Westfield House

Westfield House Prospect Road, CROOK, Co. Durham, DL15 8JL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 03/01/2013 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, motivated and eager to learn in the warm, friendly and welcoming environment. They join in enthusiastically, showing good levels of independence, curiosity and imagination.  Children make good progress in their learning and development because staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of the revised Early Years Foundation Stage and plan activities based on children's individual needs.  Children benefit from the positive relationships that exist between the nursery and their parents. Staff work hard to communicate meaningfully with all parents and to involve them in their child's ongoing care and learning.  The manager and staff demonstrate a genuine commitment to developing the service they provide. This helps to promote an environment of continuous improvement and ensures that children's care, learning and development are supported well.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 The outdoor space is still being developed and, as such, does not fully support children of all ages to engage in a wide range of activities across all areas of learning. For example, there are limited opportunities for older children to use large play equipment.  Partnerships with some providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage are not sufficiently established to support continuity of learning for all children who attend more than one setting.

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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 taking place in both of the nursery rooms, the dining room and the outdoor play area.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at a sample of children's learning journeys, policies and procedures and children and staff records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector took account of the views of parents through discussion and completed questionnaires.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector spoke to the manager of the setting and members of staff during the inspection.

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Information about the setting

Westfield House was registered in 2012 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is situated in a in a renovated office block in Crook, and is managed by a private individual. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children. It operates from three rooms and there is a fully enclosed area available for outdoor play.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs nine members of child care staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at a minimum of level 3 and two are working towards a level 3 qualification. One member of staff holds Early Years Professional Status. The nursery opens Monday to Friday all year round, except for Bank Holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year. Sessions are from 7.30am until 6pm. Children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 32 children attending who are within the early years age range. The nursery provides funded early education for children aged two to four years. The nursery also offers out of school and holiday care for children up to the age of 11 and collects children from local nurseries and schools.

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

 develop further the outdoor area to provide play and learning experiences for all children. For example, introduce more resources for babies and toddlers and provide opportunities for older children to extend their physical skills

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

 extend the contact made with other early years providers where children attend, in order to provide a shared understanding of individual children's learning and development needs and enhance their progress.

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who attend

Staff have a good understanding of how children learn and develop and are very knowledgeable about each child that attends the setting. Parents complete 'All about me' forms when their children first start and good use is made of settling-in sessions. This helps staff to get to know children's likes and dislikes and is used well to help staff identify children's initial starting points. As a result, children feel secure and settled in the nursery. An effective key person system is in place and regular observations are used to assess children's progress and provide good information about what children can do and their next steps in learning. These are used effectively to plan a wide range of activities which are based on children's individual development. This supports children in making good progress in all areas of learning. Children have good opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities and

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who attend

experiences. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led play. For example, interest in the story about the three little pigs leads children to make houses out of cotton wool and building blocks. Staff support their learning well as they encourage them to think which will be the strongest house and to count how many pigs they have. The activity is continued outside as children make 'cement' from sand and water and use bricks and natural products to begin to build a build a house and chimney. Staff encourage children's early problem-solving skills as they ask them how they could stop the chimney from falling over or what they could use to reach the top. Children enjoy sitting and listening to stories read by staff. Good use is made of finger puppets to involve children in the story and staff encourage the children to think about what might happen next. This helps to support children's communication and literacy skills.

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who attend

Mathematics are introduced through singing rhymes and everyday activities, such as counting how many plates they will need for lunch. Pre-school children's communication and language skills develop well as they listen carefully to instructions, such as tidying up when the 'big hand is on nine'. They join in enthusiastically and comment, 'Mine is all tidy' when they have finished. Young children are provided with good opportunities to explore different textures. The baby room, provides a wide range of stimulating and natural products for toddlers to explore. For example, they develop early writing skills using their fingers to explore shaving foam, and use light boxes to look at different colours. Staff name colours as they select them, supporting their emerging communication skills. Children all clearly love water and spend extended periods of time, pouring, blowing bubbles and filling containers. This is supported well by staff as they introduce language,

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who attend

such as float and sink, into their play. Toddlers move around the space confidently and they use small climbing apparatus to develop their climbing skills and laugh as they roll balls down tubes. Children play well together at the nursery. They shout warm welcomes of 'Hello' as their friends arrive and offer to pour drinks for each other at lunch time.

