Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School and Nursery

Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School and Nursery Shepton Mallet Community Infants School, Waterloo Road, SHEPTON MALLET, Somerset, BA4 5HE

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 23/10/2012 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 and settled. An effective key person system helps children to feel comfortable and secure, successfully promoting their emotional well-being.  Good use is made of observational assessment to monitor children's progress. This is used effectively to plan stimulating activities that help children move onto the next step in their learning. This means children are making good progress in their development.  Staff promote children's communication and language well. They regularly incorporate rhymes and songs within the daily routines, so that children learn the different sounds.  Children are able to free-flow between the indoor and outside play environments, increasing their enjoyment and play experiences.  A strong leadership and management team monitor the nursery effectively and encourage the staff's professional development, which benefits children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Children whose language is other than English, are not always helped to build their vocabulary by encouraging them to communicate in their own language.  Strategies to support and engage parents in their children's learning and development at home have not yet been fully developed.

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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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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 childcare manager of the provision.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector talked with some staff, parents, the headteacher and the chair of governors, and held discussion with the childcare manager.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Shepton Mallet Community Infant School Nursery opened in 2008. It operates from a large purpose-built building, which houses a full day care nursery and a school dining and sports hall. There is level access to the building which is situated within the grounds of Shepton Mallet Infant School, close to the centre of Shepton Mallet in Somerset. The governors of the school are responsible for the running of the nursery and employ a childcare manager to organise the day-to-day running of the nursery. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register to care for children aged under three years and also cares for older children as part of the school registration. The nursery receives funding for the provision of free education for children aged two, three and four years. There are currently 60 children on roll, all of whom are in the early years age group. The centre currently supports a number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning

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Information about the setting

English as an additional language. The setting is open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm for 50 weeks of the year, and offers care for children before and after school. There are eight members of staff who regularly work with the children. This includes a childcare manager who holds a level 3 qualification in childcare and a qualified teacher. Five of the remaining staff hold childcare qualifications to level 2 or 3.

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

 develop systems to support children whose language is other than English, to help build their vocabulary by extending the range of their experiences and encouraging them to communicate in their own language

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

 strengthen the systems used to support and engage parents in their children's learning and development at home.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning and development requirements. They use this knowledge to help them plan a broad range of interesting play activities and experiences for children covering all seven required areas of learning. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development. Children enjoy learning through play, and eagerly explore the stimulating indoor and outside environments. The skilled team of staff join in children's play, providing individual attention to successfully enhance children's learning experiences. Parents provide some information about children's starting points on the 'home to school' form, which staff use to help them plan for children's individual learning. Staff complete ongoing observations and assessments to effectively monitor children's progress. This enables them to tailor the weekly planning around children's individual interests and stages of

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who attend

development. For example, various activities involving water were set up over a week following a child's love of water play. Staff will use the ongoing observational assessments on the children, to help them complete the children's progress check at age two, to share with parents.

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who attend

The enabling environment provided effectively promotes children's independence. Younger children enjoy having the freedom to move around and explore, while older children are able to choose whether to play indoors or outside. This allows children to follow their own interests through playing and exploring. Staff encourage all children to learn to do things for themselves, such as putting on their coats when going outside or learning to feed themselves at meal times. Children enjoy listening to stories, staff organise storytime effectively in smaller groups, so they can gear the activity to children's differing needs. This means all children are included and helps to develop their listening skills. Children's communication and language is promoted well. Staff regularly incorporate songs and rhymes through the session to foster children's language development. Younger children giggle with delight as they move and vocalise to the 'Row Row Row your boat' rhyme and

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who attend

older children have fun joining in with actions and singing to familiar songs. Staff skilfully model language and introduce new words as they talk with children, to help children's developing vocabularies. Some staff use sign language occasionally to aid children with specific needs. However, systems to support children whose language is other than English are still being developed and staff do not always use strategies to actively encourage children to communicate in their home language.

