Cherry Tree Nursery (Oxford) Ltd

Cherry Tree Nursery 39 Gladstone Road, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 8LL

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 21/01/2013 Not Applicable

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 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 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children make good progress in understanding positive behaviour. Staff are good role models and promote a calm and caring environment.  Most children are happy, settled and enjoy their play.  They nursery appropriately covers all areas of learning, enabling children to make sufficient progress in their development.  The staff team fosters positive relationships with parents and strives to engage them in their children's learning.

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It is not yet good because

 Not all key persons fully understand how to meet children's individual needs successfully. Procedures to support new children and those learning English as an additional language are not fully effective.  There are inconsistencies within the staff team in the quality of interactions with children and in the observation, assessment and planning process.  While the nursery confirms that staff have appropriate qualifications, records to fully support this are not available on the premises.

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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 activities and care routines during the morning session, at lunchtime and during the early part of the afternoon.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had discussions with the manager/owner and other staff at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  The inspector looked at planning documentation and children's assessment records.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector checked evidence of suitability of staff and took account of the nursery's self-evaluation form.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector was available to talk to parents during the inspection and took account of their views.

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Information about the setting

Cherry Tree Nursery is a non-profit setting run by Cherry Tree Nursery (Oxford) Limited. It re-registered in 2012 and previously operated as a committee run group. It operates from Headington Community Centre in Oxford. The nursery has use of two rooms, toilets and an enclosed outdoor play area. Children attend from the local and wider community. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and is currently caring for 34 children in the early years age range. It is registered on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register to care for children aged five to eight years. There are currently no children on roll in this age group. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, children learning English as an additional language and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The nursery is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four. The nursery operate on weekdays

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Information about the setting

from 9.15am until 2.45pm during school term times. The longer-term plan is to offer a breakfast club and holiday play scheme. The nursery employs five staff, of whom four hold relevant qualifications. In addition, one staff member is working towards a further relevant qualification.

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must:

 support key persons to fully understand how to meet children's individual needs, particularly those learning English as an additional language, by a) using visual timetables and pictures more consistently; b) being more aware of children's need for reassurance when they first start in the nursery.  improve processes to assess children's progress and plan for their individual needs by a) promoting consistency within the staff team; b) encouraging staff to make more regular and precise observations and to use these effectively to plan challenging activities.  ensure that records are easily accessible and available by providing clear proof of staff qualifications on the premises.

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

 help children to build their vocabulary by enhancing consistency among the staff team in modelling language and introducing new words.

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who attend

Children mostly enjoy their time in the nursery. They generally settle quickly to explore a suitable range of activities that cover all areas of learning. They develop some early literacy skills as they enjoy listening to stories and experimenting with writing materials, with some support from staff. They develop some understanding of using numbers in context as staff encourage them to count toy cars in a garage or pieces of toast at snack time. They gain an awareness of language that relates to mathematical concepts as staff use appropriate words during their play activities, such as 'up, down, little'. They learn about the world around them as staff provide a large tray of snow to explore when poor weather prevents outdoor play. With some appropriate support from staff, they find they can mould snow into different shapes and that it melts in the warmth. There is a focus on supporting children's communication and language skills, such as taking them for 'listening

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who attend

walks' in the local environment. However, there are inconsistencies within the staff team in the quality of interactions with children. As a result, opportunities for language development are not always fully successful.

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who attend

Some children who are new to the nursery settle very quickly. They are keen to join in with activities and they make friends with other children. However, some children who are not settling as well do not always receive the best quality support from their key persons. Staff are sometimes not fully aware that such children are in need of additional reassurance. The nursery has procedures in place to support children with English as an additional language and those with communication difficulties. For example, they use photographs and a visual timetable to help children understand the routines of the nursery and the activities available. However, staff do not use these resources consistently throughout the day and so children are not always able to understand instructions or make informed choices about their play.

