Quarrybrow Nursery

Quarry Brow Nursery Ormsgill Primary School, Mill Bank, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 4AR

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 01/11/2012 15/01/2009

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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 feel safe and secure and enjoy their time in this friendly and stimulating nursery where staff meet their individual needs sensitively.  Partnerships with external agencies are very well established and effective. This ensures that any needs for additional support are identified promptly and all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, receive an exceptionally good level of support and consistency in their care and learning.  The very close working relationships with local schools ensure that children are fully prepared and supported when it is time for them to make their transitions to schools.  Systems implemented by managers to monitor and support staff's continuous professional development are rigorous and demonstrate a high level of commitment and a drive for continuous improvements. This in turn, is having a good effect upon the outcomes for children.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Partnership with parents are strong, however, the involvement of some parents in their children's learning and development is not yet fully embedded and there is still scope for this to be developed further.  Opportunities for children in the pre-school room to fully develop and extend their mathematical skills are not always utilised and there is some room for further improvement in this area of learning.

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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 observed activities in the baby room, the pre-school room, the out of school club room and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held meetings with the manager and undertook a joint observation of an activity in the pre-school room with the deputy manager.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's learning journals, planning documentation, policies, risk assessments and staff qualifications and suitability documentation.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector also took into account of the views of parents spoken to on the day of the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Quarry Brow Nursery is privately owned and managed and has been registered since 2004. It is registered by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. The nursery operates from a purpose built premises attached to Ormsgill Primary School in Barrow-in-Furness. The children have access to three class rooms and outdoor play areas. It is open each weekday from 7.30am until 6pm for 51 weeks of the year.

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Information about the setting

There are currently 72 children attending, 50 of whom are in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The nursery is in receipt of funding to provide free early years education for children aged two, three and four years. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and offers support to children who speak English as an additional language. There are 16 members of staff who work with the children including the manager. Nine staff hold appropriate early years qualifications to a minimum of National Vocational Qualification at Level 2 or 3. Two members of staff hold Early Years Professional Status. The nursery has achieved the Cumbria County Council Quality Assurance Scheme and is a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.

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

 review and consider ways to further encourage parents to become more involved in their children's learning and development, for example, by undertaking tasks with the children at home to support their language and communication skills

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

 increase opportunities for children in the pre-school room to develop their mathematical skills by encouraging more counting and estimation, for example, by asking children how many cups and chairs will be required at snack time.

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who attend

Children enjoy a wide range of interesting activities that help them to develop skills and make good progress in the seven areas of learning. Staff have a secure understanding of how to promote children's learning and development by providing a good balance of adult- led and child-initiated activities based upon their individual interests and learning needs. Systems to assess children's starting points on entry are thorough due to the detailed information gathered from parents by their child's key person. Children's interests are well known to the staff who undertake regular observations and precise assessments of the children's progress. This information is effectively used to inform the individual planning for each child. Staff confirm that all children, including those with special educational needs/disabilities, are progressing well towards the early learning goals, given their starting points.

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who attend

Children are working comfortably within the typical range of development expected for their age, taking account of any special educational needs and disabilities. Staff offer very good support to children whose starting points are below those of other children of their age, and assessment shows they are making good progress to close the gap. Staff are working closely in consultation with the speech and language therapist on a programme to support groups of children whose communication and speech has been identified as needing additional support. The children are encouraged to take turns to speak and listen in group activities. They have a toy rhino which they pass around at circle time to make sure everyone has a chance to speak whilst others listen. They also enjoy practicing their language skills by playing with puppets. Children enjoy mark making, for example, babies use gloop to make marks, whilst older children use chalks to draw and write their names

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who attend

on the ground outside. Children enjoy listening to stories and looking at a wide selection of books. They have the opportunity to take books home to read with their parents. Whilst some parents are actively involved in supporting and extending their children's learning in the nursery and at home, this is not yet fully embedded for all parents.