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who attend

Progress reports are carried out for all children each half term. These provide a summary of children's learning and are used to inform future planning. These reports are used to form the basis of the 'Progress check at age two' for children in that age range and are shared with parents through regular parents evenings. Daily diaries and weekend books are used to good effect to further involve parents in their child's ongoing learning and care.

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

Children are happy and settled at the inviting, welcoming and well-resourced nursery. This promotes children's development and well-being. Children access toys freely and make independent choices and decisions about their play. This enhances their motivation and self-assurance well. Children manage the routines for their personal care confidently. Older children use the bathroom independently and know that they must wash their hands afterwards. At lunch and snack time, younger children are encouraged to try to butter their toast and feed themselves while older children confidently serve themselves. The nursery provides a positive approach to healthy eating; meals are freshly made by the cook and take into account individual dietary requirements. This is combined with eating fruit and herbs which they have grown to help children to foster a good understanding of keeping healthy. Children have opportunities to be outside on a daily basis, however, the

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

outdoor area is still being developed. As a result, there is scope to improve the space, including providing further opportunities for older children to develop their physical skills and providing more resources for babies and toddlers. However, children do enjoy being outside; they dig, build and play with water. Activities such as, planting herbs and strawberries provide children with good opportunities to learn about the natural world and how things grow.

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

Children are developing close relationships with warm and caring staff who know their key children well. Children's personal, social and emotional development is promoted as children come to staff confidently for cuddles, reassurance and to engage them in their play. Transitions between rooms are managed well as children spend short periods of time in the new room and staff understand the importance of waiting until children are ready for the move regardless of their age. This gradual process enables children to feel fully supported and emotionally ready when they move to another room. Children are clearly happy and settled in the nursery. They are able to rest or be active according to their needs. They confidently search out their favourite cushions when they are tired, while other children pass them their favourite comforters. Children behave well in the nursery because staff are well deployed and support children well. They employ consistent

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

techniques to help children to learn right from wrong and use distraction well with younger children to encourage positive behaviour.

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provision

Leadership is strong within the nursery and the manager has a good understanding of her roles and responsibilities with regard to the learning and development and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The manager employs a 'hands on' attitude to her work, and spends lots of time in each room, talking to parents and working closely with the staff to oversee the planning of activities in each room. This ensures that the educational programme is monitored well. The manager demonstrates a genuine commitment to improving the quality of the setting through working closely with the local early years team and developing detailed improvement plans. These are developed through discussion with staff and using feedback provided by parents in the form of questionnaires. This accurate identification of priorities provides continued and systematic improvement to the quality of the provision. Staff are supported well to help them to

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provision

improve their skills, for example, through training and regular supervision sessions which encourage them to reflect on their practice. This helps to identify areas for development and means that children receive care and learning opportunities from staff who are positive about new ideas and continually developing their skills.

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provision

Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comments regarding the nursery and staff, include, 'the staff are brilliant' and 'my child has settled so well and so quickly'. Parents feel welcomed by all staff and the manager and are kept well informed about the service through policies, information packs, newsletters and information displayed on the notice board. Parents' evenings provide good opportunities for them to talk about their child's progress and development and their child's files are easily accessible for them to view at any time. This positive partnership with parents means that they feel valued and children benefit from the consistency of care provided. Children attending the after school club take part in a good range of activities which are based on their interests. The staff keep records to show the progress children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are making at the after school club. However, although procedures are in place to share information

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provision

about children's learning and development with some schools, this is not established for all schools which children attend. This does not fully promote a shared approach to complement children's learning and development needs when they attend more than one setting.

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provision

All staff have a good knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe. The majority of staff have received safeguarding training and are aware of the signs and symptoms of abuse. This is supported by a clear written policy and whistleblowing procedures which means that staff have a good understanding of procedures to follow should they have a concern about a child in their care. In addition, a record of risk assessments is in place and staff complete daily visual checks of the premises. This ensures that any risks are identified and minimised to keep children safe from harm. A wide range of appropriate policies and procedures, along with robust systems to ensure the safe recruitment of suitable and qualified adults, are implemented.

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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 EY448988 Local authority Durham Inspection number 807420

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 32 Number of children on roll 50 Name of provider Claire Louise Renwick Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01388 763737 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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