Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Upton Meadows

Little Wiggles At Upton Barring Street, Upton Meadows, NORTHAMPTON, Northamptonshire, NN5 4DD

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 24/01/2013 24/03/2011

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early years provision

This inspection: 1 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 1 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 1

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This provision is outstanding

 Children are highly motivated, keen and eager to learn. They are provided with stimulating and enjoyable first-hand learning experiences by staff, who are highly qualified and have an excellent understanding of how children learn.  Children benefit from well-established relationships with their key person. Key persons are highly skilled and sensitive and help children to form secure emotional attachments and develop their confidence and self-esteem exceptionally well.  The rich, vibrant and safe environment provides a secure base for children to manage risks and understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children have many opportunities to explore and investigate the inside and outdoor environment.  Partnerships with parents, outside agencies and other providers are very effective and contribute to ensuring that children's individual needs are quickly identified and met very effectively. Parents are very much involved with supporting their child's learning in

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This provision is outstanding

the home and have regular opportunities to learn alongside their child in the setting.  The setting's practice consistently reflects high expectations for all the children and staff. Their practice effectively enables children to make excellent progress and prepares them extremely well for school.

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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 main play areas and the outdoor play area. Snack and mealtimes were also observed.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector held a meeting with the owner and the manager, talked to students and key persons and carried out a joint observation with the manager, of an adult- led activity.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at various documents, including children's development files, assessment records, policies and procedures, evidence of the suitability of staff and the self-evaluation records.

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Inspection activities

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

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Information about the setting

Little Wiggles At Upton was registered in 2007 on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is one of two settings owned and managed by a private provider. It is situated in purpose built premises attached to a children's centre on the grounds of Upton Meadows Primary School, Northamptonshire. The nursery serves the local area and is accessible to all children.

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Information about the setting

The nursery opens Monday to Friday during term time from 9am until 4pm and children attend for a variety of sessions. There are currently 61 children attending, who are within the early years age group. The nursery provides funded early education for three- and four-year-old children. It supports a number of children, who speak English as an additional language and those with special needs and/or disabilities. The nursery also operates an out of school club during term time and a holiday club during some school holidays.

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Information about the setting

The nursery employs 12 members of childcare staff. The manager holds a degree in education and holds Early Years Professional Status. The owner holds a degree in Early Childhood Studies. Two staff are working towards an early years degree and six members of staff hold a level 3 qualification. One member of staff is unqualified.

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

 enhance further the visual displays that introduce children to patterns and sequencing.

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who attend

Children thrive and are well motivated to learn in this extremely high quality setting. Staff have excellent skills and knowledge of the learning and development requirements and a first-rate understanding of how children learn. The exciting, stimulating and extremely well-organised environment, both inside and outdoors, ensures that all children make rapid progress towards the early learning goals. Children are well motivated and eager to learn and consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning. For example, children are encouraged to participate at their own level. During an activity to prepare fruit for snack, most children actively participate in using their senses to explore the differences in the fruit and to successfully cut them into small pieces. While other children watch in fascination, occasionally joining in with some suggestions of their own about the shape or texture and laughing as some children make funny gestures after smelling or squeezing

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who attend

the fruit. There is an extremely sharp focus on listening to the voice of the child and to include children's views to shape the learning in the setting. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared for school and their next stage of learning.

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who attend

Children show great confidence as they spontaneously practise making marks. They chalk on the playground, use the dry wipe board to record their findings in the garden and use large sized sheets of paper to draw pictures of their favourite people. Staff encourage children to describe their pictures and to 'write' their name on their work. Staff add comments to reflect the children's thoughts and ideas. Children are proud to show their pictures to staff, visitors and friends. Younger children have great fun as they make shapes and patterns in dry oats and then talk about the differences as they add water.

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who attend

Introduction to numbers, counting and matching objects are well promoted during adult- led activities and daily routines. Children are supported in matching games on the computer and play board games that involve counting and taking turns. The environment is brightly decorated with number lines to promote number recognition but visual aids that promote patterns or sequencing are not as apparent. Therefore, children do not progress as rapidly in this area.

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who attend

The outdoor environment enables children of all ages to have freedom to explore, be physically active and have first-hand experiences of the seasons and weather. For example, children excitedly put on coats, hat, scarves, gloves and wellington boots in preparation for their outdoor exploration following a heavy snow fall. Children have opportunities to develop their large muscle control and coordination as they climb, run, slide and jump in the outdoor play area. Staff support younger children to develop their small muscle control and skills by providing them with objects, which they can pull, push, squeeze and hold. Children initiate their own learning through exploration and investigation and staff use their skills and knowledge to challenge their thinking further. They particularly enjoy exploring and investigating the snow where they make marks with sticks, make snowballs and learn about water freezing and ice melting.

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who attend

Staff provide endless opportunities for children to communicate their thoughts and ideas as they explore new and interesting resources and experiences that promote their curiosity and thinking skills. For example, children investigate resources, such as the snow gathered during outdoor play, textured play dough, creating large structures with bamboo poles and different fruits. Staff extend children's vocabulary as they discuss where items came from and what they feel like. Visual props, such as, symbols, posters and photographs, support those children, who communicate non-verbally. Children, who speak English as an additional language are supported extremely well through excellent partnerships with parents. Staff obtain words in children's home language and provide dual language books to help to develop children's understanding of English. Parents also contribute by writing key words onto posters and symbols in their home language to

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who attend

promote children's feeling of belonging and to understand the routine of the setting. Systems for developing the two-year-old assessment are robust and the manager is actively working with local health professionals to simplify the process. This will enable the views of parents to be gained more easily and thereby, more effective in providing early support for those children, who may need it. Assessments of children of all ages are clear, precise and sharply focused and include contributions from all those involved in each child's learning. They are based on staff's comprehensive knowledge of the children and their families and as a result, allow staff to support children in making excellent progress in relation to their starting points. A robust system is in place for tracking and analysing children's learning and progress. Observations are collated and statistics are produced to show any trends that may need

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who attend

further investigation. For example, current information shows that achievements in the prime areas of learning are excellent but progress in mathematics is less rapid. This information also highlights differences in cohorts, for example, boys progress and the progress of children, who have English as an additional language and those with special needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children, who are at risk of falling below their expected levels of development are identified quickly. This ensures that they receive targeted support and appropriate early intervention if necessary.