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who attend

The nursery staff come together routinely to discuss children's individual capabilities. They agree next steps in their development, which they then incorporate into planned activities. This process ensures that particular groups of children, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, receive appropriate support. Some staff demonstrate that they are able to make precise observations and assessments of children's progress. However, this process is variable, particularly where children have recently had a change of key person. The process therefore does not fully promote sustained progress for all children in all areas of learning. Overall, children make sufficient progress in relation to their starting points, helping to prepare them for their next stage of learning and for school.

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who attend

The staff team fosters positive partnerships with parents. Staff talk to parents on a daily basis, offering practical and emotional support where necessary. They plan coffee mornings where they are available on an informal basis to discuss children's progress and share their records of development. Staff strive to engage parents in their children's learning through their daily discussions and by providing ideas for activities at home. For example, they provide a list of songs familiar to the children and a recipe to make modelling dough.

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

Children make good progress in understanding positive behaviour. Staff act as good role models and promote a calm and caring environment. They praise children for behaving well and gently remind them to consider others when their behaviour starts to become a little boisterous. This fosters good relationships between children, most of whom demonstrate positive social skills.

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

Most children show that they are happy, settled and enjoy their play. They demonstrate positive emotional attachments to their key person and other staff, responding well overall to instructions and guidance. Some children find it difficult to settle and do not always receive the best support from staff at times, including children new to the setting and those learning English as an additional language. Overall, however, they show that they feel safe in the nursery once appropriate support is available.

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

The learning environment supports children's all-round development appropriately. Although the outdoor play area was unavailable on the day of the inspection due to poor weather, children normally have daily access to this. They are able to develop their physical skills and enjoy exercise and fresh air, using a range of suitable equipment, such as a climbing frame. Most children are able to manage their personal needs independently and staff are on hand to guide them where necessary, for example, making sure they wash their hands carefully. Staff encourage parents to provide a nutritious lunchbox and they promote children's understanding of healthy eating through activities, such as making fruit smoothies. Children receive suitable messages about keeping themselves safe, such as being careful when the floor becomes slippery with melting snow.

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provision

The nursery manager/owner has a suitable understanding of her responsibilities to meet the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. She ensures that the premises are safe and secure through appropriate risk assessments and daily safety checks. She promotes the staff team's understanding of safeguarding procedures by enabling them to attend appropriate training as necessary. She is familiar with safeguarding procedures herself and knows how to respond to any concerns. She makes sure that all staff have appropriate background checks so that they are suitable to care for children, and that any students on work placements receive suitable supervision. The manager confirms that she has seen the qualification certificates of staff but does not have records on the premises to confirm these. This weakness breaches the legal requirement to have records easily accessible and available. However, the manager is aware of this and is intending to rectify

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provision

The manager monitors activities sufficiently well to ensure that children are able to make some progress across all areas of learning. She brings staff together to discuss children's individual needs and next steps but is not ensuring that all staff are fully effective in assessing their key children. She is aware of some inconsistencies in practice and shows an appropriate understanding of how to address these through mentoring and support. However, she has not taken effective steps so far to rectify these particular weaknesses, which means that practice is no higher than satisfactory at present. She is proactive in supporting staff in gaining qualifications and she delegates responsibilities taking into account the staff team's particular interests. This approach has some positive impact on practice and enables staff to move forward in their professional development.

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provision

The manager evaluates the quality of the nursery taking into account the views of staff, children and parents where these are available. She has reorganised the layout of the nursery by observing children's use of it and this results in children being more engrossed in their play. She identifies some possible areas for development, such as providing additional resources with particular regard to mathematics and understanding the world.

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provision

The nursery promotes positive partnerships with parents. Staff take appropriate steps to develop partnerships with other early years settings that children already attend or to which they will transfer. For example, staff talk to local childminders as they drop off and collect children and they ask parents to provide any development records from previous settings. They have some suitable links in place with local schools, such as inviting teachers into the nursery to meet the children, which helps promote consistency during times of transition. The staff team strives to maintain appropriate links with outside agencies in order to gain suitable support for children who need additional help.

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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 EY451860 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 811025 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 2 - 8 Total number of places 24 Number of children on roll 34 Name of provider Cherry Tree Nursery (Oxford) Ltd Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 01865 769794

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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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