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who attend

Staff promote children's mathematical development well. They make good use of both planned and spontaneous opportunities to introduce number, counting, and matching activities. For example, children eagerly explore the playroom to find various items that match the different coloured flowers. Staff increase the number of objects children need to find encouraging their counting skills. Children have good opportunities to use their senses to explore colour, texture and space. Younger children enjoy heuristic play, while older children have fun manipulating the playdough as they use the rolling pin and tools to experiment making patterns. Art and craft resources are easily accessible at child height enabling children to make choices and develop their own ideas and creativity.

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who attend

Good partnerships are established with parents. Tailored settling-in sessions are organised to meet the individual needs of children and parents, helping support children's transition from home to the nursery. Staff work with parents to assist in children's development, such as potty training. Daily diaries, alongside informal discussions at handover, keep parents well informed about their children's care and well-being. Parents receive updates on their children's progress through meetings with their child's 'key person'. However, staff have not yet developed effective systems to encourage parents to get actively involved in their children's learning and development at home.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's individual needs and follow effective care practices, which help promote children's physical and emotional health. Staff are attentive to children's needs, interacting in a warm and caring manner, offering reassurance and support. They follow children's routines during the day and are aware when younger children need their 'special toy' to comfort them. This helps children to feel comfortable and secure. All children move around the play environment happily. Older children are confident and independent as they engage in play activities, and younger children gain confidence to explore their surroundings as they know staff are close-by.

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

Staff are good role models. They raise children's awareness of the needs of others and have a consistent approach in dealing with children's behaviour. Staff talk with the older children to help them understand about being kind to the younger children. Effective use is made of the large egg timer to teach children the importance of sharing and taking turns in their play, for example with the bikes outside. Staff plan activities to talk with children about their feelings and emotions, which generates lots of discussion, such as how having tummy ache makes you feel 'sad'.

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

The well-resourced, welcoming environment provides children with access to good quality, age appropriate equipment. This stimulates children's interest and contributes towards children's ongoing development. Effective systems are in place to identify and minimise risks to children. Regular risk assessments, alongside daily checklists help staff maintain a safe environment where children can move around freely. Staff supervise children well, providing gentle reminders and guidance to help children learn about keeping safe, such as the importance of sitting properly on their chair when eating their lunch.

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

Staff help children learn the importance of having healthy lifestyles. They use opportunities, such as singing the 'washing song' to reinforce messages about children's health and self-care. Staff liaise closely with parents to follow the individual feeding routines for younger children, and encourage babies to learn to feed themselves. Good use is made of free-flow between the in and outdoor areas allowing children to do things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. As a result, children get lots of fresh air and exercise, which adds to their enjoyment and overall development. They have fun balancing on the wooden planks, riding their bikes around the path, and crawling inside the tunnels.

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provision

The management team demonstrate strong leadership. They link closely with support staff from the local authority, actively seeking advice to help improve their provision. Staff use several systems to evaluate the provision to help them to identify areas for improvement, including the local authority quality improvement scheme. This helps them create clear action plans with a focus on the continual development of the nursery. The management and staff have a positive attitude to the ongoing improvement of nursery. Staff performance and development is well-supported, through induction programmes, regular appraisals and ongoing training events. For example, an inset day was organised to look at staff's roles and responsibilities and discuss developing relationships with children.

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provision

Staff work together well as a team, regularly sharing information so that children's needs are met. Children's progress is monitored effectively, as staff are able to identify when children are in need of support, and will link with outside agencies to help meet children's needs. The weekly planning is flexible and takes account of children's individual interests, providing children with a good variety of play and learning experiences.

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provision

Staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The clear policies and procedures are in place to effectively support the smooth running of the nursery. The senior management team follow robust recruitment and vetting procedures to check the suitability of staff to work with children. All the required records to support children's safety and welfare are maintained and easily accessible. There is a high priority on protecting children's welfare. Staff have regular safeguarding training and are clear of their responsibilities. They know the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a child in their care.

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provision

Effective relationships with parents and others involved in children's care contribute towards continuity for children. There are good partnerships between the school and nursery, and the nursery is fully integrated in the school development plans. The older children from the nursery join reception children in the school hall at lunchtimes, and the term before they move up to school they have regular visits to the reception class. This widens children's learning experiences and supports their transition onto school.

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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 EY443577 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 806950 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 4 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 60 Name of provider Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01749342322

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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. 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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