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who attend

Prior to starting the setting, parents have a meeting with their child's key person to gather useful information. Staff use this opportunity to find out about the children from their parents and to begin to build positive relationships with them and their families. Feedback of this process from parents, following consultations, shows that they feel this is an important part of the process, which helps children to settle well into the setting and for them to continue learning at home.

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

Staff are fully aware of the importance of a flexible settling-in period. Children are fully supported in the transition from home to the nursery. They are encouraged to attend 'stay and play' sessions to meet the needs of the child to become familiar with the environment, children and staff. Staff gain an exceptional understanding of children's individual preferences and interests and uses this to provide tailor made experiences that allow them to flourish in the setting.

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

Children clearly understand how to keep themselves safe and healthy in the stimulating and safe environment. Staff teach children about health and safety as they discuss safe use of equipment and safe behaviour when out and about. Children learn to manage their own risks because staff encourage and support them to be independent, confident learners. For example, after building a castle with bamboo poles, the children discuss how to move it safely to a different area of the room. Key persons are highly skilled and sensitive and fully support children to form strong, secure, emotional attachments, which provide a solid foundation for their personal, social and emotional development. For example, children are encouraged to be independent as they select their own resources from the vast range of activities and resources on offer.

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

Children enjoy a wealth of nutritious snacks, which they are actively involved in preparing. Individual dietary needs are known by all staff. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that children are provided with snacks containing appropriate ingredients that meet their individual requirements. Children learn about the need for healthy food and fresh air and the effects of exercise on their bodies as they participate in regular outdoor play and action songs. Children develop independence and social skills as they help each other with tasks. For example, they choose their own plates, spoons and cups at mealtimes, pour their own drinks and independently access food from their lunch boxes. Children talk confidently about food that is good for them and understand that the healthy food must be eaten first. These are social occasions when children talk with friends and staff about their experiences in the setting and at home.

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

Children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff have a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour. They have reasonable clear expectations, which means that children learn to respect and care about each other and think about the feelings of others. Highly effective practice and skilled key persons ensure that children are extremely well prepared for their next stage in learning.

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

Staff support parents in completing all required documents and when required, information is translated into other languages. Staff also make close links with the reception teachers from feeder primary schools, teachers are invited to visit the children in the setting and children visit their new settings. Information on children's stages of development and learning are shared and this promotes continuity of learning.

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provision

The staff team are highly qualified and extremely passionate about providing the best quality care to ensure that children achieve optimum progress in their learning and development. Leadership is inspirational and the robust process of self-evaluation is well documented. It highlights the strong emphasis on maintaining high levels of achievement for all children and focuses on gaining the voice of the child and the parent. Strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified and targeted plans are in place to secure continuous improvement. Staff, children and parents are fully involved in the process and their views are actively listened to and their ideas and suggestions are implemented. High quality systems for professional supervisions are in place, based on staff self-appraisals and discussions during one-to-one meetings with the manager. Staff are regularly observed by the manager to ensure that their practice is of high quality at all times. As a result of

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provision

regular observations by the manager, strengths and weaknesses of staff practice are identified and they are supported to improve their practice through professional development training.

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provision

Managers have attended safer recruitment training and work closely with the social care team. Staff have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how to protect and safeguard all children. For example, there are robust policies and procedures in place for safeguarding, recruitment and risk assessments. All staff have completed safeguarding training and have a comprehensive knowledge of what to do and who to contact if there are any safeguarding concerns. Vigorous security measures are in place to ensure that unwanted visitors do not have access to the building. For example, close circuit television links to the front door, so staff can speak to the person and view them before they allow them to enter. Highly comprehensive risk assessments, which are consistently implemented, keep children safe both inside and outdoors, and when out on trips. All policies and procedures are reviewed and updated annually or more often if necessary to

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provision

ensure that any new up-to-date information is included. The safeguarding policy has recently been updated to include the safe use of cameras and mobile telephones in the setting.

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provision

Staff have an exceptional knowledge of the educational programmes and consistent monitoring ensures that children experience a broad and balanced range of experiences that help them progress rapidly and successfully towards the early learning goals. Assessments are consistent and precise and children's progress is carefully monitored to ensure that those, who may need extra support are quickly identified. Children's needs are exceptionally well met through highly effective partnerships between the setting, parents and outside agencies. Parents are extremely complimentary about the setting and the service it provides. They comment that staff are caring, friendly and approachable and support children and their families exceptionally well. Parents say that they know their children are happy and thoroughly enjoy their time in the safe, secure and exciting environment. They particularly praise the partnership days where they spend time in the

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provision

setting with their child and gain ideas on how to transfer learning into the home.

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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 EY359831 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 820995

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Type of provision

Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 17 Total number of places 60 Number of children on roll 61 Name of provider New Duston Pre-School Limited Date of previous inspection 24/03/2011 Telephone number 07780 718171

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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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