays of children's work and photographs decorate the walls and create a stimulating backdrop for children's learning, supporting their self-esteem and sense of belonging. Children benefit from good resources overall, which combine with an excellent range of activities and experiences to support their learning and development well. Staff create a homely and inviting environment where children benefit from being able to choose and create their own activities from the equipment available. Staff make good use of the available space indoors, providing the children with engaging and stimulating activities. They deploy themselves effectively to support children throughout the nursery. The staff motivate children's learning well and promote a good balance of both adult-led and child-initiated play experiences. Detailed observations of children's development enable staff to identify and plan for individual children's next steps in all required areas of

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who attend

learning. Children receive lots of genuine praise for their achievements and they show pride in learning new skills. Children's self-esteem and confidence are strong as a result.

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who attend

The nursery is rich in language and literacy resources. Children are skilled communicators with a wide vocabulary for their ages as a result. They enjoy singing and listening to stories. The book area provides a cosy place where they enjoy and learn to appreciate books. They play cooperatively, developing lengthy narratives in their imaginative play. Staff effectively engage them in good quality discussions to extend their learning and enjoyment. There are some activities that support ICT learning but the range of equipment is not extensive. Younger children enjoy sensory experiences, such as playing with shaving foam using various tools. They enjoy pouring, gathering and swishing, and then seeing how they make marks as they move their hands in the mixture. Adults use open questions well, which helps younger children particularly to extend their play and conversation skills. Staff are successful in helping children gain particularly useful early

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who attend

mathematics skills. Children use an extensive range of equipment to help them progress in their numeracy and problem solving. They count and sort various two- and three- dimensional shapes, and use many puzzles to reinforce their understanding of number, patterns, position and sequences. These experiences prepare children well for their next stages in learning and for school.

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

Staff prioritise children's well-being as they keep children safe and healthy whilst in their care. Children have a clear awareness of the daily routine, which helps them to feel very secure and confident in the nursery. This process further promotes their feeling of safety both indoors and out. Children respond very well to adults and conversations are plentiful. Children show a strong sense of security and understanding of safety measures. They competently handle all tools, such as scissors, and know how to hold these safely. Children fully understand behavioural expectations as staff apply effective, clear and consistent boundaries. Staff clearly explain to the children what they need to do, and stress the importance of sharing. As a result, children are learning to treat others with respect and this contributes to their good behaviour. Children receive lots of praise for their achievements and they show pride in learning new skills. Their self-esteem and

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

confidence are strong as a result and they gain good skills for the future. Children use a good range of toys and resources indoors and outdoors that help to promote their learning and development effectively. These resources are easily accessible to the children as staff store them at their level. The outdoor area provides children with good opportunities to extend their physical skills as well as to enjoy fresh air and exercise. For example, wheeled toys, balls and bikes are easily accessible. Children balance using a range of materials, including climbing frames, and they manoeuvre confidently to avoid obstacles, showing good coordination skills.

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

Children follow effective personal hygiene routines as staff act as good role models. Older children demonstrate their awareness as they talk about how they can protect themselves by washing their hands before snack. As a result, they develop an increasing awareness of the routines that help to promote their good health. They become knowledgeable about healthy eating and have good opportunities to choose healthy snacks and drinks independently. However, staff serve their lunch for them, so they miss the chance to take on this additional responsibility. Play is purposeful and staff integrate all areas of learning into activities. Children are happy, active learners as a result. Staff encourage them to explore their surroundings and they provide interesting play materials. This approach helps children to gain confidence and skills to enable them to become inquisitive learners. Staff motivate children's learning well, creating enticing activities designed to spark their

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

curiosity. These experiences have a positive impact on children's learning and development, so that all children make good progress.

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provision

Staff place a strong emphasis on safeguarding children and understand the procedures to follow if they have a concern about their welfare. The premises are safe and secure, both indoors and outside, and staff supervise children carefully at all times. Effective procedures for staff recruitment and induction are in place so that adults working with children are suitable and understand their roles and responsibilities.

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provision

A strong partnership with parents contributes effectively to staff meeting children's individual needs. Parents are involved in sharing detailed information about their children's starting points prior to them attending the nursery. The nursery follows this system through with continuous opportunities for parents to share and discuss children's achievements. The nursery encourages parents' contributions to observations and their comments about learning at home, which support the children's individual learning plans effectively. Parents comment favourably on the care that their children receive and state that they are happy with the nursery. Effective settling-in procedures are in place to meet the individual needs of children, alongside a successful key person system. This helps them to feel safe through building secure emotional attachments with staff.

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provision

Staff receive good support from the management team to further their professional development through regular meetings, appraisals and additional training. The management and staff continually reflect and adapt their practice to benefit children. The manager and staff are committed to continuous professional development in all areas as they attend a range of courses to support the Early Years Foundation Stage. They use their new knowledge and understanding well to improve what they offer the children. The nursery management has a good understanding of its responsibilities in meeting the learning and development requirements effectively. The leadership team demonstrates a strong commitment to driving and implementing improvement in order to enhance the experiences for children. The nursery has good systems in place for self-evaluation, which enable the identification of areas for improvement. Regular staff meetings and supervision

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provision

enable everyone to contribute to the continuous development of the nursery and the needs of individual children.

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provision

The management build on their strong links with other professionals to provide coherent support for children, which greatly contributes to their well-being. They manage the transition to school well to support children at this crucial time. Children visit the school prior to attending. Staff support them effectively in preparing to transfer to school as they liaise between the two to provide consistent arrangements for the move, which helps children transfer smoothly.

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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 EY334466 Local authority Brighton & Hove Inspection number 888977 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 140 Name of provider Anita Dawn O'Hara Date of previous inspection 14/05/2009 Telephone number 01273 554484

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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

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’.

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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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