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who attend

Children are developing their mathematical skills as they enjoy counting during activities. For example, as the children build towers with bricks the staff encourage them to count up to 10 and describe how tall they are. The children are beginning to recognise numerals from the displays on the walls. However, some opportunities to encourage children's counting skills are missed, for example, at meal times, they do not count or estimate how many cups and chairs they will need. The children are developing good skills in using a wide range of information and technology equipment. For example, they confidently use the computer and play with toy phones as they pretend to phone their parents. Children have wonderful opportunities to learn about and meet people in their local community. For example, the nursery has won a gardening competition and has been voted the 'Garden of the Year'. The children have visited the mayor and have been presented with an award.

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who attend

The children also learn about different cultures through celebrating festivals and playing with resources that promote positive images of diversity.

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

This welcoming and stimulating nursery is well-established and provides a very good service for children within the immediate and surrounding community. The nursery is well- resourced both inside and outside with equipment that supports children's learning and development in a fun and safe way. The children learn about keeping themselves and others safe through guidance from the staff. They also meet people from the community who are there to help them, such as, firemen, police officers and health professionals. Staff act as positive role models to encourage children to behave in a responsible and respectful way. This is particularly noticeable when observing children interacting with their peers, who are less able than themselves.

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

The effective communication in place between the parents and the children's key person helps children and babies to settle well. The staff gain a thorough knowledge of the children's individual likes, needs and routines. The warm interaction ensures that all children form positive and trusting relationships with the staff. This provides them with a secure and reassuring environment for them to develop their confidence and self-esteem. The children develop good self-care skills as they wash their hands before eating their meals. They learn about the importance of a healthy diet as they choose from a selection of healthy food. They learn about where food comes from as they grow their own vegetables, harvest them and enjoy eating them at meal times. Children have frequent opportunities to enjoy fresh air and exercise in the well-equipped outdoor play area. They develop good physical skills, such as balancing and climbing, as well as pedalling their

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

trikes. They also enjoy going on walks in the local area with staff and local people in the rambler's group. Children are very well supported in their transitions within the nursery. The staff and manager have also developed strong links with local schools which is very beneficial when preparing children for the transitions to school.

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provision

The manager and staff have a good understanding of the learning and development requirements and there are effective systems to monitor children's progress. Individual and groups of children with additional needs are promptly identified and well supported. Thorough induction systems ensure that staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. Their professional development is actively encouraged through annual appraisals and regular training and support. The manager is very committed to ensuring a high standard of practice and she organises in-house training for the staff, often at weekends and evenings. The deputy manager has implemented good systems for regularly monitoring and supervising staffs' practice and this is having a very positive effect on the outcomes for children.

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provision

The manager has completed a detailed self-evaluation process which accurately identifies the nursery's strengths and areas for development. She actively involves the staff in the self-evaluation by holding regular team meetings to discuss new ideas and developments. The views of parents and children are also sought through discussions and questionnaires. There is a very strong commitment and drive amongst management and staff to continually develop and provide the best possible service for the children and their families. The partnerships between staff and parents ensure that children's needs are very well met. Parents spoken to express their total satisfaction with the service provided, and comment on how well their children are progressing in their development. Parents are kept well informed about their children's progress through daily discussions with their child's key person, written information and the children's learning journals. Partnership

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provision

working with external agencies and professionals, such as physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and children's services is highly effective in ensuring that children receive a very good level of support to help them make good progress.

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provision

The manager has a very good understanding of the safeguarding and welfare requirements and she ensures that these are thoroughly met. Arrangements for safeguarding children are strong and the policies and procedures are well known and effectively implemented. The thorough procedures for vetting and recruiting staff ensures they are suitable and safe to work with children. Effective risk assessments and health and safety procedures ensure that hazards are minimised in order to keep children safe and secure at all times.

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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 EY285358 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 820016

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 8 Total number of places 42 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Quarry Brow Day Nursery Ltd Date of previous inspection 15/01/2009 Telephone number 01229 829 413

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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.

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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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